Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Mi sol,” I whisper with absolute awe, brushing my fingers over her cheek again. My eyes drift down her body, and it’s only then that I see the severe scarring around her ankles.
Intense rage pours like ice through my veins.
I know from experience how long a person has to be shackled to have scars like the ones she has.
Months. Years.
I fucking knew I was running out of time to find her.
My eyes snap back to her face, and I cup her cheek with my palm. Leaning over her, I say, “You’re safe now, mi pequeño sol.”
“Should I find a hospital?”
“No. Go straight to the airfield. Dr. Pires can look at her once we’re home.”
After I had to send my doctor and nurse to the island to run the hospital there, I hired a new doctor and nurse for the clinic on my compound. It has actually worked out for the best, as the new doctor is female, and the women feel more comfortable with her.
My second-in-command glances at me in the rearview mirror. “You’re just going to kidnap her?”
“Yes.”
He nods, then focuses on the road ahead.
When I glance over her again, I notice faint bruises on her upper arms and the side of her jaw.
She was running from someone.
My eyes snap to Pedro. “She was held prisoner and shackled.”
“Want to turn back so we can look for whoever had her?”
I think for a moment, then shake my head. “Have two of the men stay behind at the safe house. Tell them to check nearby houses for anything out of the ordinary. Once she wakes up and tells us who had her, they can find the fucker. Have the pilot of the other private jet come back to Ireland once he’s done refueling in Switzerland. He can be on standby for the guards and whoever they find.”
Pedro nods and issues the order over the two-way radio.
I turn my attention back to the woman in my arms and stare at her face.
I’ve been searching for a year, and now that I’ve finally found her, nothing will ever take her away from me.
Chapter 9
SANTIAGO
The woman regained consciousness only once during the flight home. She was hysterical, and I was forced to sedate her.
Due to saving so many people over the years, I always travel with a medical kit so we can treat wounds on the go. After I cleaned the severe lacerations around her ankles, I wrapped them with bandages.
I’ve already notified Dr. Pires that I’m on my way, so she can get everything ready, because I want to have a complete check-up done.
After climbing out of the SUV, I hurry into the clinic and carefully place the woman down on the stretcher. “Check everything,” I order. “I’ve given her the sedative.”
Dr. Pires nods while her nurse, Emma, pushes the bed down a hallway.
“Do you have any information on the woman?” the doctor asks as we follow the nurse to a room where the X-ray and CT scanner is.
“No. I found her in a field.”
Coming to a stop in front of the machines, I stand beside Dr. Pires and cross my arms over my chest.
It feels like the tests are taking forever when Dr. Pires finally says, “No broken bones. Everything looks okay. We’ll move her to a room before taking blood and doing the rest of the checks.”
After moving her to a private room so she isn’t around other patients, I have to wait outside in the hallway because they’re also checking for any signs of sexual assault. We do the same checks on every person we bring to the compound, so we know exactly what we’re dealing with.
The door opens, and Dr. Pires smiles at me. “It will take a few days before we get all the blood test results back. She has scarring on her back. It could be from being whipped.” Dr. Pires takes a breath, compassion for our patient tightening her features. “The lacerations around her ankles will obviously leave permanent scarring, but there’s no infection. There are also no signs that she’s been raped.” The doctor glances back into the room. “Her virginity is still intact.”
Intense relief pours through me, hearing my little ray of sunshine wasn’t raped, which makes me think she was held captive by a woman. Maybe an abusive mother?
Unclipping the two-way radio from my belt, I say, “Pedro, tell the guards in Ireland the person who held her captive might be a woman.”
“Okay,” he replies. “Has she woken up?”
“Not yet.” I clip the radio back into place before walking into the room.
“I’ll let you know as soon as we get the test results,” Dr. Pires says. “Call me if she regains consciousness while you’re with her.”
I nod, moving to the side of the bed.
Suddenly, my phone rings and I quickly pull the device out of my pocket. Seeing Dominik’s name on the screen, I answer, “Hey, how’s everything going?”