When a Heart Stops Read Online Free PDF

said, “You might say someone just tried to throw me under a bus.”

    Dominic had the crazy urge to offer comfort. “What do you mean?”
    She shook her head, but the fear remained in those blue eyes.
    He pulled her into his arms, wishing he could always be close enough to help.
    Mild shock ran through him when she didn’t protest.
    For a good minute, they stood huddled up against the side of the building, her face buried against the crook between his neck and shoulder. The scent of her shampoo wafted up and he inhaled. Then he got himself together and wrapped a hand around her upper arm. Clearing his throat, he said, “Come on, let’s go to the café and you can get cleaned up a little bit.” He paused. “Or would you rather I take you home?”
    â€œNo.” Her voice sounded husky. “I’ll be okay. Let’s go to the café. You’re right, I can clean up there. I want to hear what you have to say about Jillian.”
    A few minutes later, Serena came out of the restroom, limping slightly, favoring her right ankle. She had wet paper towels pressedto her hands. “I think the bleeding is stopped.” She bit her lip and frowned in disgust. “And I tore a hole in my best pair of pants.”
    He looked. “Ouch. Are you sure you don’t want to go home?”
    â€œAnd do what?” Another slight lift of her shoulders and she said, “I took some ibuprofen—that should kick in soon.” She slid into the seat opposite him.
    The waitress came over and they placed their order. Then Dominic asked, “So what did you mean, someone tried to throw you under a bus?”
    â€œI’m not sure exactly what happened. One minute, I was going with the flow of the crowd, the next, I felt someone tug on my purse, then a hard shove against my shoulder. I fell into traffic and looked up to see a bus heading my way. I rolled and—” she swallowed—“somehow made it out of the way in one piece.”
    A shudder racked her and Dominic felt his protective instincts kick in. “You could have been killed.”
    â€œBelieve me, the thought had crossed my mind,” she said softly.
    He frowned. “And you don’t think it was an accident.”
    Their coffee and food arrived. She sighed. “I don’t know what to think.”
    Dominic picked up his cup and took a sip. “Well, if it’s not an accident, then that means you have someone who wants to hurt you.”
    She fiddled with her fork, then her napkin, then picked up her water and took a gulp. “It’s possible, I suppose.”
    â€œYou have some enemies?”
    â€œMaybe.”
    He lifted a brow. “You want to tell me about it?”
    â€œSomeone broke into my house last week while I was asleep.”
    Dominic frowned. “What? How?”
    â€œGood question.” She took a bite of her salad. “I had the alarm armed and it never went off. My dog was drugged before she could warn me.” She shrugged. “Then again, she’s not really a good watchdog so I don’t count on her for that.”
    â€œWhat was the intruder looking for?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. I shot him before I had a chance to ask him.”
    Dominic choked on his tea and grabbed a napkin before he could spew the liquid everywhere. Finally, he asked, “Excuse me?”
    Her eyes flicked to his, then back to her food. “I had my dad’s gun in a closet. I managed to get to it, and now my intruder’s in a coma on the fourth floor of the hospital. The bullet entered his skull and did some damage, but he’s still alive.” She took another bite. She sounded blasé about the incident, but he could tell she was deeply disturbed by the fact that she’d shot a man. Before he could try to think of something to say that didn’t sound patronizing or just plain stupid, Serena said, “Tell me about Jillian,