around the waist and hauled her back up against him. “Calm down, Marti. Let’s take care of Emma first. You can do whatever you want to Shelly. Once the adrenaline wears off, you’ll have your head screwed on straight again, and you’ll decide to kill Cameron instead. I’ll hold him down for you.” Jack smiled and glared at Cameron. This whole mess might have ended in death—either Emma’s, or Marti’s, or both.
“He’s second on my list.”
“That’s my girl,” Jack said and gave her a squeeze. She was all right in his book.
He let her go. She literally fell to her knees beside Emma. She pulled the little girl into her arms and held her tight. He didn’t think they’d get Emma away from Marti any time soon.
Chapter Twenty
* * *
CAMERON RODE IN the ambulance with Marti and Emma. Marti refused to be separated from her. He knew just how she felt.
He’d held Emma’s hand during the short trip and watched her wake up a little and look from him to Marti and smile softly. She knew she was safe.
Sam and Jack followed in the limo with Shelly. Cameron could care less at the moment whether Shelly dropped off the face of the earth. His daughter and Marti could have been killed because of her. Everything sank in, and his mind played out every horrible scenario ending with Emma, or Marti, or both of them dead.
Emma had been checked out, stitched up, and given the all clear. They were keeping her overnight for observation. She was still wearing Marti’s white T-shirt. She looked so cute with the shirt down to her calves.
Marti was exhausted after the long day. Cameron stepped out of the room to talk to Emma’s doctor and change out of his wet clothes into the dry ones Jimmy brought back for him. He found Marti asleep in bed with her arms around Emma. He wished the bed was large enough for him to crawl in with them.
In the end, he’d sat in the chair behind Marti’s back, leaned against the bed, and fell asleep with his arm over both the girls and his head resting on Marti’s lower back and side.
Sam and Elizabeth walked into the room early in the morning. They wanted to check on Emma, but never expected to find Marti asleep with her, and Cameron sleeping on Marti with his arm around both of them.
Sam exchanged a look with his wife.
“They look like a family,” Elizabeth whispered.
“Daddy? Daddy?” Emma’s words came out scratchy, probably from the salt water.
Elizabeth came forward and touched Emma’s head. “Hey, sweetheart. Your dad is sleeping. What’s wrong?”
“Hey,” Cameron said by way of a greeting.
“Hey, yourself.” Elizabeth let her irritation show in the glare she shot him.
She loved Emma and wasn’t happy when Sam told her what happened, thanks to Shelly.
“Make Marti move. She’s heavy.” Emma pushed on Marti’s shoulder.
Marti’s head kind of rolled, but she didn’t seem to notice or make a sound. In fact, she didn’t acknowledge the nudge at all.
“Sweetheart, let Marti sleep. She’s probably still exhausted after yesterday.” Cameron removed his arm from over them and took hold of Marti’s shoulder to pull her off Emma. Emma moved away, but Marti didn’t so much as twitch.
Little devils danced up Sam’s spine. He leaned over Emma and pulled up one of Marti’s eyelids. He ran his fingers over Marti’s head and found a huge bump on the back hidden by her bloodstained hair. She never said she was hurt.
“Elizabeth, go get a doctor. Quick.”
Cameron stood and glanced over Marti to see her pale face. “What’s wrong?”
“Probably a concussion. She won’t wake up.” Sam shook her and patted her cheek to see if she’d respond. “Marti, darlin’, wake up. Marti.”
Elizabeth and a doctor rushed into the room. Sam picked up Emma and carried her to a chair by the window.
“Stay put, Emma. Marti needs some help. Okay?”
“Is she going to be all right?” Emma tried to see Marti around her uncle.
“The doctor will take good care of her.”
Elizabeth came over and sat Emma on her lap.
Cameron stood next to the doctor, who examined Marti. He pushed a button on the bed and a nurse ran in immediately.
“Get a gurney. We need to take her up for a CAT scan right away. We’ll take her to ICU after we get the scan.”
“What do you mean, ICU?” Cameron’s heart raced as panic stole every rational thought out of his head. This couldn’t be happening. She’d saved Emma. She was fine. She