Charlotte let go of Colleen, and they took seats at the table the masked ringleader had pointed at. Jenn and Daniella sat across from them. Shifting her chair, Charlotte angled it so she could still see most of what was going on in the other room. The leader and the guy who’d searched everyone had aimed their weapons at Jake, Nick, Doug, Reggie, and Mike as they were each ordered to stand and sit at one of the round tables not far from the party room. Although they’d probably done that so they could keep an eye on both the men and women at the same time, it also gave Charlotte a way to communicate with Jake and Nick without being obvious. Thank God she’d participated in some of their team sessions at the Trident compound. She’d gotten a kick out of searching for bad guys with them in their training building as well as the Hogan’s Alley they’d set up. She’d learned hand signals from the retired SEALs, and while she didn’t know a lot, hopefully she knew enough to come up with some sort of plan. But first, they had to figure out what Jose and his buddies were up to. The one thing she’d zeroed in on already was that her parolee was not happy about being involved in whatever it was—he was nervous, possibly to the point of being scared shitless, and didn’t seem to want to be there at all. So, the question was, why was he involved?

Jose and the fourth masked suspect came into the party room carrying a folding ladder from the pub’s storage room and a large duffel bag. Charlotte’s parolee glanced nervously at her before looking away again. He had to know that no matter what happened, at this point, he was fucked. The two men passed the women and then pushed an unoccupied table and chairs away from the wall opposite the doorway. As they began to set up the ladder, Charlotte realized what they were up to.

Well, shit.

The robbery was turning into a burglary—a drug heist to be specific. She watched as Jose held the ladder steady while the other man climbed up and popped out several ceiling tiles. Reaching up into the darkness, he grabbed a construction beam and hauled himself into the empty space. Jose pulled a crowbar from the duffel bag and handed it up to the other man.

They were breaking into the pharmacy next door. From what Charlotte could figure, on the other side of that section of the wall was where the prescription drugs were stored. The front and rear doors of the pharmacy were probably wired with an alarm. However, since the shop had been there for the better part of thirty or forty years, it most likely didn’t have an interior alarm system with motion sensors or any extra features other than a silent alarm button. Going through the ceiling would allow the suspects to drop down and have plenty of time to get what they were looking for before someone noticed there was a break-in. The martial arts studio on the other side of the pharmacy had huge plate-glass windows and kept low lights on inside when the place was closed. Charlotte didn’t know if it had an alarm system, but, regardless, a person inside could be seen by anyone passing by. So, it seemed these guys had figured out a way to get around all the alarms, but they hadn’t counted on a few party-goers still being inside the pub with the owner. On a Monday night, Mike usually closed down around 10-10:30 since it wasn’t a busy time of the week. Jose had been off from kitchen duty tonight, so either he hadn’t heard about the going-away party or had forgotten—not that it mattered now.

What did matter now was how to end this with the bad guys in jail and not a scratch on the good guys and innocents. Jake had done the right thing by outing the fact that Nick, Doug, and Charlotte had been carrying weapons. If Jose’s buddies thought any of them were cops, they might have panicked and gotten rid of the witnesses. Charlotte just prayed that wasn’t their plan to begin with.

She glanced at Mike and saw he was staring at her intently. She gave him a small, reassuring smile, which he returned, causing her heart to skip a beat. If they got out of this alive, she was going to tell him how she really felt about him. What they had between them was something she never thought she’d find. A good man, who was her equal, yet still understood what she needed in the bedroom. She’d fallen in love with Mike, the big lug, and it was time he heard that from her. She just hoped he felt the same.

Beside Charlotte, Colleen scooted her chair closer to her. The younger woman waited until none of the suspects were paying attention to her, before leaning over and whispering. “My gun is in my purse on the back of the barstool I was sitting on. If we can get Reggie to have an asthma attack, I can say I have to get his inhaler from it, then bring the purse in here to you. You’re a much better shot.”

The sweet submissive had come a long way since she’d first started working for Trident Security. The men there had taken her under their wings, with Reggie’s consent, and taught her how to defend herself, stay calm in tense situations, and even how to shoot. Ian had insisted she get her carry license since they never knew when a case was going to come back and bite them on the ass, and he wanted her protected.

With a dip of her chin, Charlotte acknowledged the other woman. She wasn’t sure it would work, but didn’t have any other ideas of how to go up against four men with guns—well, three at the moment. The fourth was somewhere above or in the pharmacy.

