Is this how I’m going to die?

Gritting my teeth, I extend my arm and reach for my phone on the passenger seat, I press the speed dial with excruciating effort.

Please… I need you…

A familiar husky voice comes through, “Where are you?”

My mouth curls into a weak smile then my eyelids drop.

I’m here…

Chapter 16

DERIK

“H ow is she?” I ask the doctor anxiously.

The three-hour-long surgery is finally over, but the worry that’s been eating me alive continues as I pace back and forth across the waiting area.

I’ll never forgive myself if she doesn’t make it.

William and I just arrived from Los Angeles for an investor’s meeting. Seeing the call from Natalie excited me. It never crossed my mind that she would be in a life-threatening situation.

Gritting my teeth, I watch the middle-aged doctor remove his mask.

“She is stable. Her body sustained multiple injuries from the impact and broken glass. Her neck received severe impact. She will have to wear a cast and will be uncomfortable. As for her left leg…” the man trails off before releasing a deep breath. “We performed a bone fracture repair surgery. It will take twelve weeks to heal.”

I gulp hard, feeling my muscles tense.

“Will she be able to heal completely?”

“She’s young and healthy. I expect she will make a full recovery,” the doctor affirms, tapping my shoulder with a hand. His reassuring smile calms my nerves

a bit. “Her condition will be tightly monitored, Mr. Lewis.”

“Thank you.”

Upon my instruction, William has dispatched several teams of bodyguards to secure all entrances and exits of the hospital building. In the recovery room is the highly skilled unit of female bodyguards that I have assigned to be her shadow.

After my conversation with Ashton, I’d hired a group of mercenaries to ensure her safety, but to no avail; they were unable to protect her from the car accident.

“What happened?” I question Kamila, the squad leader. Her dark, sharp eyes glint with remorse as she stares back at me. Without delay, she reiterates everything that happened.

As it turns out, Natalie was the one who ignored all the traffic rules as she sped up to the site. She was panic-stricken, causing the collision. Nodding my head, I command Kamila to stand guard 24/7 and report anything suspicious.

By morning, Mrs. Whittle and Mrs. Lindt arrive. There are things I need to personally attend to, and leaving Natalie in their hands will put my mind at ease.

“I’ll be back,” I murmur softly while stroking Natalie’s ashen cheek. Gently, I kiss the back of her cold hand, hoping to share my warmth with her weakened body.

Turning on my heel, I harden my heart and exit the ward quietly. William is already waiting in the lobby, his eyes bloodshot. He is sipping from a Styrofoam cup which I presume to contain coffee. The man looks tired, but his expression is attentive as he spots me walking over.

“Sir…” he acknowledges, rising from his seat.

Waving a hand, I take the seat next to him. He’s been working nonstop with me, and I tasked him last night with settling the issue with the business center that collapsed. The two of us keenly monitored this project and knew that with

Natalie’s leadership, everything was up to the best standards. A collapse was out of the question unless a severe unforeseen natural disaster occurred.

“We already have Mason Moore, sir.”

“Mmmh.”

A few minutes later, William and I are in the vehicle, taking an unfamiliar road deep into the desert. After an hour, the car stops in front of an old building that looks like it was ravaged by fire before being completely abandoned. In front of the entrance stands a tall, broad man in a black suit, looking like he has been waiting for our arrival.

“Sir…” he greets with a salute.

Squinting my eyes, I acknowledge the man as the head of the guards with a light nod. He leads us to the second floor, where a few more guards stand outside a locked door. They open the entrance, revealing a dark and dusty room. A small light hangs in the center, casting shadows throughout the dank atmosphere as my eyes land on the man tied to a steel chair beneath it.

“Wake him,” William commands, his voice echoing eerily across the room.

He brings out an empty chair and gestures for me to sit. “They seized him at the casino after they heard of the collapse of the main building.”

I scoff disdainfully as I settle onto the chair and cross my ankle over my opposite knee. I watch the men throw a bucket of water on Mason’s face. When he comes to, he looks at me murderously as he spits on the floor.

“What do you want from me?”

“I’ve underestimated you, Moore.”

He laughs hysterically, eyeing me triumphantly.

“I knew you’d been snooping on me, Lewis. As sharp as you are, you’re still no match for me. A man must know how to accept defeat. Even Natalie bought my outstanding acting skills!”

My jaw clenches.

“You are not to utter her name.”

“Oh? Why? Does it make you feel jealous?” Mason mocks.

Smirking, I rise from my seat and step closer to him. I circle him slowly twice, then kick the chair hard from the back, thrusting it forward, causing him to fall face-first. The man groans in pain. Walking to his side, I flip the chair over roughly, then step on his neck, putting enough pressure to choke him until his eyes bulge and redden.

“You killed your own brothers, raped and knocked off women, and you even

attempted to fake an accident for your father…bold of you to dare to touch my Natalie with those filthy hands.”

Pressing my shoe harder, my vision darkens as the memory of him holding Natalie in the parking area surfaces. With a sinister smile, I take a cigarette from my pocket and light it. Removing my foot, I take several long drags and gesture for a guard to lift the chair up.

Mason’s cocky, dangerous gaze is plastered on me. He spits again as the blood from the wound on his forehead flows down to the corner of his mouth.

“Natalie is a lovely girl. She is good at her work. But a greenhorn like her will never be capable of running Quinn Industries–”