“Kevin?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Sienna and Faith were shot.”
“Shit!” Alarmed, he raked an anxious hand over his head to the back of his neck. “What happened? How are they? How’s Sienna?” Lucas braced himself, fear welling up tight in his chest.
“They’d moved her from ICU to a standard room now that her condition has been upgraded from critical to stable. Faith’s room is located one floor up. Her injury wasn’t life-threatening. The bullet passed straight through her shoulder into Sienna, getting lodged in, and cracking one of her ribs. It’s what prevented Sienna from suffering more internal injuries. The doctor said that had the bullet been a few centimeters higher, it would have hit Sienna’s heart. Basically, her rib saved her life.”
“Shit.” Lucas scrubbed his fingers back and forth across his forehead.
“I’m here with Sienna now. She woke up a few minutes ago groggy from the meds, but she’s resting now. I was able to get her to tell me the passcode to her phone before she fell back asleep. That’s how I found your number. The shooting happened around six yesterday evening in Sienna and Bailey’s apartment.”
“A home invasion?” he asked.
“From what I understand, it was Faith’s boyfriend. I heard a noise and went over to see if Ba—” Kevin cleared his throat. “The dude jetted out of their apartment. I’ve only gotten bits and pieces on the details because Faith’s been sedated. She yanked out her I.V. twice and kept kicking and screaming, saying that she killed Sienna just like she killed her mother. The staff tried to tell her that Sienna pulled through, but she wouldn’t listen. She lost it. They had to knock her out.”
“Have they caught the bastard?” His panic now rested just above his rising fury.
“Not yet. In between going bat-shit crazy, Faith managed to give the police some information, and I was able to identify a mug shot they showed me, but they still want to question Faith further and Sienna when she’s able. The detective said the dude’s mixed up with some heavy players in the drug scene.”
“Damn. You’re sure Sienna’s okay?” Lucas asked with grave concern.
“She pulled through the worst of it. The hospital won’t divulge much more. They want to speak to her next of kin. Sienna would want Bailey here for that.” Kevin sighed. “Anyway, that’s why I called. Uh, yeah, tell Bailey when she wakes up that I tried to call her right after it happened, but she didn’t pick up. I didn’t have her parents’ number. I guess that would’ve been a wasted effort.”
Having apparently heard Bailey’s voice, Lucas heard the undertone of discontent filter through the man’s tone. “She’s been out all day; her phone died. We’re in California. We’ll be heading back within the hour. I’ll have her call you from the plane.”
“I’ll text you the hospital’s address.”
“Thanks. And, uh, thanks for letting me break this to Bailey. This will really upset her.”
“Yeah, I’ll be here. If Sienna wakes before Bailey gets here, I’ll tell her that she’s on her way.”
“Later.” Lucas hung up. Damn. Sienna and Faith shot by Faith’s boyfriend. He thought back to Faith at his office, how she’d intended to blackmail him for money. Sienna getting shot was his fault. Had he given Faith the money, Sienna would not have been nearly killed.
Gavin. He had to let him know what happened to Sienna. Gavin was at his penthouse not very far away. He was in California visiting the company’s Silicon Valley office. Lucas quickly scrolled through his contacts and hit Gavin’s name. After four rings, he expected it to go to voice mail, but the line picked up.
“What?” Gavin answered, his voice gravelly.
“Get to the plane.”
“Do you know what time it is?”
“It’s Sienna.”
He yawned out, “What about Sienna?”
“She’s been shot.” Lucas’s stomach constricted at the thought that Bailey and his unborn child could have been at the apartment.
He detailed to Gavin all that Kevin had told him. “We’ll meet you at the plane.”
“I’ll be there.”
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my amazing editor, Jessica Verdi, for her invaluable guidance in helping shape this book, her tremendous support, and for giving me the opportunity to share Lucas and Bailey’s story. You’re truly wonderful! Also, thank you Julie Sturgeon for helping me through cover development. You made the process fun. And many thanks to the entire Crimson Romance/Simon & Schuster team for all the hard work put in to helping bring my dream to fruition.
To my agent, Brittany Booker, thank you for your continued support that kept me moving forward.
Thanks, Laurie and Marnee, for giving me your undivided attention whenever I needed advice or just a few words of encouragement. So glad our roads crossed. You ladies have been such great friends.
To my husband, thank you for being immensely supportive as I stepped out on this journey. And with love and giant hugs to my A-team, my wonderful children. Thank you for your understanding and patience, despite the many hours in which my writing and deadlines absorbed all of my attention. I dedicate this book you.
Finally, I am forever grateful to you, dear reader, for giving my story a spin. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you enjoy getting to know my characters as much as I loved creating them.
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my amazing editor, Jessica Verdi, for her invaluable guidance in helping shape this book, her tremendous support, and for giving me the opportunity to share Lucas and Bailey’s story. You’re truly wonderful! Also, thank you Julie Sturgeon for helping me through cover development. You made the process fun. And many thanks to the entire Crimson Romance/Simon & Schuster team for all the hard work put in to helping bring my dream to fruition.
To my agent, Brittany Booker, thank you for your continued support that kept me moving forward.
Thanks, Laurie and Marnee, for giving me your undivided attention whenever I needed advice or just a few words of encouragement. So glad our roads crossed. You ladies have been such great friends.
To my husband, thank you for being immensely supportive as I stepped out on this journey. And with love and giant hugs to my A-team, my wonderful children. Thank you for your understanding and patience, despite the many hours in which my writing and deadlines absorbed all of my attention. I dedicate this book you.
Finally, I am forever grateful to you, dear reader, for giving my story a spin. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you enjoy getting to know my characters as much as I loved creating them.
Author’s Note
Though inspired by Washington D.C. landmarks, please note that some events and locations mentioned in this book are fictional and are meant solely for you to escape and enjoy.
About the Author
Michele Arris is a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® award-winning author. Her work is edgy and downright steamy with a melting pot of strong, diverse characters. When she isn’t stationed in front of her laptop spilling her wayward imagination onto the page, she’s jotting scenes in her head. “It’s enjoyable to write stories where two people are guaranteed their happy ending.”
Michele loves to hear from readers. To see what happens next in the Tarnished Billionaires Series, please visit her website at MicheleArris.com. While there, please subscribe to her occasional newsletter for information about upcoming books.
Visit her Author Profile page at simonandschuster.com.
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Crimson Romance
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Copyright © 2017 by Michele Arris.
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First Crimson Romance ebook edition MAY 2017
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ISBN 978-1-5072-0477-1 (ebook)
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
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