Unfortunately, that landed her in a heap of trouble.
Reaching for the handgun, her fingertips had barely brushed the metal when a terrible pain ignited in her scalp. She screamed in surprise when Neanderthal yanked her up by her sodden hair. A second later, the cold kiss of his gun barrellanded on her temple, and the hand in her hair snaked around her throat. Neanderthal’s fingers dug into her skin until she could feel the warning pinch of his stubby nails.
“You stupid cunt,” he hissed. Then, “No! Not one more step, you sorry sonofabitch!”
When Emily dared glance from the corner of her eye, she saw Christian crouched in a fighter’s stance. He wore a grimace of epic proportions,and even though his eyes were icy green, they seemed to burn with fire when he caught and held her stare through the deluge. That fire banked a second later as he straightened and turned his attention to Neanderthal.
“Let the woman go.” Even though his expression had gone fromsudden deathtocold calculation, his voice still sounded harsh and rough, like flames crackling over dried flesh.
Neanderthal ignored him. “Damnit, Ben! Get back to your bloody feet, and get your weapon!”
I’m sorry, Emily said with her eyes when Christian flicked her another glance through the driving rain. She had ruined their chance to turn the tables on the caveman brothers.
We’ll discuss it later, the muscle twitching in his solid jaw told her.
I hope wehavea later.
Don’t worry aboutthat.His jaw hardened to granite.We will.
She blew out a steadying breath, desperately praying he was right.Trustinghim to be right.
Ben pushed to his feet with a groan. After a quick shake of his head, he glanced at the puddle near Emily’s feet. Every eye in the group followed Ben’s down to the stranded weapon, and the electricity in the air didn’t have anything to do with the storm.
Emily wasn’t a great shot—which maybe she should have considered before going for Ben’s handgun—but she had worked with the Black Knights long enough to recognize the make and model of the piece.
A Glock 17. Meaning it had seventeen rounds in its clip. Plenty to do the job of killing every one of them.
Ben hesitated, which infuriated Neanderthal all the more. “For fuck’s sake, Ben!Do it! Hurry!”
Emily winced. The sound of Neanderthal’s voice so near her eardrum threatened to blow the sucker. It let out a warning buzz.
Ben’s legs were shaky. His eyes darted around the mass of hulking, angry men—well, everyone looked angry except for Angel.Helooked the same as he had this morning at the breakfast table.
She tried to catch his gaze to convey how sorry she wasthat she’d fucked up his super awesome disarming of Ben, but he refused to look at her. Instead, he kept his pitch-black eyes focused on Ben, who was in the process of limping toward his lost weapon through the driving rain and deepening puddles.
“You had better think twice about hurting her,” Christian said, water sluicing from his face and making his harsh features appear even harsher.
“That’s a tall order,” Ace piped up for the first time, the deluge having darkened his blond locks to brown. “He looks like he’d have a hard time thinking once, much lesstwice.”
What the hell?NowAcehad joined Christian in his death wish?Calamity times two!
Christian wore a wolf’s smile. It was all teeth and promised the spilling of blood. “Who are you working for?” he asked Neanderthal.“Spider?”
“Shut up!” Neanderthal bellowed, shoving the barrel of his weapon more tightly against Emily’s head.
Closing her eyes, she tried not to grimace, not to broadcast her pain. The BKI boys needed to concentrate on the situation, not her. She’d already made one mistake. She refused to make another.
With her eyes shut, her other senses heightened. She could smell Neanderthal’scheap cologne trying to mask the scent of old sweat. Feel his harried breath. Sense the rapid tattoo of his heart against her back. He was scared, not as sure of himself as he pretended to be.
A subtleclacktold her Ben had palmed the Glock. She blinked open her eyes in time to watch pandemonium unfold.
The back door of the hangar burst open, and a man in black pants and a white shirtshouted, “Hello! You must be Boss’s friends, and I—”
Ben, with an itchy trigger finger and an even itchier case of self-control, swung on the newcomer and fired.
Theboomof the Glock was obscene, despite having to compete with the roar of the rain. Even worse was the look of shock on the newcomer’s face when the round ripped through his chest.
“Youbastard!” Christian bellowed, takinga step toward Neanderthal at the same time Angel took a step toward Ben.
