Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Bear holds up one finger, and then makes a fist. It’s go time. He pops up firing, and so do I from behind my doorway. Bear knocks off one, and I pop another. Johnny screeches and ducks behind the Jeep as Bear and I move out from our cover and advance.
My eyes sweep the sand… one body, two… fuck. I look at Bear the same time he looks at me, and my gut clenches.
“Where the fuck is four—”
“West!”
It’s like a knife in my gut, and when I turn, it twists there. The fourth asshole has slipped around the house through my backdoor while we’ve been shooting. I know this, because now he’s standing at the top of my steps on my porch, one arm around Taylor’s neck, and a gun pointed at her head.
I snarl and lunge for them, but the man shakes his head.
“Uh-uh!” he hisses. He’s shaking, and clearly in way deeper than he signed up for. But that doesn’t change that he’s got a gun to her fucking head.
“Not another step!” He frowns. “Hey, boss?”
“Nice work, dumbass!”
I glance back and smirk when I see Johnny with his hands up in the air in his knees with Bear keeping him there with his gun.
“Look at me,” I hiss to the guy. He looks like he’s losing whatever cool he had left, and fast. And that’s not fucking good right now.
“Stay back!” He warbles out.
“Look at me,” I hiss. “This ain’t your fight, and she’s got nothing to do with this anyways. Let her go, man. Let her go, and I swear I’ll drop this gun, okay?”
He swallows, his eyes darting from me, to his boss, to Bear, to me again.
“Uh… Boss?”
“Not him!” I hiss, moving closer with my gun raised. My eyes go to hers, and hers lock on mine. And I know no matter what, there is no fucking way this asshole is going to harm a hair on her head. Not today, not fucking ever.
“Last chance, man,” I growl. “Just walk away. It’s that easy.”
“No, it ain’t!” he sobs. He presses the gun harder to her head, and I swallow the roar. He’s losing it, and that means this is about to go nuclear.
My eyes swivel to her, and hers lock on mine.
“Had some fun earlier,” I smile through my fear and rage. “Surfing, I mean.”
She frowns, paling.
“You were a natural, baby girl,” I growl.
She frowns. “West?”
“Just remember how good you were,” I growl softly. “Remember surfing. Remember what I showed you.”
And suddenly, she gets it. I replay earlier in the surf, showing her how to drop onto the board for the wave and then pop back up.
Our eyes lock, and I see that she’s scared, but I can see how damn brave she is, too. She nods, her lips tight, and I steady my hand.
“Yeah,” she says softly. “Yeah, that was a lot of fun.”
“Now,” I hiss.
Taylor suddenly slams up, her head catching the asshole holding her in the nose. He sputters, and she instantly drops down, like she’s dropping onto a board. The guy looks completely stunned, but when I level my gun and snarl, he knows what’s up.
I squeeze the trigger, and he drops. And then, it’s over.
I rush to her, and she sobs as she collapses into my arms. I wrap them around her so damn tight, like I’m never going to let her go. Because I’m damn well never going to.
“You’re safe,” I whisper hoarsely into her neck. “You’re safe now, baby. You’re always going to be safe with me.”
She hugs me tight, squeezing me as I hold her possessively. I’m aware of Bear using his radio, and soon after, the sounds of police sirens hauling towards us. But I just keep holding Taylor.
Like I said, I’m never letting her go.
Chapter Twelve
Taylor
Even after the cops and the EMTs come, and after there are people swarming all over inside and outside of West’s house, he never lets go of me, except for a minute to let me put clothes on. Even then, he’s right there with me, eyes on me and around us, as if looking for trouble before it hits. And I wouldn’t change that for the world. Through it all, through the cops talking to me and everything, he holds me in his arms, tightly.
Keeping me safe. Keeping me his.
Eventually, the big cop who helped West, Bear, comes ambling over. He’s got his arm in a sling, but he grins when he strolls up.
“Nah, ain’t nothing,” he shrugs with a wince when I frown in worry. “Idiots were shit shots. Grazed me twice, that’s all.” He nods at West and sticks out his free hand. West shakes his hand firmly, and the big guy grunts.
“Really good work, man. I mean that. We could actually probably use you on the force, if you were ever interested.”