Chapter 5
The night grew darker, and suddenly the sky unleashed a torrential rain.
Victoria and William sat in the supercar, rain pounding on the roof like some ominous drumbeat.
"Miss Storm, we've got company," William said, his voice low and steady.
Victoria glanced in the rearview mirror. Three black SUVs were glued to their tail.
"Looks like someone can't wait to take me out," Victoria sneered, her eyes burning with excitement, not fear.
[Damn it, they actually dare to mess with Miss Storm in my territory? These bastards are about to get a one-way ticket to hell,] William fumed inwardly.
He whipped the wheel, sending the supercar into a perfect drift across the slick pavement, then shot down a deserted industrial back road.
"Hold on tight," he said.
William's gaze was downright chilling. It was the gaze of a predator at the top of the food chain.
The black SUVs were right on their tail, and now they started slamming into the supercar.
With a loud bang, the whole car jolted hard.
Victoria gripped the armrest, catching William's furious inner roar: [You can hit my car all you want, but if you dare scare Miss Storm, even dying a million times wouldn't be enough to pay for it.]
William slammed on the brakes, sending the supercar into a sharp skid through the rain, coming to a stop sideways and blocking the entire road.
"Miss Storm, stay in the car. Don't move," he said.
He threw open the door and stormed out into the pouring rain.
Victoria sat inside, watching as William's silhouette flickered through the rain like a shadow.
A dozen burly men piled out of the SUVs, wielding steel pipes and machetes. William tore into them like a wolf among sheep, every punch and kick echoed with the brutal crack of breaking bones.
[Trying to ambush Miss Storm from the left? You're dead. Sneaking around the back? I'll kill you. Nobody gets anywhere near this car,] he snarled inwardly.
Victoria watched William battling in the rain, and suddenly, an unfamiliar emotion surged inside her.
He was really risking his life for her.
Just then, a killer hiding in the darkness leveled his gun.
"William, look out!" Victoria shouted.
William spun around, but he was a split second too late.
The bullet tore into his shoulder. He didn't even blink, just grabbed a machete from a nearby thug and whipped it at the shooter.
The killer screamed and crumpled to the ground.
The rest of the thugs saw what happened and bolted like terrified rats, tripping over themselves as they scrambled to get away.
The rain was still coming down hard.
William swayed unsteadily, then slowly shuffled over to the car window.
Victoria burst out of the car and caught him, steadying him before he could collapse.
"Are you out of your mind? You got shot!" she yelled.
William's face was pale as a ghost, blood pouring from his shoulder, mixing with the rain and turning his shirt a deep crimson.
He glanced at Victoria, a hint of a smile flickering in his eyes. "Miss Storm, as long as you're okay, that's all I care about."
He thought, [God, this hurts like hell. But if Miss Storm's holding me, I'd die happy. Her hands are shaking. Wait, is she worried about me? Man, this feels better than scarfing down a hundred lamb skewers.]
Victoria hauled him into the back seat, ripped a chunk off her dress, and fumbled to wrap up his wound as best she could.
"Shut up. Don't you dare die on me," she snapped.
William slumped back in the seat, his eyes locked on Victoria's worried face.
Suddenly, he reached out with his blood-soaked hand, trembling as he brushed her cheek. "Miss Storm, can I... break the rules, just this once?"
Victoria was momentarily taken aback.
[I can barely hold on. If I don't say it now, I might never get another chance. I don't want to just be your bodyguard. I want to be your man. Even if it's only for a second,] William thought.
He leaned in, his breath heavy with blood and the sharp scent of fir.
He barely touched her lips with his own. The kiss was so gentle, so controlled, but it felt like destiny had brought them together for this moment.
"Sorry, I crossed the line," William whispered, his head slumping as he passed out.
Victoria stood frozen, the lingering warmth of his kiss still burning on her lips.
She looked at William, who had risked his life for her, and her gaze turned resolute.
"William, unless I give permission, not even death itself can take you from me," she declared.
She fired up the engine, her master-level driving skills taking over. The supercar blasted off like a silver lightning bolt, blurring into the downpour and vanishing in the storm.
*****
The lobby of St. Mary's Private Hospital was so cold, it felt like a morgue.
Victoria stood at the reception desk, her red dress still damp from the rain. The tear she'd made to bandage William looked like a battle scar, raw and fierce.
She gripped the blood-stained Black Diamond Card so tightly her knuckles turned cold and steely white.
"Listen up," she said, her voice cold and commanding. "I want the best operating room, the best surgeon, and the top-tier special care team in the whole city."