10
Confrontation
“Was Rusty sending something else?”Lila mumbled, eyes fluttering close.
“I’ll check.” Sawyer unwillingly untangled himself from Lila and fished his phone out of his pants pocket. His eyes widened, and his heart thudded as he read the messages he’d missed while in bed with Lila.
“What’s wrong? Why are you making that face?” Lila sat up as Sawyer held up his hand to keep her in place.
“It’s fine,” he said. “But get dressed.” The knock on the door sounded again, as he pulled on his clothes on as quickly as he could. He tried to keep his face even. He didn’t want Lila to know that anything was wrong. The problem was though, how he would get her out with a killer just on the other side of the door.
“Pizza!” the man in the hall called.
“Rusty sent pizza?” Lila asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Told you it was his default,” Sawyer said. “Let me just verify with him. Sit tight. Get your shoes though, just in case.”
Hans trotted into the room and licked his hand.
Shit. He’d forgotten about the dog.
He’d have to get Hans out, without getting him shot, too. German shepherds could scare any unarmed man, but killers with guns could pick them off before the dog could even let out a bark. Lila would never forgive him. Hell, he liked Hans. He wouldn’t forgive himself.
Sawyer checked the security app, and saw the man standing in the hallway. He actually held a pizza box – at least he attempted a cover? – but Sawyer could see the outline of a gun beneath his coat. The guy had made the most fatal mistake of his life. If only he knew that pizza wasn’t just a normal thing Rusty would order for anyone. Pizza on their team was symbolic. It was Rusty’s way of conveying a message across to his team that he didn’t approve of something, or when things were getting out of hand. One of the attackers must have somehow figured out the team’s emphasis on “pizza”, without being smart enough to enquire how they used it.
Well, doom was about to loom, but he needed to assure Lila and put her mind at rest. The last thing he wanted to do was for Lila to get injured. He wouldn’t forgive himself at all.
While Sawyer had been busy with Lila, Rusty called and texted, alerting him to the fact they’d tracked down two people connected to the threats against Senator Morgan and his family. One of them, the one who’d fired shots at Lila, worked for Senator Morgan. The man had been waiting for the right time to strike in disapproval of the senator’s policies, but an opportunity never presented itself. So, he set his sights on Lila instead. There had been a mole the whole time, and now he was outside, ready to shoot the first woman Sawyer realized he’d ever fallen in love with. How did he let that happen? And she was a girl his mom would love, too. He’d have no choice but to marry her. The thought thrilled him.
He strapped his gun to his hip, and ushered Hans into the bedroom with Lila.
“I’m going to need you to stay in here,” he said.
“Why?” Lila asked, the color draining from her face. She pulled her hair back into a bun. Even in jeans, she looked like a librarian. Even with the adrenaline running through his system, Sawyer had a brief flash where he wished the assassin would just go away, so he could throw her onto the bed again.
“The police are on their way,” he said calmly. “They will be here in less than ten minutes.”
“Why are the police coming? Who’s outside the door?” Lila demanded.
“I’m going to close you and Hans in here. I want you both to get into the closet and shut it,” Sawyer replied, side-stepping her question. “I’m going to step outside and take care of this guy, before he does something annoying, like kick down the door. Rusty will take it out of my paycheck if he does, and I’m saving up for a nice couch.” He wrapped Lila into a tight hug and kissed her.
“You’re going to let him in?” she repeated, incredulous.
“Yeah. This ends now,” Sawyer said. He kissed her again, before sweeping Lila and Hans into the closet, and closing the door.
“Rub his belly,” Sawyer said, opening the door again a crack. “Try not to let him bark.”
“What if he hurts you?” Lila squeaked. She was scared not for herself, but for her bodyguard whom she had grown fond of.
Sawyer gave his best fake laugh. He had plenty of bravado, but hand-to-hand combat with an armed man made even him nervous, especially if he couldn’t size up his opponent’s skill level in advance. But whoever his assailant was, someone had to take the bow.
“Just stay here till the police come. If you hear me go down, I want you to get something to throw or hit. Get behind the door and surprise him, okay? Don’t let him get a shot at the dog. Or you.” He grinned – though he knew it looked as forced as it felt – and closed the door again.
Thud, thud, thud. The assassin knocked on the door again.
“Coming!” Sawyer called, latching the bedroom door behind him.
He cocked his gun and held it behind his back, as he moved to the kitchen and called through the front door. “Hey man, I think you have the wrong place. We didn’t order a pizza.”
