Chapter 6

The ambulance tore through the streets to Lenox Hill with Seraphina and her brother.

She was on the gurney outside trauma when there was a commotion at the entrance.

"Get a doctor — we need someone now —"

"Vivienne, hang on, I'm getting you help, it's okay —"

"Mr. Thorne —" His assistant inched up beside him. "The ER only has two attendings on. One of them is in surgery with her brother. The other one — you have to choose. Your wife or Ms. Ashcroft —"

"We're calling in other doctors. The soonest anyone can be here is thirty minutes —"

Again, the choice landed on Damien.

Seraphina couldn't speak. Blood filled her mouth. Through the blur of red, she could still see the hesitation on his face.

A scraped hand.

A woman who'd been run over.

And he was hesitating.

She almost laughed. The corner of her mouth barely twitched. There wasn't even the strength left for that.

Blood was draining out of her. She could feel herself fading. He could see it.

Vivienne lifted her bandaged hand, eyes huge and terrified.

"Damien. I'm a surgeon. I can't lose my hand."

"You have to save me. If my hand's gone, I might as well be dead. I almost died today. I escaped — this isn't supposed to cost me —"

That landed.

Because.

All of this was Seraphina's doing. She deserved what was happening to her. Vivienne was innocent. She'd already been abducted and nearly killed, and if she lost her hand on top of it —

"Vivienne's a surgeon. Her hand comes first. Work on Vivienne." His eyes went dark on Seraphina's body, on her blood-soaked clothes, and he flinched away. "Sera. Hold on a little longer."

"You owe her this."

She had no fight left.

Minute by minute, she was sure she was dying. But her body didn't give. She held on until they wheeled her into trauma.

Six hours.

She survived.