The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
[Book 2] Chapter 122

Dawn POV

I heard the shot. It was loud. It boomed throughout the silence of the night. It pierced the eardrums and permeated the skull. I heard Karen's shouting and then suddenly, nothing. There was nothing but silence. I slowly removed my hands from my ears, blinking, dazed, and disorientated as I turned, Knox and lan looking at each other with grim expressions. There had only been one gunshot but it had been enough. I hadn't thought they would go through with it. Part of me had thought they would just restrain Karen and take her back with us to face her punishment. I should have known better when Knox directed me to close my eyes and cover my ears. They hadn't been lying to me or to her. I stared numbly at the body lying face up on the ground, surrounded by littered leaves and debris, blood trickling down her forehead, a large round hole in the middle of her forehead. Her eyes gazed up at the sky, the light gone from her eyes. She was dead. Her body was still. No signs of life. No signs of awareness. I swallowed hard, fighting back the

nausea.

What did I say? I wasn't sorry to see her dead. In fact, a small part of me was relieved. I would never have to worry about whether she was going to do something else to me again. I would never have to look over my shoulder and worry. lan or Knox, whoever had taken the shot, had done myself and themselves a favor. They had taken away the wondering, the constant anxiety that would have accompanied us if Karen had remained alive. My gaze went to lan's as he slowly lowered his hand before he dropped the gun and began to stumble, as though his body was beginning to give up on him. "lan" I shouted, running over to him as he stumbled and then fell to his knees.

Knox was right behind me, although he was still clutching at his chest, a pained expression on his face. I put my arms around lan as he winced and then slumped slightly, his body shaking violently. I could feel his body shivering.

"You're starting to go into shock," I said, feeling him "Your body is running out of adrenaline. You've overdone things" I said anxiously, biting my lip, even as he smiled wryly at me "You and Knox both need to go to hospital." He grabbed my hand "So do you" he muttered, "I'll only go if you go too."

I stared at him helplessly "How the hell am I supposed to get you to the...." I began to panic when I heard a familiar voice. "Ah, I think that would be the assistance you might require" My eyes slowly raised to take in Mr Grant surrounded by a bunch of men in camouflage, his face anxious as he studied both of his sons.

"Give me a jacket" he ordered and one of the men handed him a spare jacket and he held it out to me. I accepted it gratefully, covering myself up as he began to put an arm around lan and slowly lift him, with the help of one of the other

men.

"You've been here the whole time?" I asked incredulously as Knox began to follow slowly behind us.

Mr Grant nodded solemnly "I promised not to intervene and I had every faith in my sons that they could do what was expected of them."

"But, lan could have died, and Knox is shot" I protested, turning to point at a grimacing Knox.

"I know," Mr Grant said "but I made a promise to them and I kept it. I cannot tell you how hard it was to wait back at the truck" he added as I stared at him mystified "And you look very much in need of some medical treatment my dear, although it shames me to be so blunt about it" he added, bearing lan's weight easily as lan slowly stumbled with their assistance, barely conscious now.

"I don't mind," I said confused "but what about Karen? We can't just leave her body back there?" I asked hesitantly. Although part of me wanted to do just that. A vicious part of me wanted to leave her to the bears and the wild creatures to feast on. I can be a real b***h sometimes but can you blame me given the circumstances?

"I'll have it taken care of" Mr Grant panted, as we left the cemetery "Knox how are you doing son?" he asked tersely.

"It's just a flesh wound. Nothing vital was hit" Knox said tiredly as I gaped at him "I'll be fine. It's a through and through" he added.

God, the way Knox spoke it was almost as though he'd been shot before. Then again, maybe he had been and the only one overreacting right now was me. I bit the inside of my cheek, gaping at the large truck in front of us. The man with Mr Grant helped to carry lan inside and sit him down, buckling him in carefully.

"This will be quicker than waiting for an ambulance," Mr Grant said, helping Knox to a seat "Sit down and buckle yourself in Dawn. We're heading to the nearest private hospital. Some of the men are going to remain here to ah" he paused and glanced at me "clean up while the legal team get things prepared with the authorities."

I sat next to lan, grabbing his hand. His head lolled. I was concerned about his pallor. He gave me a sickening grin. "I love you," he told me as I fought back a hysterical laugh.

