Love For Hire

Matthew asked the staff at the nurses’ station where he might find Kinsley. The nurse pointed out the cubical at the end. He made his way over to the section where he found Kinsley lying in a bed hooked up to machines. She was still out of it. Matthew pulled the hospital curtain closed, cutting them off from sight. He walked over to the bedside and looked down at his brother’s fiancée.

Even though he had succeeded in disposing of the child that threatened his throne, he still had to deal with Kinsley. He could not afford to allow her to wake up and tell his parents he had thrown her down the stairs. He had diplomatic immunity, so he was not worried about American law enforcement. However, his father might have him ceased and flown back to Kustium, where he would likely stand trial for attempted murder and treason. He was not going to put to death because Nicholas’ little pet whore did not break her neck when she fell.

“Oh, Kinsley, you have become a rather annoying thorn in my side,” he whispered as he pulled back a part of the curtain between the cubical to see if anyone was in the next bed. Seeing it was empty, he picked up the pillow and let the curtain fall shut. He stood next to the bed and held the edges of the pillow in both hands. “Time to put you out of my misery.”

Matthew placed the pillow firmly over Kinsley’s face. Smothering her nose and mouth, cutting off her air.

***

Kinsley’s eyes opened when she felt something cover her face. Someone had placed a pillow over her face. She jerked with panic when she could not breathe. Kinsley thrashed around her legs, kicking, her arms flailing. She was trying to get the pillow off her, but she could not budge it. She struck her attacker with her casted arm. The pain was great, but she had to fend him off before he killed her. Her good hand was clawing at him. She tried pushing the attacker away and scratching his hand and forearms.

“Son of a bitch!” she heard him swear when she scratched him. She knew she had hurt him, but he refused to let up. Kinsley could hear the machines she was hooked up to beeping. The more panicked she became, the faster the beeping became until it set off an alarm. “Shit!” He knew he was in trouble.

Kinsley could hear the hospital staff come running and a woman screaming for security.

and Kinsley pushed it off her face in time to see Matthew bust past security and make a run for it.

and her pulse slowed to normal once more. The nurse told Kinsley they would remove the broken cast, x-ray the arm again to be sure she

nurse was removing the broken cast, security returned to her bedside, telling her that Matthew had gotten away. They were calling the police and would post a guard next to her cubical in case Matthew decided to come back and make another attempt. Kinsley asked the guards to go upstairs and see if they could find Nicholas’ family and let them know where she was, what happened, and that she was going to be ok. They had to be worried, and she wanted to tell them

minutes, Naya and Samuel arrived at her bedside. Naya was in tears, and she walked right up to Kinsley and hugged her, sobbing about how sorry she was that Kinsley had been wounded at the hands of

is he?” Samuel

got away,” Kinsley

was trying to eliminate the competition for the throne,” Samuel sighed heavily, rubbing his hands over his face as he took a seat on a plastic chair the nurse had brought in for visitors. “I have no heir. Matthew committed treason. Nicholas is going to die, and the

do you mean the baby will never be?” Kinsley asked as the Nurse who was casting her arm seemed

one told you?”

“Told me what?”

place to say. The doctors are

now!” Kinsley

were found you were hemorrhaging. Test show that

she had only known about the baby for a brief time, it still felt like she was dying on the inside. Matthew might have failed in his attempt on her life, but he had succeeded in removing her child from his way. She hoped the police caught up to Matthew and that he would be killed while trying to escape. Kinsley had disliked a lot of people, but for the first time in her life, she actually