I felt a raw, primal scream tear from my throat. “Are you all insane? Move! Do you actually want him to die? Because if he does, every single one of you is a murderer! You’ll all go to prison!”
Maybe it was the word “murderer” that finally broke through their mob mentality. The crowd grudgingly parted, creating a narrow path.
The paramedic squeezed through, took one look at Brett, and her face went pale. “This is what you call ‘fine‘? Get him onto the gur- ney and into the ambulance! Now!”
“No!” Victoria stepped forward again. “You must be mistaken. I’m telling you, the kid is faking it. You can’t be fooled by him.”
“That’s right!” Trevor limped over, clutching his stomach. “And what about me? She kneed me so hard I can barely stand! You need to check me out first! What if it’s a serious injury? What if… you know… I can’t have kids because of this?”
The paramedic shot him a look of sheer contempt. “Your injury isn’t life–threatening. That child, Get out of the way!”
on the other hand, is about to die.
Trevor exploded. “What do you mean it’s not a problem? If my family line ends because of this, are you going to
take responsibility?”
The paramedic, realizing she was at an impasse, offered a compromise. “Fine. You can get in the ance. But the boy’s condit- ion is critica!. We’re taking him, too.”
vering! If you take him, you’re just wasting valuable med-
I was about to nod in relief when Victoria shrieked, “I already told you, he’s ical resources!”
I gritted my teeth, fire burning in my eyes. “Victoria, what in God’s name do you want?”
Her gaze shifted, landing on me, and a slow, cruel smile spread across
the hospital with him. But oh, dear, the ambulance looks a bit full. Why don’t
X/
face. “Since you’re so worried about him, you can go to you just… run behind it?”
Her eyes swept over my elaborate costume and period shoes. “Of course, that’s a studio costume. You can’t damage it. So here’s the deal. You take off the clothes and the shoes, and you run. If you do that, I’ll let the
boy go to the hospital in the ambulance.”
“You’re out of your mind!” I sputtered, shaking with rage,
Trevor cut me off impatiently. “Stop wasting time! Are you going to do it or not?
you
to go, then do what Victoria said!”
“Fine! I’ll do it!”
Chapter 1
I could endure anything. But Brett’s breaths were growing fainter. At this point, I would agree to any demand.
Slowly, I stripped off the heavy costume and kicked off the shoes, leaving me in nothing but my thin underlayers. The moment my bare feet hit the sun–baked asphalt, a jolt of searing heat shot through me, making me gasp.
Victoria let out a triumphant laugh. “You’d better run fast, Leah. If the ambulance gets too far ahead and we can’t see you anymore, don’t blame me if we decide to string the little brat back up.”
You-”
I didn’t have the strength to argue. I just ran. I ran with everything I had, the ambulance crawling slowly behind me, as if I were
some macabre guide leading it to safety.