"I love you too but I'm worried about you," I told him.

"I'm fine," he said stubbornly.

"You're not fine" my breath hitched "lan you could have died. Knox is shot, and I..." I paused and then it happened.

It was like everything that had happened hit me at once. I burst into a loud dam of tears as lan clutched my hand tightly. "I thought I was going to die" I sobbed, "everything she said to me, I thought that I was a goner for sure. I thought I was never going to see Faith ever again."

"I would never have let that happen," lan said, peering at me, "I had Knox promise me you would be taken care of if something happened. You mean the world to me, Dawn," he said, unabashed and determinedly "You and Faith. I couldn't think straight without you by my side and I wanted to kill Karen with my bare hands for taking you from me. Trust me, I would have moved heaven and earth to get you back."

His tone was filled with sincerity and dare I think it, love. The kind you only dream about, but in reality was so much better. I smiled a watery smile and gripped his hand tighter. I glanced at Knox who was leaning against the chair, wincing in pain and looking frustrated. His wound had to hurt.

"Knox, do you want me to look at the wound?" I offered but he flattened his lips and shook his head decisively.

"We're not far from the hospital, it can wait. Stay with lan."

I frowned. "What about Lorelai?" I asked, as some of the men filed in and sat down, while Mr Grant issued instructions to other men from the back of the truck "Are you going to phone her? She's probably half out of her mind with worry" I added, thinking how concerned I would be if I was in Lorelai's position.

Heck, I would be going crazy by now. Knox looked at me "I intend to phone her from the hospital" he answered easily "If I phone her now she'll just be made and try to meet the truck. At least this way I'll already be in bed before she tries to order me to go there." I tried not to laugh at his logic. It made a sick sort of sense. Suddenly the engine of the truck roared to life and the back of the truck closed while Mr Grant moved up and sat next to us all, his own face a picture of worry and concern. "There's going to be a media frenzy once word hits the news that Karen Deluca is dead" he said, peering at his sons "for now it's being kept quiet but we won't be able to keep it out of the media forever. We'll have to get our stories straight but this isn't the first time we've had to deal with the media and it won't be the last. Right now, I'm just thankful that everybody here is alive and well. It could have been a lot worse" he confessed, his voice cracking slightly.

I swore his hand was shaking slightly as he ran it through his hair. "I feel like I've aged ten years" he confessed in a low whisper "I'm getting too old for this."

"How is my mother and my daughter?" I asked in desperation "Do they know..." I trailed off.

"Carina has some notion of what is occurring but Faith has been kept oblivious" Mr Grant answered while lan nodded "We thought it best given the age of Faith and how little she would have understood."

I breathed a sigh of relief and winced from the throbbing pain in my leg as I moved it slightly. Mr Grant narrowed his eyes "You're getting checked over when we get there" he said and from his tone, I knew it wasn't a question but a request.

One that I would be wise to comply with. Ian was also nodding and pursing his lips, a look of displeasure on his face. I had a feeling it was best not to argue with the Grant men right now.

The truck pulled to a stop. Mr Grant looked relieved. The back of the truck lifted back up and several nurses and doctors were already waiting at the emergency exit with stretchers and wheelchairs. I gaped. Mr Grant raised an eyebrow at me "Did you think I wouldn't have informed the hospital first in what to expect?" he said, as the nurses began to slowly raise lan and drag him towards the back where his stretcher was waiting. I stood up and watched as Knox was bullied onto a nearby stretcher by a nurse with furious hand motions. A shy nurse approached me.

"Maam we've been instructed to look you over as well. Please come to the back and get onto a stretcher" she said with a small smile "we would like to make you as comfortable as possible as immediately as possible."

"I think she might have been shot in the leg" Mr Grant said to the nurse as I shot him an indignant look "so be sure to check that over very carefully, we can't have that getting infected, when she's still got to marry my son."

"Of course Mr Grant. We'll take very good care of her" the nurse smiled brilliantly at him "Miss Evans please get on the stretcher. I would hate to restrain you but I have been told to use any means necessary to get you inside." Shuddering, I did as I was told. Mr Grant smiled, looking pleased with himself.