Chapter 12 Don't Be Afraid
Sloane's POV
"Got all the medicine!" He walked up to me, looking down from above. "Now, save him. If he dies, you're going down with him."
I was roughly yanked up and shoved in front of the wounded man who'd been shot in the chest.
I had no choice but to pretend to prepare for surgery to buy time.
I opened the medical kit and took out the instruments one by one, carefully wiping them down with alcohol swabs, my movements methodical.
"This is a hemostat, this is a scalpel..." As I arranged the instruments, I deliberately used technical terms they wouldn't understand to distract them. "I need to establish IV access first, administer antibiotics to prevent infection..."
Just as I was about to pick up the syringe, a man who'd been silent the whole time suddenly spoke up, his voice hoarse and suspicious. "Boss, something's not right."
Everyone's eyes turned to him.
He pointed at the neatly arranged instruments I'd just laid out and said coldly, "She's not preparing for surgery at all. She's taking inventory of the tools, checking the supplies. She's stalling!"
My heart sank.
The leader's face instantly turned vicious. He snatched the gun from his subordinate's hands, and the dark barrel suddenly pressed against my temple. The cold touch made my whole body freeze.
"Talk! What the hell are you playing at?" he growled through gritted teeth, the killing intent in his eyes undisguised. "Did you call the cops?"
I bit my lip hard and stammered, "No, no I didn't."
But he clearly didn't believe me. He roared and released the safety. "You bitch! You dare trick me?"
I was so scared my face went pale, my hands completely out of control.
Just when I thought I was going to die here, a burst of intense gunfire suddenly came from outside the factory, followed by police shouting, "Stop resisting, you're completely surrounded. You can't escape."
"Cops!" someone yelled in panic.
All the thugs fell into chaos.
"So it really was you!" The man holding the gun to my head flashed a crazed, vicious look. Realizing I'd tricked him, he roared in humiliated rage, "I'll blow your brains out first!"
The cold barrel pressed against my temple. I was in complete despair, terrified that one accidental discharge would cost me my life here.
"Bang!"
A deafening gunshot exploded right by my ear, making my eardrums ache, but the expected pain never came. Trembling, I opened my eyes to see the man who'd just been pointing a gun at me now had a bloody hole in his forehead. His face full of disbelief, he fell straight backward.
The factory door was kicked open, and a tall, upright figure burst in against the light.
Jared held a handgun, his movements swift and precise. Several more shots rang out as he instantly took down several thugs trying to resist.
That face I knew so well was crystal clear in the chaotic firelight.
He came.
My heart suddenly relaxed.
The police quickly secured the scene.
Jared tossed aside his gun and strode over to me, pulling me tightly into his arms.
His familiar cedar scent surrounded me, mixed with the smell of gunpowder, yet it made me feel safer than ever before.
The nerves that had been stretched to their limit finally couldn't hold anymore.
"Waaah—" I couldn't hold back any longer. Buried in his embrace, I burst into tears.
"It's okay, Sloane, it's okay..." Jared's arms tightened even more, as if trying to merge me into his very bones. He stroked my back over and over, his warm lips against my ear, his voice hoarse and urgent. "I'm sorry, I came too late, I'm sorry..."
His voice carried a panic and fear I'd never heard before as he kept comforting me.
I cried until I couldn't breathe, could only clutch desperately at his clothes like grabbing a lifeline.
I thought he didn't care whether I lived or died. I thought he was with his beloved Keira.
But he appeared like a god descending from heaven at my most desperate moment and saved my life.
Feeling the warmth of his embrace and his racing heartbeat, only one thought filled my confused mind.
He does care about me.
And me? Could I still be in love with him?
I think I'm done for.
I don't know how long I cried, until my voice was hoarse, before I gradually calmed down in his arms.
Jared scooped me up horizontally. His arms were steady and strong, making me feel completely safe.
He carried me to the car. Inside it was warm and quiet, just the two of us.
I curled up in the back seat as Jared pulled me back into his arms, letting me lean against his chest.
His heartbeat was still fast, pounding powerfully against my eardrums.
"Feeling better?" He looked down at me, his voice gentler than ever before.
I nodded, burying my face in the crook of his neck, greedily absorbing that scent of his that made me feel safe.
The shock from earlier hadn't completely faded, and my body was still trembling slightly.
"Don't be afraid, it's all over." He gently patted my back, like comforting a frightened child.
In this brief moment of tenderness, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
I saw him take it out and glance at it, the screen's light reflecting his slightly furrowed brow.
Without hesitation, he darkened the screen and tossed the phone aside.
It's Keira, isn't it.
This thought popped up out of nowhere, and my heart that had just warmed up instantly went cold again.
The car slowly started moving. Jared drove himself while I sat in the passenger seat, silently watching the night scenery flying backward outside the window.
That heart-stopping kidnapping just now seemed like a nightmare that had finally ended.
The car reached an intersection and stopped at a red light.
That phone Jared had tossed aside rang again, persistent.
This time he answered and put it on speaker.
"Jared? How are things on your end? Did you find Sloane?" Keira's soft voice, with a hint of patronizing concern, came clearly through the speaker.
My heart sank sharply, and I instinctively straightened my back.
"Found her." Jared's voice returned to its usual coldness, emotionless.
"That's good. I told you Sloane would be fine." Keira sounded relieved, her tone becoming cheerful. "Where are you now? I'm so scared alone at the hospital. My mom just left. Can you come keep me company?"
Her voice carried a wheedling tone. From start to finish, she never asked if I was hurt, if I was scared—just a casual "would be fine," then immediately asking him to come be with her.