“Hand over the girl or you’re dead.” He nods toward the SUV. “I can see her.”
“Not gonna happen,” I inform him, coming to a stop a few yards away. “If you shoot me, you’ll have ten bullets in your head in two seconds. Your only chance of survival is to put that fucking gun down.” This asshole has no chance of living to see tomorrow, but he doesn’t know that.
He’s shaking. “Do you have any idea who the fuck you’re dealing with, asshole? I don’t see a badge. You’ll serve life in prison if you kill a cop.”
I chuckle. “A cop? You think I give a fuck if you are or ever were a cop? I’ve got four guys in your house right now making sure that when the cops raid your home later, all they see is what a piece of dog shit you were. No one will care about anything but the human trafficking ring you’ve been running for years.”
I’m getting to him, but he suddenly shoots. It’s not unexpected. I see it coming a second before he pulls the trigger. The worst part is that he’s trembling so badly that his shot is erratic.
I easily drop to the ground, realizing a moment later that he either aimed for the windshield of my SUV or hit it by accident. Either way, it’s bulletproof.
Unfortunately, I hear Eloise screaming. She’s out of the car. “Stop!” she yells. “I’ll go with you. Don’t shoot him!”
Fuck.
My girl runs past me, aiming for Larkin.
“Eloise, no,” I shout.
She ignores me as Larkin pops to his feet and grabs her. In less than a second, he’s holding her against his chest, gun pressed to her head. He smirks at me and looks around, turning so everyone is in his view. “You,” he says to Tank. “Leave your keys in the car and walk away.”
I’m on my feet, keeping one eye on Larkin and Eloise. Where is Rachell? Her absence is a good sign.
Suddenly, she speaks in everyone’s ear. “I’ve got him. Eloise, let him take you toward the car. He’s not going to get away with you. I promise.”
Tank holds both hands up. “Keys are in the ignition. Don’t hurt her.” He schools his voice to sound frightened. He’s even shaking.
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want with this bitch.” Larkin swings his gun around, as if he can take all three of us out at once. He aims at my head. “Drop your gun, motherfucker.” He jerks his weapon back to her temple.
She’s holding on to his forearm that’s wrapped around her chest as he holds her facing out, nearly lifting her off the ground. Tears are running down her face, but she’s not panicking. Thank God Rachell is in her ear.
“Pick your moment, Rachell,” Blade tells her calmly. I’m sure he’s pacing at the office. He doesn’t like not being on the scene when something like this goes down.
My jaw is tight. I’m fucking panicking for both of us. Larkin is unpredictable. He might shoot Eloise out of spite. He will if he thinks he can’t take her away from here.
“Drop your fucking weapons,” he screams.
Ghost, Tank, and I lower our guns and let them fall to the concrete.
I wish I knew where Rachell was, but I do know she’s as competent as any of us. She’s got a plan.
Larkin keeps his gun pressed into Eloise’s temple as he rounds the crush of cars to get to Tank’s vehicle.
My heart is racing. If anything happens to Eloise…
I know Rachell is going to do something, but it can’t happen soon enough for my liking. Larkin looks around frantically, trying to take us all in with a sweep of his eyes. We’re all standing with our hands up even though every one of us has at least two more weapons on our bodies.
A noise behind Larkin makes him spin around so fast that his gun is no longer aimed at Eloise’s head. In that split second, Rachell must take her chance because suddenly Larkin drops to the ground.
Eloise screams.
I leap over the back end of Larkin’s car, and I’m in his face in seconds. He has let go of his gun. It’s lying on the ground next to him, and I kick it as far as I can while I hold my weapon to his head.
The pansy is clutching his knee and crying like a baby. I’m sure it fucking hurts. Rachell doesn’t fuck around. She went right for the kneecap.
“Get in the SUV, angel,” I say as calmly as possible, not taking my gaze off this asshole.
She sobs as she runs out of sight.
