Wild Child (A Soul Sister Novel Book 1) Read online

  Which was when I realized my arm was blazing white hot fire, and blood was leaking down past my elbow. I lifted it to see how bad it was. There was a big, long gouge from the front to the back of my bicep like I’d been grazed or sliced, but it wasn’t a hole. Still it seemed pretty deep and there was an awful amount of blood.

  I hissed and pushed the button and spoke. “Um, I might have been shot too in the arm but I’m okay. He’s breathing and I felt his pulse but he’s unconscious. I don’t know what to do!”

  “You’re doing just fine. A unit is two minutes from your location.”

  “Please hurry. The bad guy stole my car and got away.” The tears fell again, and my nose ran like a faucet. I lifted the skirt of my stupid diner outfit that already had crimson staining it and wiped my nose.

  “Just tell the officer that arrives what happened, and we’ll take care of it.” The woman’s voice sent a layer of calm rushing through my system.

  I dropped the walkie talkie thing when I saw the man’s leg move through the car window.

  “Don’t move!” I hollered and jumped out of the car, rushing to his side. I bit back a curse as I fell to my knees on the raw asphalt and placed my hands to his cheeks. “You’re okay. Help is on the way. I called them.”

  His eyes opened and closed several times as though he were waking from a long sleep.

  “Where were you shot?” I looked at his chest but didn’t see any blood escaping from him.

  “Vest,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

  I frowned and then realized he was referring to one of those bulletproof vests. He must have been wearing it under his dress clothes.

  “Yay!” I said stupidly and regretted it instantly.

  His eyes squeezed together as though he were in great pain.

  Off in the distance I could hear sirens approaching.

  “They’re almost here, just be still.”

  “Where is he?” He coughed and winced.

  “The bad guy? He took off in my car. We’re safe now.” I held onto his cheek and prayed he’d open his eyes and keep them open.

  My prayer was granted a moment later when he opened his beautiful brown eyes. “Name?”

  “I don’t know who he was! I swear!”

  He closed his eyes for a moment and then gifted me a small, yet still pained, smile.

  “Your name, gorgeous?”

  I sucked in a harsh breath. God, I’m so stupid. “Simone. My name is Simone.”

  “Simone. Pretty. Agent Fontaine,” he murmured.

  “Um, thank you,” I said, and the officer seemed to have lost the battle with being able to keep his eyes open or to stay conscious for that matter as he passed out again.

  The paramedics and cops descended en masse on us. I stayed close enough to see them cut through his dress shirt. Not one, not two, but three golden bullets wedged into the vest covering his broad chest.

  They did a few medical things with a cuff, a pen light, a breathing mask, and then propped him up and put him on a stretcher.

  “Can I go with him?” I asked needing to see him safe and sound after he’d thrown himself in front of a madman with a gun and saved my life.

  “Honey, you need to be seen to as well. Yeah, you can come in the ambulance and I’ll get you bandaged too.” A short woman with a pair of glasses inspected my arm. “Gauze!” She held her hand out and her partner put a roll of white bandages into it. She promptly wrapped my bleeding arm. “Flesh wound. Just a graze. Still, you’ll need stitches. Though looks like you were lucky.”

  No. I wasn’t lucky. That’s the last thing I’d ever been in my entire life.

  “Is Agent Fontaine going to be okay?” I recalled the name he gave and realized he’d said Agent and not Officer.

  “We’ll know more when we get him to the hospital. Looks to be okay. The vest did the job, but we don’t know what type of internal injuries might have occurred.”

  I bit down on my bottom lip and followed her into the ambulance.

  “Miss, we need to get your statement,” another burly officer holding out a notepad asked.

  “Oh my god! Yes, you have to go after the guy that did this. He stole my car. My name is Simone Wright-Kerrighan and I drive a red Honda Civic. I’m sure you’ll find the details in the system.” I finished off by giving him my driver’s license number which I’d memorized.

  “We’ll meet you at the hospital, ma’am, to get the rest of the details on what happened here. Get fixed up first. The information about your car will be very helpful. Thank you.”