Charlotte assessed where the suspects stood and what they were doing. One was checking the parking lot through the front window curtains. Jose was standing next to the ladder, looking up into the crawlspace, probably waiting to hear what the other guy needed. The ringleader was pacing back and forth, his gaze darting everywhere. If Charlotte had to guess, she’d say the guy was juiced up on something, and that was both a good and bad thing. Good because he couldn’t focus on one thing for long. Bad because he could be trigger happy.

Coughing, she caught Jake’s attention. Unfortunately, she had to wait a moment because the ringleader glared at her as if her cough had annoyed the hell out of him. Once he began pacing again, Charlotte nodded once at Jake, then tilted her head to her right, his left, to indicate Reggie who was sitting next to him. When Jake signaled for her to continue, she put her hand to her chest and took several deep breaths. Glancing at the ringleader to make sure he wasn’t watching—he was grabbing a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar—Charlotte mimed using an inhaler, then made a gun with her fingers, hoping Jake would figure out the rest.

Without taking his gaze off of her, he mouthed the word “asthma” and Charlotte realized he’d actually whispered it only loud enough for Reggie to hear him. The lawyer narrowed his eyes at Jake who then clarified. “Fake an asthma attack.”

Reggie’s gaze shot to Charlotte and then his wife who gestured using an inhaler. He finally got it and nodded. Pushing his chair back loudly, he took several deep breaths and brought his hand to his chest. The ringleader came from around the bar, his weapon in one hand, a bottle of Jack Daniels in the other, and glared at him. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Gasping and pulling at the collar of his shirt, Reggie could’ve been an actor as he rasped, “I-I can’t breathe.”

The men sitting at the table gave appropriate looks of concern, and Jake asked, “Where’s your inhaler, Reggie?”

“C-Colleen’s . . . got it . . . need it.”

His wife stood, and the ringleader turned his gun toward her. “Where do you think you’re going, bitch?”

She took a brave step forward. “Please, he needs his inhaler. I have it in my purse.” Colleen pointed where her bag hung from the back of a bar stool and took a few more steps until she was standing in the doorway between the two rooms. “Please, let me get it. H-He just needs to take a few puffs and he’ll be fine.”

The perp glanced from her to the stool to Reggie, who was doing a fine job of pretending he couldn’t breathe—at least Charlotte hoped it was still an act. The lawyer looked awfully pale. Finally, the gang leader looked at Colleen again. “Fine. Anything to shut him up. But don’t try anything stupid.”

“I-I won’t.” Without hesitation, Colleen hurried over to the bar and snatched her purse from the back of the stool. Shuffling through it, she found the inhaler and pulled it out. Hanging her purse from her shoulder and tucking it close to her side, in a move natural for most women, Colleen proceeded to the table where the men were sitting. She handed the inhaler to her husband under the watchful eye of the two perps in that room. “Here, Reggie. Take a few puffs.”

A loud noise from the other side of the wall behind Charlotte had everyone turning in that direction. Grabbing Colleen’s upper arm, the ringleader dragged her back to the party room and shoved her toward the chair she’d been sitting in. He yelled over his shoulder to the punk at the front of the bar. “Watch them!”

He continued over to the ladder, pushed Jose out of the way, and climbed up to the top. “What the fuck are you doing over there?”

His accomplice cursed. “What do you fucking think I’m trying to do? I’m trying to get the damn . . . arrgghhh . . . cabinet open.”

“Well, hurry the fuck up!”

Charlotte used the distraction to take the Sig Sauer P320 Subcompact Colleen had furtively removed from its holster in her purse. The small, 9mm held twelve bullets and fit neatly in the parole officer’s hand. She expertly flipped the safety off, then tucked the weapon into the waistband of her jeans, under her shirt. Against her bare skin, the cold, sharp metal was uncomfortable, and risky with the safety off, but she could draw it easily and fire if needed.

The grinding of metal against metal was followed by another loud bang over in the pharmacy. “Got it!”

The ringleader snorted. “’Bout fucking time! Get the shit and let’s get out of here!” Stepping down from the ladder, he sauntered back to the table the women were sitting at as if he didn’t have a care in the world now that they’d gained access to the drugs. His demeanor had changed again—he was definitely on something. He smirked at Jenn. Using the hand that was still holding the bottle of Jack, he ran a finger down her cheek, ignoring her flinch and hard eyes. “Whatta ya say, sweet thing? Want to come party with us?”

“Not on your fucking life, jackass,” the pretty blonde growled. Channeling her Uncle Ian, she smacked his hand away.

