“I love you, too.”
My fingers nervously tapped the armrest of the taxi I was in. Amelia’s right arm and leg had been severely broken. The impact had caused internal bleeding which had been stopped. Now her brain showed internal bleeding and swelling which was bad. There were only a few doctors who specialized in the type of surgery she needed.
Gael was worried sick about me and I knew he regretted not coming with me. Honestly, I regretted the decision, too, now that I’d had a plane ride to think about it.
Emotions do funny things to a person when they were tired. Not having had slept much last night was only adding to the problem.
In less than twelve hours, I’d be in Gael’s arms. I’d focus on that. The cab stopped at the hospital curb. The meter read one hundred forty-three dollars. Since I hadn’t known I was traveling, I didn’t have that kind of cash. Taking out the credit card, the cab driver grunted. They hated not getting cash. A tap on the front window had the cab driving rolling it down. A man’s suit was visible.
He leaned down and I froze as he handed a wad of cash. “Keep the change. Thanks for getting her here safely.”
Harris. My skin crawled and I wanted to yell for the cab driver to take me away. Amelia. I needed to get to Amelia.
Sounding appreciative, the unknowing driver responded, “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
What the fuck is Harris doing here?
Finally, my brain started working. Assertively, I handed my card to the man. “Sir, I don’t want him paying for my ride. I’ll pay.”
“Lady, it’s done.” The cab driver wasn’t going to listen as he stared forward. Not many people went against Harris.
I got out and ran toward the hospital doors. Amelia was all that mattered. I’d deal with the asshole later and send him the money for the cab. The last thing I would ever be was beholding to Harris. It’s why I’d been insistent on paying for what I could of the bills when I lived with him. It was pennies to him in the scheme of things.
As I rounded the corner to the elevator, a tight grip came on my elbow.
“Ashlin, come with me.”
I yanked my arm out of his hold. “You’re out of your mind. Leave me alone, Harris.”
“Do you want to save your friend’s life?” The steel resolve of his voice stopped me in my tracks.
“What?”
As if we were talking about the weather, he replied, “Do you want to save your friend’s life? The decision is up to you.”
Harris turned and walked toward a small room off to the side. I followed, cursing him the whole way. There was an endgame here and it was going to be brutal. His stance alone caused a bad feeling to come over me. My tired nerves were shot.
Casually, Harris leaned against the small desk and ran his hand through his black hair. “Amelia needs a specialized brain surgeon. I have him on standby ready to fly him here.”
“Harris, oh my gosh, thank you!” Gratitude flooded me.
He held up a finger. “My help doesn’t come without a price, Ashlin. Amelia’s going to potentially require more surgeries and physical therapy. I’ll cover these as well. She’ll have the best doctors working with her. I’ll make sure that there’s no red tape. I understand that money isn’t an issue for her family, but the doctors have to be available.”
How could I have been so stupid to think he would help?
Dread replaced the elation. “What’s the price?”
By the cruel smile that spread across his face, I knew the answer before he spoke, “You break up with Gael Stowe. We reconcile and you move back home.”
I raised my hand to slap him and he caught my wrist. “Are you fucking out of your mind?”
“Tick-tock, baby. Time is running out.” The menacing ice blue eyes told me he wasn’t bluffing.
He wouldn’t let go of me. Stunned, I said the first thing that came to mind, “You’d kill Amelia, Harris? She’s a human being.”
“No, I’m not killing her. I simply won’t go out of my way to help her. She has a fighting chance with my help. Without it, the prognosis is dim.” Releasing my wrist, I staggered backward.
I felt sick. I had to sit. The world spun and bile rose in my throat. Taking a seat, I tried to comprehend the fact that someone even as vile as Harris could do such a thing.