“Adrian!” Selene cried out.
Daph, still wrapped protectively in Adrian’s arms, hadn’t even processed what had just happened.
“Are you hurt, Daph?” Adrian’s voice was full of concern.
Daph blinked her wide, dark eyes and shook her head at him.
As she pulled herself up from the ground, she finally noticed the metal arrow lodged in Adrian’s back.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she drew in a sharp breath.
Looking up, she spotted Dames a short distance away. Instinctively, she hid the
crossbow behind her back.
She recognized that arrow–Felicity had given it to Dames!
Harrison was just as stunned; he hadn’t expected Dames to do something like this.
His face was as cold and hard as stone.
But more than his son injuring someone, what struck him most was Adrian’s fearless act of protection.
Harrison’s hands curled into tight fists.
“Damien, get over here!” he barked.
Dames flinched, clearly frightened. “I just wanted to help you, Dad! Daph wouldn’t
listen!”
Daph looked at Dames, her shoulders trembling. He suddenly felt like a stranger.
Harrison stormed over, wrenched the crossbow from Dames’s hands, and threw it to the ground with a loud clatter.
“How dare you shoot at Daph! Don’t let me catch you with these things ever again!”
He looked up and saw Selene lifting Adrian to his feet.
Tall and lean, Adrian leaned heavily against Selene’s slight frame.
“Mr. Shaw, are you okay? I’ll call an ambulance!” Selene said anxiously.
“I’m fine, I can still walk. Just take me to the hospital,” Adrian replied, his voice steady.
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Chapter 53
Luke Holloway strode over and offered, “Let me help him.”
Adrian shook his head. “Miss Shaw’s shorter than me, so leaning on her doesn’t pull at the wound on my back.”
Since Adrian had been hurt protecting Daph, Selene insisted, “I’ll help him, Luke.”
Daph hurried to Adrian’s side, taking his other hand.
“Mr. Shaw, are you alright? Does it hurt?”
Adrian managed a lighthearted tone. “With Daph holding my hand, I don’t feel any pain at all!”
Daph gripped his hand even tighter, refusing to let go for a second.
Suddenly, the roar of a motorcycle filled the air. Felicity pulled up and stopped right
in front of them.
Clad in black knee–high boots, Felicity swung one long, slender leg off the bike.
“Selene! Are you taking Adrian to the hospital by car? He’s got a wound on his back–if he lies down in the back seat, it’ll just tear the injury open!”
Selene paused, glancing at Felicity. “So, what are you suggesting?”
Felicity volunteered eagerly, “Let me take Adrian to the hospital on my bike.”
Adrian’s reply was icy: “No need. I’m not comfortable riding with someone I barely
know.”
Felicity looked a bit put out. “I spoke to you before you went abroad, remember?”
Adrian gave her a blank look. “Sorry, who are you again?”
Selene felt Adrian’s weight sag against her; he was clearly running out of strength.
“Felicity, get off the bike,” Selene ordered.
Felicity bristled, “Why should I?”
But she caught on quickly, and scoffed, laughing outright. “Selene, don’t tell me you think you can ride a motorcycle and take Adrian to the hospital? This isn’t like riding a scooter. You don’t even have a motorcycle license, do you?”
“Do I need to slap my license in your face?” Selene snapped, out of patience.
She flashed her digital license on her phone. “Take a good look–when I got my license, you weren’t even riding scooters yet.”
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Harrison stepped forward. “I’ll take Mr. Shaw to the hospital. My son hurt you–it’s my responsibility.”
But there was no real apology in his voice. His gaze was cold, almost as if he could shoot Adrian full of arrows just by looking at him.
Adrian could practically feel the static crackling in the air.
He smirked faintly. “What, the two of us crammed onto that little bike? I’d fall right off.”
Luke Holloway, who had been about to offer again, fell silent.
Harrison inhaled sharply, exasperated. “I’ll have the hospital send an ambulance.”
