Chapter 16

Emma

Jack had been about to kiss me. I’d remembered that look in his eyes, knew that an answering hunger resided in my own.

Every fiber of my being had welled up with longing, and I waited, wanting that kiss more than I’d wanted a pony for Christmas when I was 12.

Instead of a kiss, I’d gotten a taste of danger. Three goons had entered the office and the shit had hit the fan.

I froze, unsure of how to react. I saw Jack kick a gun out of the hand of the first guy, then drop another guy to the ground. “Emma, run!” he yelled, then launched himself at the third man.

His words were the catalyst I needed. I started to back away, but before I could turn and flee, someone grabbed me. It was the first guy, the one who’d lost his gun. Thanking the self-defense lessons Dad had insisted on giving me, I didn’t hesitate. I slammed an elbow into the guy’s guts and he loosened his hold, enough for me to get away.

I sped to the conference room, slamming the door behind me and locking it. The walls were made out of glass, so I knew they wouldn’t stop anyone who was determined to get in, but it would hopefully buy me enough time to do what I had to do next.

I moved the book and hit the keypad for the gun safe, holding my breath as the bookshelf slid open. Once inside the safe, I had to catch my breath, my heart was pounding so hard. There was no time to lose, but I had to make the right choice.

My father had insisted that I learn how to fire every gun in the room. He’d taken me to the range every time he acquired a new model, testing me on how to fire, load and reload, until I’d felt comfortable enough with every piece to please him.

I’d thought it silly at the time, but now I could see why Dad had insisted on my learning to work these guns. Right now, Jack was trying desperately to fight off three armed men. I had to find a way to help him. That meant picking up one of these guns.

I grabbed a 9 millimeter off one of the shelves, then snagged a clip. I popped it in and made sure the safety was off. Then it was time to save the day.

My hands were shaking as I exited the safe. I’d held guns countless times, but only on the range, and never when anyone was in danger. I could see Jack fighting with two of the men, while the other was fiddling with the door to the conference room.

The one at the door saw the gun in my hand and turned, running back towards the others. I couldn’t afford to hesitate. I hit the door, unlocking it and rushing back into the fray.

Jack was wrestling with one of the men in black, and the other was lying a few paces away, not moving. The third sprinted across the office, getting closer to his companions.

“Everyone freeze!” I shouted and I rushed forward, pointing my gun at the one closest to Jack. “Let him go. Now.”

Jack’s eyes met mine, and for an instant, I thought I could see pride there. It is immediately replaced with a black look of anger. The runner skidded to a stop, but unfortunately it put him within range of the weapon he’d lost earlier. Grabbing it, he pointed it in my direction. Jack shook off the man he was tussling with and lunged forward, punching the one with a gun in the face.

I thought the tide was turning, and rushed forward to kick the gun away from the one he’d punched.

“Don’t move,” a thick voice said from behind Jack. One of the men he’d been struggling with, the one that wasn’t hurt too badly to move, had managed to position himself at Jack’s rear and currently had a gun held to the back of his head.

“Drop the fucking gun or I blow his brains out,” he said.

My hands were shaking so bad, I thought I would drop the gun without the asshole’s command. I heard him cock his weapon, and it was a sound from a nightmare. “No!” I shouted, my entire being focused on the danger of losing Jack.

It was enough of a distraction for the one who’d grabbed me to approach. He brought his arm down on my hands, hard enough to knock the gun from my grip. I let out a cry, but it was quickly silenced. The man grabbed me by my throat, pushing me back against the desk and holding me down there.

I heard a sound of animal rage and it shook me before I realized it was coming from Jack. I managed to look over my captor’s shoulder to see Jack pivot around, so fast he was nearly a blur. The man behind him fired his weapon and I screamed, but it was too late. Jack was out of the way of the blast and had spun around so that he was now positioned behind the man.

Jack’s muscular arm encircled the man’s throat and he yanked, hard. Using his other hand, he knocked the gun out of his grip. While he held the man in a chokehold, I watched as the guy’s face turned red, and then purple.

“Jack!” I tried to scream, “Behind you!” The third man had pulled himself off the floor and had recovered his weapon. He was raising it to point it at Jack. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jack spun, still gripping the man around the throat. He dashed forward, ramming his head into the other’s man’s face.

The guy in front of him dropped, instantly unconscious. Then Jack released the man he was holding, who had finally succumbed to the choke hold and passed out. Calmly, Jack bends to pick up the two weapons they’d dropped.

He strode forward, and my heart was hammering against my ribcage. The look on his face was savage. Dark.

The man holding me down had been struggling to reach my gun on the floor while still holding me in place. He hadn’t yet realized that Jack was about to rain vengeance down upon him.

“You might want to give up,” I rasped at him, my voice rough because of the pressure he was keeping on my throat. The man stiffened when he felt the guns hit his back.

“Let her go,” Jack snarled, pushing harder with the weapons.

The man gave up his quest for a gun and let go of my throat, putting his hands into the air. I shoved my way off the desk, heaving to catch my breath.

I could see the look on Jack’s face and it frightened the hell out of me. He looked to be one second away from killing the man. Although the intruder might have deserved it, I couldn’t let it happen. Jack didn’t need another soul on his conscience.

It happened so fast, I didn’t realize what he’d done until it was over. With a quick flick of the wrist, Jack brought the gun down on the back of the third guy’s head. The man dropped to his knees, then keeled over, joining his companions in unconsciousness.

I dashed to my desk and grabbed the phone, calling 9-1-1. Giving the dispatcher the information she asked for, I silently prayed for the police to hurry up. I was afraid if they took too long, Jack would take matters into his own hands.

The look on his face was haunted. It caused a coldness to enter my chest. Jack was so brave, so strong, he should be reveling in his victory.

Jack had been outnumbered and outgunned, but he’d still managed to take out all three intruders and to get the upper hand. So why was he looking at me like he was a moment away from collapsing in grief?

“Please hurry,” I murmured to the dispatcher, but I could already hear the sirens in the distance. I put the phone back on the hook and started to walk slowly towards Jack, but he shook his head, instructing me without words to keep my distance.

We stood there, staring at each other, waiting for the cops to come.