“What the fuck?” he said, then lifted his gun and pointed it straight at him.
Several things happened at once. Sloane shoved Ray out of the way, just as Jack fired his weapon. A searing pain shot through Sloane’s shoulder. The pain and surprise of it caused him to fall backwards and forced his bear to retreat, stopping it mid shift. Ray screamed again, then three more shots rang out, and when Sloane looked up to see what had happened, his eyes locked onto Flint, standing over Jack’s prone body.
Ray fell to her knees at Sloane’s side and looked down at him, panic and fear etched into every line of her face.
“Help,” she said, looking up at a member of Sloane’s team. “He’s been shot!”
“It’s okay,” he said, reaching for Ray’s hand. “I’m all right. Doesn’t even hurt.”
That was an out and out lie. It hurt like a bitch, but he didn’t want to worry his mate further. She’d been through hell enough for one day. And actually, now that he came to think about it, it didn’t hurt as much as he would have expected it to hurt when he was shot. It probably was just a surface wound. And it had put him on his ass in front of his entire team,andhis mate. Well, that was embarrassing.
Gray dropped to his knees on the other side of Sloane and started to take off his vest before ripping open his shirt.
“It’s just a graze,” Gray said. “But he’ll probably need a few stitches.”
“Fuck no. Don’t like needles,” Sloane said, making everyone laugh—except Ray.
He sat up with a wince, his eyes fixing on the ugly bruising on his perfect, brave mate’s face.
“Baby?” he questioned tentatively. “Are you okay?”
She nodded her head, a tear sliding down her cheek.
“He just hit me,” she said, her voice hoarse. “He was going to do worse, but I managed to hit the gun out of his hand, then I just ran.”
Sloane closed his eyes, then leaned forward and touched his forehead gently to Ray’s. “I’ve been so scared,” he said. “Never been more afraid in my entire life.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
Sloane huffed out a laugh then put his hands on either side of her face and gave her a gentle kiss.
“You have nothing to apologize for. Ever.”
“It’s over,” Flint said, interrupting them. “Thomas is dead.”
“Thomas?” Ray said, her forehead crumpling in confusion.
Sloane squeezed her hand. “That was Jack’s real name. He was a conman.”
“I know what he was,” she said, squeezing his hand in reply. “He told me. You need to contact Marie.”
“Who?”
“This is her house,” Ray said. “Jack, sorry,Thomashas been living here with her. He’s been conning her, too.”
Sloane looked up and met Kit’s gaze.
“On it,” she said.
Sloane got to his feet and pulled Ray up with him.
“I’ve just called this in,” Ted said. “They’re sending a CSI team.”
“Flint?” Sloane questioned.
The team leader sighed. “You sure you don’t want to come back with us to get that looked at?”
Sloane bent his neck to look at the wound, which was bleeding freely down his arm.
“Nah. I’ll take a couple of Tylenol and I’ll be right as rain.”
“Sloane!” Ray admonished. “I thought you were joking about not liking needles earlier. You’ve been shot. You’re going to get that looked at.”
“Babe,” he whined. “Ireallydon’t like needles.”
“Well, you’ll just have to suck it up.”
Everyone laughed, except Sloane.
