Page 64 of Shadow Redemption
She grinned. “I’m sure.”
“We’ll keep an eye on you anyway. Can’t be too careful with celebrities like you.”
“I appreciate it. Thanks, Alan.”
“Roxanne,” Scott shouted. “Quit gabbing and change.”
Ben took a step toward Scott.
Ruth grabbed his hand. “He’s not worth the trouble he’ll cause.”
He watched the photographer until Scott turned away with a muttered curse and returned to his task, ordering the other models into different positions.
In the air-conditioned tent, Xena touched up Ruth’s makeup, then she slipped behind the screen for another wardrobe change. On her way out of the tent, Delayne pressed a bottle of cold water into her hands and tossed one to Ben. “You need to stay hydrated.”
“Thanks.” Ruth opened the bottle and drank a quarter of the liquid before handing the bottle to Ben. “This is the last set before we break for lunch.”
A few minutes into the photo session, a wave of dizziness hit Ruth and her heart began to race. She frowned. What was wrong? Was she dehydrated?
“Roxanne, pay attention,” Scott snapped.
Ruth tried to focus on his direction, but couldn’t. She struggled to breathe. In a panic, she started toward Ben and sank to her knees.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ben raced toward Ruth as she sank to her knees. He reached her side in time to catch her before she keeled over onto the sand. Ruth wheezed in a breath, eyes wide with panic as she struggled to breathe.
“Back off,” he snapped to the crowd gathering. “Sam!” Ben grabbed an epinephrine pen from his pocket. Had someone poisoned her? He hadn’t seen suspicious behavior and he’d been watching her. Some bodyguard he was.
The medic shoved aside people blocking her way and dropped beside Ruth. After a quick assessment, she looked at the injector in Ben’s hand. “Do it.”
He placed the tip against the middle of Ruth’s outer thigh. Ben pushed the auto-injector into her thigh until it clicked and held the injector firmly in place for three seconds, praying the medicine did its job.
“What’s going on?” Rich demanded, scowling at Ben and Ruth.
“Get back, Eisenhower.” Joe clamped a hand on his shoulder and forced him to comply.
“Take your hands off me. Who are you?”
“A friend of Roxanne’s.”
“She needs to get back to work before Scott pitches a fit. We can’t afford for him to go off the rails and refuse to complete the contract.”
“Not happening.” Sam glared at the red-faced agent. “Roxanne is going to the hospital.”
“Why? She looks fine to me.”
“She had an allergic reaction, and the epinephrine Ben administered will wear off in 20 minutes. She’ll need more medical help. Scott will have to take shots of the other models while she recovers because Roxanne won’t be back on the beach today.” Sam grabbed her mike bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. “Let’s go, Ben. The clock’s ticking.”
He shoved the empty injector into a different pocket and scooped Ruth into his arms as Sam sent Trace for one of the SUVs.
“Ben,” Ruth whispered and nuzzled her face against his neck, her breathing easier. “I’m okay.”
Not by a long shot. How had someone poisoned her with him and the others watching? “Just hold on, baby.”
“Hate hospitals.”
“You can handle a few hours while the doctors monitor you.”