Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Cole shouted her name and sprinted forward. Acting on instinct, Erin dove between the nearest cars, hitting the pavement. Ignoring the jolt of pain shooting through her on impact, she immediately pulled her knees to her chest and curled into a tight ball, her only thought to protect the life inside her. Erin heard the deafening crunch of metal as the oncoming vehicle crashed into the cars surrounding her and felt the vibration of impact on the car next to her while shards of glass sprayed around her.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed before she allowed herself to become aware of her surroundings again. Cole was shouting her name, and she pushed herself to her knees, gathering her breath. “I’m okay!” she called out to him.
She braced a hand on the car next to her, using it to push herself to her feet. She could walk through the other aisle and find Cole, she thought, ignoring the pain in her side.
She took one step forward when she was stopped by the sound of a woman’s shriek.
“Liar!” Victoria stumbled into Erin’s only way out.
“You said you and Cole weren’t together, that you didn’t want him!” the clearly unhinged woman screamed at her.
“We’re not! I don’t!” Erin swallowed over her fear, forcing the words out of her bone-dry mouth.
Suddenly Cole stepped behind Victoria. Relieved, Erin let out a whoosh of air, though she didn’t acknowledge him, knowing he needed the element of surprise.
“Liar! You’re with him. You’re always with him!” She ran a shaking hand through her disheveled hair. “You need to go away and leave us alone.”
“She will,” Cole said in a perfectly calm voice.
Startled, the other woman jerked around to face him. “Cole?” Her voice softened.
He nodded. “Let’s talk,” he said, gesturing for her to step closer.
“You slept with her. You got her pregnant,” Victoria said, her voice full of betrayal and hurt.
Erin leaned harder against the car door, the knifelike pain in her side suddenly robbing her of breath.
Cole caught her gaze, his eyes widening at the realization something was wrong. Erin shook her head. He needed to focus on Victoria.
“It was a one-night stand. It meant nothing,” he assured the other woman.
At this moment, Erin knew he’d say or do anything to calm Victoria and subdue her. She’d been prepared to hear the worst on that night at Joe’s, but that hadn’t happened. Now she was unraveling from the stress of the last twenty-four hours, oh hell, from everything. The last thing she needed was to listen to Cole dismiss her and everything they’d shared.
“But you moved in with her,” Victoria said, her voice shaking.
“Because you left me no choice. You had her shot, right?”
“I told him to scare her, not to shoot her!”
Erin closed her eyes at the admission.
“But the more you did to Erin, the more I had no choice but to protect her because that’s my baby she’s carrying. It was about the baby, not her.” Cole’s warm, imploring gaze settled on the crazy woman. He held out a hand to her. “Come here. Let me hold you and calm you down, okay?”
“You really don’t want her?” Victoria shot a triumphant look over her shoulder at Erin before refocusing on the man who was her obsession.
“Not at all.” He beckoned to her with a gesture and a look, and Erin’s stomach curled with unwarranted and unreasonable jealousy.
“Come.”
Victoria finally broke and flew into his arms. He whispered in her ear while slipping his arms down until he finally grabbed her wrists, pinning her against the nearest automobile.
“What?!” Victoria realized she’d been had and began to struggle, hissing and cursing, but Cole held on.
Erin sought her bag, wanting her cell phone. Just as she caught sight of where it had flown in the commotion, the sound of police sirens echoed around them.
“Thank God.” Knowing it was finally over, Erin’s knees buckled, and she let herself sink to the ground.
* * *
Too many things happened at once, preventing Cole from getting to Erin. Hospital personnel came running, and Erin was immediately taken into the emergency room.
Cara arrived and subdued Victoria, who continued to shriek even as Cara read the hysterical woman her rights. Nicole’s arrival didn’t help matters since Victoria blamed her sister for coming to Serendipity and ruining her chances with Cole. Not rational, but then, this was Victoria. Finally, the hospital staff had to step in and sedate her, which meant booking would have to wait, but at least she was cuffed to her bed and had an officer assigned to watch over her.
Victoria was no longer a threat to Erin. But were Erin and the baby still in danger?
Cole started to head back to the hospital, only to have Cara stop him. “I need your statement,” she called out.
“I need to check on Erin.”
“Sam and Mike are with her by now.” Cara gentled her voice. “But if you want me to be able to hold Victoria and make the charges stick, you need to talk to me now.”