  I nodded and the cop shut me into the ambulance with my fallen savior.

  Within moments we jetted off down the road. The paramedic had removed the agent’s vest and was feeling around his taught, muscular abdomen and chest.

  I made sure I was close enough that I could hold onto the man’s hand as I closed my eyes and prayed that he’d be okay and that they’d find the man that did this.

  When I was done, I opened my eyes to find him looking at me. His beautiful eyes focused directly on my face.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered and pressed the back of his hand to my cheek needing to feel his life source directly. “Thank you for saving my life,” I choked out, barely containing the emotions roaring through my system.

  He didn’t say anything, just squeezed my hand and closed his eyes, a soft smile on his beautiful lips.

  Clenching my fingers into a tight fist, I breathed through another stitch being woven into my arm. I let out the breath when the physician’s assistant stopped for a moment.

  “You’re doing really great,” she said as she continued to close the wound. Thankfully she’d numbed the area around it first, but I could still feel the tightening, burning, sizzling sensation.

  “Where’s my sister!” I heard my sister’s cool, don’t-mess-with-me tone demand from a distance beyond the closed curtain where I was being treated in the Emergency Room.

  “My daughter? Simone Kerrighan. Please…” I heard Mama Kerri’s more seasoned and lilting, emotional voice come through.

  “Over here, guys!” I hollered out.

  The blue curtain was pulled away and there were my sister and my foster mother. Sonia put her hands over her mouth and tears filled her ocean blue eyes. With her white blonde hair, red painted lips and those eyes, she looked like an angel. A suit-wearing, super serious angel who was currently trying to hide her devastation.

  “Oh, my goodness me, what happened to my girl?” Mama Kerri rounded the bed and cupped both of my cheeks.

  “Mama, I’m okay, really. I uh…” I bit down on my bottom lip trying to determine what to tell them, not wanting to worry them unnecessarily.

  “I want answers. Now.” My sister had already turned toward the approaching doctor, arms crossed over her chest, her team of suits standing a reasonable distance behind her. The doc was short, Asian, and kept a flat thin line to his lips. He seemed unimpressed with my sister’s demands and ignored her completely. I needed to take notes from the man.

  “Ms. Wright-Kerrighan.” He looked down at the electronic device he was holding, using my full name. “Gunshot wound to the arm, bruised hip, scratches and abrasions on the hands and knees.” He flipped a page.

  “Gunshot!” My sister gasped, her hand flying to her chest over her heart, interrupting the doc.

  “I’m fine, SoSo, just a graze…” I attempted to soothe her concern.

  “Just a graze! How? What in the world happened?” My normally insanely calm sister petered out, her bottom lip wobbling as a tear fell down the side of her cheek. She swiped it away as fast as it appeared lest someone see her crack.

  Her crying made me tear up, and I was doing damn good considering.

  The doctor assessed the work the PA was doing. “Looks great. Once you’re stitched up, we’ll set you up with some antibiotics to ward off an infection. The discharge nurse will go over the cleansing and bandaging procedure. You need to follow up with your doctor in a couple weeks though the
stitches should dissolve over the next ten days or so. Leave them clean and dry for the next forty-eight hours but you can take a shower like normal after that timeframe. Any questions?”

  “Yes. The agent that I came in with. Is he okay?”

  “Can’t say. You’re not family, but a couple of officers would like to speak with you shortly. I told them to wait until you were stitched up.”

  “Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate it.” I frowned and thought about Agent Fontaine as the doctor left us. The man had saved my life. I didn’t even know his first name and he’d taken three bullets to the chest in order to keep me safe. He could have died. Thank God he was wearing that vest and the criminal took off. Not that I was thrilled he’d taken my car with him, but the alternative would have been worse.

  “Sweetheart, what happened?” Mama Kerri squeezed my good hand as my sister came around to the other side of the bed and put her own on my shoulder, comforting me as much as herself. My sister had the ice princess thing down, but not when it came to me. I was her vulnerability in a big way. The weakest link in her armor. Which was also why I hated letting her down more than just about anything.

