His chuckle made her skin crawl. And now with the red blood all over his face, he really did look like the creepy clown that wanted to peel off her face.
Then he charged her.
She pulled the trigger. Twice. Double-tapped center mass to stop the threat. Myles stopped, a stunned expression on his face just before he collapsed forward on top of her.
Shoot to kill.
Or be killed.
Thunderous footsteps coming down the hall had her cocking her gun again and aiming it at the door. Even with Myles’s body on top of her, she could still defend herself, defend the baby. The door flung open, and the staff sergeant, gun in hand, stood there. Without a second thought, Krista shot him in the shoulder, causing the gun to fly from his hand.
Then she leveled the barrel at his chest. “It doesn’t have to end this way, sir,” she said smoothly even though her entire body hurt from the weight of Myles on top of her. “Let us help you.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” he said, regret in his voice. His free hand pressed into the gunshot to stop the bleeding. “If only the three of you didn’t know so much.” He stepped forward, no fear on his face. Only … acceptance?
She had no idea if the staff sergeant had “taken care of” Wendy and Marlise yet. She only hoped that he hadn’t and she could get out and save them. His eyes landed on Myles’s gun on the floor by the door. He reached for it.
Only Krista was faster.
Shoot to kill.
Or be killed.
He didn’t even have a chance to stand back up before his body crumpled to the ground.
Krista’s ears were ringing from the gunshots, and her body raged in pain from Myles’s dead weight. She wasn’t sure if that was just her pulse pounding in her ears or boots thundering down the hall.
Suddenly, Myles’s body was being pulled from hers, and there was Brock, his face a mix of terror and then, when she blinked at him, relief.
“Oh thank fuck,” he breathed, hauling her up and pulling her into his chest.Rex and Heath appeared in the doorway as well, their eyes surveying the scene.
“Holy shit,” Heath murmured. He knelt down and checked the staff sergeant’s pulse. “He’s still alive.”
Rex checked Myles’s pulse. “This one’s not.”
“Wendy? Marlise?” She was going into shock, but she had to know if her friends were okay.
Brock’s arms around her loosened, and he held her by the shoulders. “They’re okay.”
Krista finally let out a full breath, the tears of relief tumbling down her cheeks as her body began to shake.
Brock pulled her back into his arms, shushing and stroking her head. “It’s okay. It’s over. It’s all over.”
Wendy and Marlise appeared in the doorway, Chase looming behind them like a grumpy mountain.
“Thank God,” Wendy whispered, pushing her way into the room. Brock released Krista, and Wendy went to hug her when Krista doubled over from the sudden stab of pain to her belly, crying out as it spread around her entire midsection and into her back.
Brock’s hands landed on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?
Another shard of pain, this one harder and longer. She fell to her knees on the bedroom floor, and that’s when she noticed the dampness between her legs and the blood staining her gray pants.
“I—I think there’s something wrong with the baby.”
Chapter 21
Gutted.
Shredded.
