Close enough to feel her heart racing, matching the frantic rhythm of his own.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his fingers lingering against her skin. “You’re safe now. I promise.”
For a moment, they were cocooned together, suspended in a bubble where nothing else mattered except the two of them.
But then…
Reality started to creep in….
Kourtney’s sobs subsided, and she pulled away as if she had just recalled something. She started recollecting her thoughts.
This man!
Sebastian Woods!
He got her into this situation in the first place.
She looked up at him with eyes wide with anger and hurt…
Sebastian’s heart sank. He knew she was right to pull away.
“I know… I know it’s my fault. But please, just let me hold you for now,” He pleaded, desperation lacing his words.
He couldn’t let her slip away from his hold, not now.
Not when he had finally realized how deeply he cared for her.
Kourtney then glanced at the bleeding man, shaking violently on the ground. “You… you shot him,” she whispered, a tremor in her voice.
“Don’t worry. He will live,” Sebastian replied, a sneer curling his lips as he looked down at his handiwork in a pool of blood.
He felt zero remorse, guilt, or sympathy.
Sebastian was a very skilled shooter. Years of training had honed his skills. He targeted a body part that would cause damage to the man, but he would also live.
He had aimed for the shoulder, a non-lethal spot, a warning as much as a punishment.
It was a calculated move to ensure the man would live, but, would also never forget this day. And hopefully, he would think twice before laying a hand on another innocent soul again.
Kourtney’s eyes darted between the man and Sebastian, uncertainty flickering in her gaze. “But you… you could have killed him!”
“Maybe,” Sebastian replied coldly.
But he was one hundred percent sure that the man would live…. UNFORTUNATELY!!!
He pictured himself wrapping his hands around the bleeding man’s throat and squeezing until the life drained from his eyes. Oh, how he wished he could do that right now to finish the bastard off.
But…
“Sebastian, I…” Kourtney’s voice interrupted his vicious thought.
He cut her off gently, placing a finger against her lips. “Don’t say anything more right now. Just breathe.”
Kourtney took a shaky breath, her chest rising and falling with the tumult of emotions within her. She wanted to believe him, wanted to trust that he would keep her safe. But the scars of this night would not fade easily.
And No!
She wouldn’t let this go so easily. She already had her plans in mind…
But for now…
“I want to leave this place!”
“We’ll leave this place,” Sebastian said firmly, his resolve strengthening. “I’ll get you out of here.”
As he helped her to her feet, carrying her bridal style in his arms, Kourtney leaned against him.
Her body was still trembling, not just from fear but from the aftermath of trauma.
They moved toward the door, but Sebastian’s instincts flared as he sensed danger lurking in the shadows.
“Stay on guard close to me. His accomplices might still be around the area,” he called out to his bodyguards.
The men did as told, circling Sebastian and Kourtney like FBI agents protecting a high-profile target as they made their way out of the grimy building.
Once they were outside, the night air was cool against Kourtney’s flushed skin, a stark contrast to the heat-infested room she had just been freed from.
She still couldn’t shake the images of the assault from her mind. And she knew she still wouldn’t be able to, even after a long, long time….
The fear, the panic, the terror, the misery, the feeling of helplessness-it all crashed down on her like a wave, threatening to pull her under.
Through her red and puffy eyes, she eyed Sebastian, whose jaw was clenched tight, eyes focused on the path ahead.
Kourtney stayed silent, studying him.
This man had just shot someone to protect her, and yet, a part of her was terrified of him now… of his anger… of his temper… and of what he was capable of when furious.
The man was abusive. She couldn’t deny the obvious truth.
She swallowed bitterly, just thinking about it.
‘Can I still live with him?’ she wondered.
This very question seemed to tear through her soul.
But she needed to ask herself…..
Moments later, Sebastian’s sleek black SUV sped down the road with Kourtney still cuddled up in his arms in the backseat. They were both silent, each one lost in their own giant wave of thought… as if at that point, words were of no use.
Soon, they pulled up to a hospital, its bright lights almost blinding after the darkness of the night.
Sebastian didn’t waste a second. He was out of the car, lifting her into his arms again as he rushed through the emergency entrance…..