  I swallowed and figured the best policy was always an honest one.

  For the next half hour or so I explained what happened—from my douchebag boss, getting gas, the weird experience of the cashier trying to wave me back in that I ignored. Really wished I’d made a different choice at that moment. Then to the guy pulling me over with his gun visible, how I was scared that I was being arrested for no reason, then everything seemed to go dead silent in the room as I detailed what happened when the man crawled out of my car. It was like I was reliving it all over again.

  The creak of metal from the door had me flinching.

  Feeling the agent’s breath so warm and comforting against my cheek sent a wave of warmth through my body.

  His scent wafting around us like a blanket being place around me.

  Seeing the light from the car glinting off the shiny black gun. I winced.

  Those two eyes holes cut out of the fabric and the one for his mouth flashing like a predator standing over me. I shrank back into the hospital bed on instinct.

  The boom of the gun as it went off. I jerked and cried out.

  When I came to, blinking away the experience and the retelling of it, Mama Kerri was sitting on the bed and I was in her arms. The PA was done, and I was in the only maternal arms I’d ever remembered. She ran her hand along my hair and back, over and over, as I cried, my face pressed to her ample chest. The smell of fresh cut flowers filled my nose as it always did when Mama Kerri held me. I trembled as she spoke quietly.

  “You’re okay, my girl. Just fine. Right here with me and Sonia. We’ve got you, my lovely. I’ve always got you.”

  And she did.

  From the moment Sonia and I had walked up to her door hand in hand, Mama Kerri took care of us. Like a beautiful earthy goddess. Long, curly strawberry blonde hair. Pale pink lips. Pearly white skin. Eyes that seemed to change from blue to hazel depending on the day or the emotion she felt. However, none of that beauty could beat the sound of her voice. It resonated at a timber and lilt that brought a sense of peace and serenity that couldn’t be matched. Not ever.

  “Mama,” I sobbed and gripped onto her wherever I could, letting it all out. The fear. The hopelessness of the situation while it was happening and even the worry over my savior’s prognosis.

  “It’s okay. Mama’s here.” She patted my back and whispered against my temple. “You’re just fine. You. Are. Just. Fine.” Her words broke as she held me tighter. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It sounds terrifying. Don’t you worry though. I’ve got you. Sonia and I have you, dear.”

  I sniffled through my tears and took several breaths, allowing her to comfort me until I got myself back in check.

  “Senator Wright, please excuse me. I apologize for interrupting, but we just got word the story has already leaked to the press. They saw you coming into the hospital and someone confirmed it was your sister that had been targeted.”

  Sonia sighed as I sucked in a huge breath trying not to cry more. “I’m sorry, SoSo. I didn’t…”

  “Wasn’t your fault. This was a random act of violence and we need to be grateful that you weren’t more seriously hurt.”

  “Actually, about that…” The cute man shuffled his feet and grimaced. “The news is reporting it was an attempt by the Backseat Strangler…”

  “What!” Sonia screeched and her entire face went deathly pale.

  “No…” I practically choked on the word.

  The young assistant, I think his name was Logan, firmed his stance and lifted his chest as he glanced down at his phone. “He crawled into her car at a gas station. Hid in the back.” He was reading something as though he’d been told my story directly. “The only other woman that got away stated he was tall, thin, white, and wore all black including a ski mask.”

  My hand shook as I lifted it to my mouth. Exact same thing happened tonight.

  “He’s killed eight other women in this manner. One of the women he attacked got away and has disappeared off the map, and now, uh, your sister.” He licked his lips and seemed to gather himself, which if I’d been in a better mental headspace, I would have congratulated him for. Dealing with a pissed-off Sonia was no walk in the park on a good day and he was doing his best. “We’re going to need to get on top of this…” He frowned.

