“Don’t move or they both die,” Eric panted where he sat with his back against the far wall.
Zach froze. It had to be Lauren and Zoe, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from Eric to check.
Anthony stood just a few feet away, paralyzed, with the now unconscious guard at his feet. When Anthony glanced his way, Zach made a small motion with his head toward the women at the door, then started an almost imperceptible nodding countdown.
One. Two. Three.
Zach went for Eric, who shifted to aim one pistol square at Zach’s chest. He lunged to the side just as the force hit his shoulder, knocking him back half a step.
The pain seared through his arm like a brand, but he had to keep going. He charged toward Eric before he could make another shot. Zach pulled his right arm back as far as it would go, then released the torque he’d been holding. His fist connected with every ounce of force he had.
Eric’s head lobbed to the side as Zach hit the ground and gasped. He couldn’t raise his left arm to catch his fall, and a blinding pain exploded through his entire body.
Fire. He was on fire, and the agony consumed him, stealing his breath and seizing his body.
There were screams and shouts around him, but he couldn’t make out any of it. The sickening heat washed over him, and everything went black.
45
Lauren
Abloodcurdling scream tore from Lauren’s throat as the bullet crashed into Zach’s chest. Someone was pushing her, and she no longer had control of her own body as she fought against it.
“Zach!” His name grated in her throat again. She could remain composed when she was playing a part, but she’d just witnessed a bullet tear into Zach from a short distance. The panic was unfiltered and uncontrollable as she battled against anything keeping her from him.
“Zoe, get me something I can use to tie them up. Lauren, call for help,” Anthony demanded.
Anthony. Anthony was here, but there wasn’t any relief. Her world was shaken, and she couldn’t process what she’d just seen.
“He shot Zach,” she screamed. The mic was on. The team was close, but not close enough. Everythinghad happened in the span of a few seconds. She hadn’t been able to give them enough of a warning.
Zoe turned and ran down the hallway, and Lauren continued to thrash as Anthony held her back.
“Let me go!”
“Get out of here! I have to restrain them!” Anthony shouted back.
Her frame sagged, and she grabbed her heaving chest. If Anthony was helping them, she needed to get out of his way. She panted as her mind began functioning again. She could help.Howcould she help?
She darted to the door across the hallway. It was a tidy bedroom, much like the one she’d stayed in with Zach the night before. She pulled the heavy blanket off the bed and grabbed the top sheet. Bundling it in her arms, she ran back to the secret room where Zach had been shot.
Zach had been shot. She still couldn’t understand it. Tears ran down her face, and sobs wrenched from her chest as she hurried to his side. Blood was everywhere, and Zach lay on his back, unconscious.
No. This couldn’t be happening. He had to be okay. She pressed her fingers against his neck, feeling for the artery. A faint but steady pulse thumped against her fingertips.
“Zach’s been shot. We need medical assistance immediately.”
Anthony pressed his knees into a man’s back and tied a cord around his wrists. Zoe knelt on top of Eric’sback, pinning him to the ground where he lay groaning. Her shaky hands wound a cord around his wrists.
“Zach, please,” Lauren begged as she gathered the sheets in her hands and tied them over the gruesome wound on his upper arm. The fabric was sopping in no time. She needed…
“Zoe, I need a rope.”
Zoe glanced at Anthony, who’d just finished tying the other man. She fumbled Eric’s wrists in her hands. “I can’t get it tied. Help me.”
Eric heaved, tossing Zoe off his back and quickly grabbed her and a gun from the floor. