Love Is in the Air Read Online Free PDF

coat slashed and bloodied in the fight. How could he fight so valiantly to protect her, but still cut her so? When she looked down at her wrist, the cut had already healed. A thin, pink mark was all that was left of the gash.
    Ever since the hallway had turned burgundy, nothing made sense. How could this stranger in leather be defending her from some creature?
    In a sweeping motion, the man raised the knife high above his head.
    The steel that had turned pure white was now tainted black with dark blood.
    Arcing it downward at the creature, he yelled, “Enough!”
    As the blade met its mark, an explosion rang out.
    Thrown backward, Sal’s head slammed against the door.
    The world turned red, and then black.

CHAPTER 10
    Confused, Sal squinted under the bright lights. A maelstrom of activity swirled. The loud clang of instrument trays and shouts of vital signs buzzed in her ears. Sal would know those sounds anywhere. She was in Trauma One. Only this time, she wasn’t the doctor. She was the patient.
    “She’s coming around!”
    As Sal awoke, the panic did as well. A growling rumbled at the base of her skull as Sal struggled to rise. She had to run away, and run fast.
    “Babe, hold still, they’re trying to get your blood pressure.”
    She swung around to face the man holding her, but it was only Richard. Who else did she think it could be? Despite her mind knowing that she sat on a gurney in Trauma One, her heart pounded as if it were still in that lethal hallway.
    “You’re safe, honey,” her fiancé reassured her.
    Then why didn’t she feel it? Dread filled her heart, and her muscles ached to be used, but there was nowhere to run.
    “How did I get here?” she asked.
    Paul tightened the blood pressure cuff as he answered. “I went down to check on the blood…”
    Sal tried to meet his gaze, but the light was too harsh for eyes grown accustomed to pitch-black. When had they gotten the lights back on? How long had she been out?
    “Dr. Calon, did you see anyone down there?” a female voice asked.
    “Detective, can’t this wait?” Richard demanded.
    “It’s best when it’s fresh in her mind,” she said.
    At first, Sal’s throat wouldn’t respond. After clearing her throat, she found she still couldn’t speak. Not because of any ailment, but because she couldn’t remember what happened. No matter how hard she tried, the memories eluded her—settling in her mind only as fragments.
    “There was a red light. A growling…”
    Although everyone else seemed skeptical, Paul nodded in agreement.
    “Maintenance was down there getting the old steam generator online. In the dark, that probably sounded pretty damn scary.”
    That couldn’t be it, could it? The harder Sal thought, the less she knew. Could all the terror she felt have just been maintenance workers?
    “Richard, you’ve got to keep her arm out,” Stacy demanded as she flicked a penlight in Sal’s eyes.
    “I’m fine,” she insisted, but Manning still fussed.
    Paul expertly nudged Stacy out of the way, then gave Sal a reassuring smile, only the expression was tainted by sadness. Why was Paul sad?
    “Maria!” she shouted. “Oh God, she’s—”
    Richard gripped her against his chest. “We know, Sal. We know. There was nothing you could do.”
    But there had to have been something she could have done. Someone else had been there. Hadn’t he? If she closed her eyes, Sal could smell his musk, or was that her own fear?
    Richard cradled her face in his hands. “Do you remember something?”
    Her fingers found the skin on her neck. It was still sore, but not bruised.
    She could feel her lungs struggle to breathe, but her trachea had been pinched off. How could that have happened?
    The detective couldn’t hide her impatience. “Maybe you can walk me through what happened. We know you made it to the blood bank, since you had blood on the bottom of your sneakers. Why don’t you start there?”
    Sal doubled over, nearly heaving. The blood that