  “Right now I need to focus on my sister. You need to call Quinn…”

  “And who’s Quinn?” He wrote down the name on notepad and I sighed. He must be really new. Sonia tended to be a hard-ass and go through assistants like she went through the Sunday paper. Quinn was my sister’s right-hand man, her BFF jack of all trades who also happened to be gay and dress fabulously. I was jealous of his abilities in all things. He even was capable of managing my sister, something no one had been able to do, not even Mama Kerri. However, I also knew he’d just gotten back from a much-needed two-week vacation. Hence the reason newbie Logan didn’t know about him.

  “Head of PR,” she ground out. “He’s just come back from the Bahamas. Explain what’s happened, sparing no detail. I’ll deal with the press after I’ve ensured my sister’s safety and well-being.” She waved her hand in the air, dismissing the poor guy. “Thank you.” She added onto her instruction as if she’d realized how bitchy she sounded. “You may leave.”

  He nodded and scampered away like a long-lost puppy. Then two uniformed officers took his place.

  “Ms. Wright?”

  “Wright-Kerrighan.” I held my foster mother’s hand tighter. When each of the foster girls turned of age, every one of us changed our last names, hyphenating ours with hers. Kind of like a gift to her for all she’d done over the many years she raised us. I kept the Wright because it felt wrong getting rid of every trace of our biological parents. And since that’s how Sonia kept her name, I followed along. Our other foster sisters did too. Sonia however used Wright-Kerrighan only in private. For professional reasons she chose to stick with Wright.

  “Can we speak with you about what happened?” asked a man in a pair of navy slacks and an old beige sportscoat that had seen better days.

  “Can they stay?” I nodded to my sister and mom.

  “Oh, hello, Senator Wright. I’m sorry to be seeing you again under these circumstances.” He had a shiny gold badge clipped to his worn-out belt.

  “Captain Mandle, thank you for coming.” Sonia offered a flat press of her lips as though she weren’t actually happy to see him.

  “Captain?” I frowned. How many crimes came with the Captain visiting one of the victims in the hospital the night of?

  “This case is sensitive, the FBI is involved, and you’re uh, well darlin’, you’re a living witness.”

  And that explained it. I was alive as opposed to being dead girl number nine. Awesome. This day just kept getting better and better.

  “The Backseat Strangler.” I
swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.

  “’Fraid so. I’m going to need to ask you a lot of questions. Many you may not have the answers to, but just do your best, yeah?”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  Peeking down the corridor, I noted a handful of officers standing around a single door at the end of the hall.

  A nudge from behind had me shuffling into the open space before I’d gotten my wits together.

  “Sonia, dammit! I was going for stealth mode!” I whisper-scolded under my breath.

  “For what reason?” She hooked me at the elbow of my good arm, and we walked hip to hip toward the gaggle of men.

  As soon as we approached, several of the uniformed officers turned around. One super tall white guy with longish layered dark blond hair that looked windswept held a hand up, palm facing out. He was dressed more professionally in a full pitch-black suit.

  “This is a restricted section of the hospital. Authorized medical personal only,” he started, but my sister stepped right up to battle.

  “Hello, Agent.” She glanced down his body.

  He smirked. “Agent Russell.”

  “Agent Russell. I’m Senator Sonia Wright and my sister was attacked this evening. Your peer, Agent Fontaine, saved her life. We’d like to inquire how he’s doing, and my sister would like to say a few words if he’s up to the company.”

  My sister was a freakin’ rockstar. I held her hand, interlacing our fingers, palm to palm sharing my thanks silently.

  The man’s face gentled. “You’re Simone?”

  “Yes. Is he okay?”

  The blond man smiled, and it lit up his face, making his already handsome one rather stunning. Though the man who saved my life was far more attractive. I always swooned for tall, dark, and handsome though several of my sisters would have dug this guy.

  “He’s doing really well. A couple of fractured ribs and some serious soreness and bruising but the vest did its job. He’ll be back to work in no time. Not that he’d ever rest. And how are you?”

  I reached for my bandaged arm and held onto it. “Twenty-two stitches and bumps and bruises.”