Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
She nods and lets the medics do their thing before they move her. I’m impatient with their assessment, which they refuse to give. “The bullet is still inside, so we can’t say anything until she goes into surgery, Mr. Knox. You can either ride with us or the other team.”
“I’ll ride with you.” I wasn’t going to leave Georgia unless necessary, and it wasn’t necessary. The entire ride felt so slow.
“How far are we going?”
“We have to take her to the next town. Unfortunately, this town doesn’t have the best trauma hospital. With the evacuation, there were only a dozen people to return just in case it was needed, and it was already full with the injured. The ride is another ten minutes on the highway, and the road will be clear once we hit the mainland.”
“Good. Let’s just get my Georgia there safe and quick.” My patience was wearing thin, and it wasn’t their fault. Georgia reaches out with her uninjured hand and squeezes mine.
“Calm down, Stellan.” It’s sweet that she’s worried about me when Georgia needs help.
“I will once you’re well. Until then, I need them to take the best care of you.”
“We will,” one of the medics promises. It aches in my chest when I consider that Felicity was hurt because I didn’t read the signs and that I believed the closest person to me.
****
She spent the next three hours in surgery because the bullet traveled from her arm to her chest cavity. Luckily, there hadn’t been any major damage, but it still was a dangerous and long process. I wanted to kill my former assistant.
As I paced the hospital, my phone rang off the hook. “What the hell happened, Stellan?” my agent Morris asked.
“Felicity is my damn stalker.”
“What? Felicity? I guess that’s not far-fetched, but damn, your voicemail said you were shot at.”
“Yes, she tried to kill me and my future wife.”
“Wife? I can’t believe you’re getting married. We could really run with this.”
“We’re not running with anything. I want to keep everything hush.”
“How hushed?”
“Anything less than silent is a bullhorn in Hollywood, and you know it. She’s been shot, and Felicity is in custody right now. I want a total blackout while I deal with the police on this matter.”
“I’ll have someone say you were spotted in Greece.” I never lied about important things, but my whereabouts are one thing I don’t mind them fudging the details on. We started doing that when I had a stalker. I could laugh about it now.
“Sounds wonderful, and if it goes well, there’s a bonus in it for you.”
“I’ll make it happen.” I ended the call and then waited impatiently for the doctors or nurses to bring me news that she’d be okay.
Footsteps approached behind me, but they weren’t medical ones. It was the sheriff with two other officers. “Hello, Mr. Knox. We’d like a word.”
“Sure.”
“First, were you aware that your assistant had been in town?”
“No, I wasn’t, or at least I wasn’t aware until the storm hit, and I realized that she was my stalker.”
“How did you know?”
“Georgia came to get me out of the cabin, and we talked. It’s complicated.” I see the doctors approaching, and I rush past the police.
“How is she?”
“Ms. King is going to be just fine.” I let out a deep sigh of relief. My chest is pounding with a new happiness. There is so much to do.
“Ask your questions and get it over with because I have to see my girl when she comes to.”
Chapter Nine
Georgia
The state police surrounded me in the hospital room, and I wanted them to go away, but I knew they wouldn’t until I answered all their questions.
Frankly, there isn’t much to say. I didn’t know that batshit crazy woman, and until three days ago, I hadn’t seen her before. She checked into one of my cabins under a false name, and if I’d seen a photo from Stellan, I would have been aware she was on my property before it was too late, but it wouldn’t really have helped since we were in the middle of the storm.
“I told you there isn’t much to say. I don’t know Ms. Cameron. She rented a cabin with a fake ID and credit card.”
“Do you know why she shot you?”
“Well, duh, I mean, what the hell do they pay you people for?” Mrs. Barrymore enters my room. “Seriously get out of here and leave that poor girl alone and get paid to do some real work. The woman was obsessed with my grandson and wanted to take out her only rival. How damn hard was that to follow? What in the backwater town did they drag you out of?”
“We’re from the State field office, ma’am,” one detective says, giving her a cold look like that’s going to scare her off.