Page 132 of Scandal
“I enjoy taking them too. Now, smile for the camera, princess.”
“Fuck you,” I seethe.
His cruel grin falters. “That’s not very nice. Do you want your earl to see what happens when you misbehave?”
He lunges at me but doesn’t get very far. Mitch grabs him from behind just as the door flies open, and Lewis, along with two police officers, rushes in.
The officers head straight for Ian and Mitch, while Lewis approaches me. Seeing his familiar face brings tears of relief to my eyes.
Ian might be strong, but he’s no match for the police officer, who quickly overpowers him until he’s face down on the ground with his hands behind his back. Mitch, however, doesn’t fight back and instantly raises his hands in surrender.
“Wait,” I say as they start to separate the two men and read their rights, motioning to Mitch. “He wasn’t involved. He was trying to protect me.”
Mitch gives me a nod of appreciation, but doesn’t offer up any additional information. Maybe he does feel a littleresponsible. Maybe a small part of him still feels loyal to Ian. Who knows?
But as I watch them take the two men away, all I can think about is getting away from this horrible place and back to Blackstone.
Back to Asher.
Back to home.
Chapter Thirty-Two
ASHER
Growing up, I was told that nothing mattered more than duty and honor. When music became my life, I was told it was about ticket sales and how many zeros were in my bank account.
Now, as I hurry down the hall in the A&E wing of the hospital, I know there is nothing more important in this world than the love I feel for her.
When this is all over, I’m giving Lewis a raise.
Or a car. Maybe two.
After that disturbing photo of Mercury was sent, I lost my mind. The rage I felt was so overwhelming, I thought it would consume me. But Lewis remained laser-focused.
While I could barely look at the photo without feeling furious and sick at the thought of her being hurt and alone, Lewis stayed calm and managed to analyze every detail, which turned out to be exactly what we needed. Because there was a window in the background, and through it, you could see a steeple of a local church.
Once he identified the church’s location, it was relatively easy to narrow down the options using the position of the steeple in the photo and the limited number of homes in that rural area.
He had the police dispatched within minutes.
That was the easy part.
The hard part was waiting. Lewis promised he would bring her back to me. Since he worked as a liaison with the police, he had the authority to be at the scene. I did not.
It felt like an eternity before my phone finally rang, and his voice was on the other end, reassuring me she was alive and safe.
Safe.
It was a relief, but I still needed to see her with my own eyes.
The nurse at the check-in desk confirmed, after I lied and told her Mercury was my fiancé so I could have a better chance of seeing her, that she was only brought to the hospital as a precaution.
I try to swallow the guilt that keeps trying to surface—the guilt and swirling thoughts of doubt, wondering if she wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me.
She would never have been in this situation to start with.
But thoughts like that won’t help me right now. They won’t help me help her, which is my main priority.
