ing, turning the dingy precinct lobby

His voice was a thundercla

cking her head under his chin. His massiv

grapher lunged forward, trying

nd panic to keep the cameras away from the woman in his arm

ved Ch

hitting her chest knocked t

in her high heel. She lost her foo

into the heavy metal waitin

n armrest. A deep gash tore open instantly, the sharp, sear

the floor, ga

he waited for Atticus to turn around. She wa

did

. His entire focus, his entire world, w

compared to the agony ripping through her chest. It felt as if someone h

ad been clinging to snapped.

mobilized, shoving the reporte

, Celena let out a high-

both hands and collapsed like

terror in his voice was somethin

to his arms, holding her tightly against hi

reamed at his driver, who

he back seat of the Maybach

at Charlotte sitting on the floor. He

vously at the reporters still trying to snap photos through the glass. "We c

to go to hell. But the ingrained discipline of ten yea

er stomach, limped out the door, and clim

y from the curb,

n, the air was

d, but her eyes involuntarily

na's hand, pressing it to his lips. He was

lotte's lips. She turned her head a

front of the emergency room of

pen, carrying Celena insi

e bright, sterile ER waiting room alone. No one looked at h

you," the nurse murmured. Charlotte numbly took the gauze and pressed it to her torn skin, waving the nurse away with a hollow, "I'm fine, thank you." Her physical pain was entirely eclipsed by the a

heavy double doors of the

medicine, walked out. He pulled dow