The prick slammed the bottle onto the table and grabbed Jenn by the hair, yanking her head back. “Bitch!”

In the next few moments, so much happened at once. Jenn screeched in pain. In the other room, Doug leaped from his seat, sending the chair flying backward, his face red with rage. “Get your fucking hands off her!”

The suspect who’d been watching the men swung his weapon around to shoot Doug, but Nick was faster, snatching an unlit candle in a heavy, round holder from the table and throwing it at the guy’s head. Simultaneously, Jake kicked out from where he sat and smashed the bastard’s knee with the heel of his boot-covered foot. When the gun went off, the bullet slammed into the ceiling, as the shooter screamed in agony and dropped to the floor. The two former SEALs had him disarmed and restrained within seconds.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Charlotte also stood quickly, reaching for the gun at her lower back, but the ringleader hauled Jenn out of her chair and sent her crashing into the table. The table knocked into Charlotte, and the chair she’d stood from tipped over and got tangled in her legs, making her lose her balance and stumble. Twisting, she fell on her ass, causing pain to explode in her tailbone. Fury flared in the ringleader’s eyes through the cutouts in the mask as he shoved Jenn aside and raised his gun.

“No!” Jose yelled, lunging forward and pulling out the gun he’d stuck in his front waistband.

Instead of shooting Charlotte, the leader spun on the new threat and pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into Jose’s chest. Stunned, he froze before falling to his knees. Screams and shouts filled the air. Before the drugged-up bastard could bring his gun back around completely, Charlotte fired. His head snapped back as the slug hit him between the eyes. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The next thing Charlotte knew, Mike was lifting her to her feet. “Are you okay? Shit, Charlotte, tell me you’re okay.” His shaking hands and panicked gaze roamed her body, looking for any sign she was injured.

“I-I’m fine. Jenn? Daniella? Colleen?” She looked at each one of them, making sure none had been shot. Doug already had his arms around Jenn, holding the trembling young woman as she buried her face in his chest. Embracing, Colleen and Reggie assured each other they were okay. Jake was checking on Daniella, while in the other room, Nick held the other suspect at gunpoint.

The guy in the pharmacy yelled, “What the hell’s going on? Ace? Jose?” But no one answered him.

Charlotte’s ears were ringing from the loud gun reports. Scanning the room, she finally realized Jose was lying on the ground, covered in blood. “Damn it.”

She pulled from Mike’s arms, set the gun on the table, and rushed over to where the young man was gasping for air. Mike was right behind her, telling Jake to call 9-1-1 and grabbing a clean tablecloth from one of the empty tables. Charlotte took it from him and put pressure on the wound, but it was clear Jose was fading fast. He stared up at her with pain- and tear-filled eyes. “I-I’m so-sorry, Ms. Roth. Th-They have Dina and . . . and Tomas. Ma-Made me do it . . . said they’d k-kill them.”

Shit. “Where are they, Jose?”

“D-Don’t know . . . Ace has som-someone watching . . . them.” He swallowed hard, his breath becoming more labored. “Pl-Please save th-them . . . tell them I-I’m s-sorry.”

Behind her, Charlotte heard Jake giving out orders. He took over the watch of the one suspect and sent Nick and Doug out to the alleyway to see if they could grab the other. The guy was still shouting from the pharmacy, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. They’d have to wait until he came out the rear exit, which was locked from the inside, but it wouldn’t take long. A getaway vehicle was probably parked back there. Once he realized his buddies weren’t going to be able to help him, he’d want to get the hell out of there. There was no honor among thieves.

“We’ll find them, Jose, I promise. Just stay with me. Help is on the way.”

“Not—Not gonna make . . . it. Tell them . . . I love them and I’m so—” Jose went still as his last breath left him. His lifeless eyes open, seeing nothing.

Unexpected tears rolled down Charlotte’s cheek. She wished she could have done something to save him, but from the amount of blood that’d poured out of the entrance and exit wounds on his chest and back, it had been hopeless from the start. The bullet had probably hit a major artery—he’d bled out in under two minutes.

Charlotte rested back on her heels. Hands cupped her shoulders from behind, and she glanced back. She hadn’t realized Mike had stood. He tightened his grip and pulled her up. Ignoring the blood now covering both their hands, he wrapped his arms around her. A sob escaped her, followed by another as Charlotte buried her face into his chest.

Mike kissed the top of her head. “It’s my turn to take care of you, baby. I’ve got you . . . I’ve got you.”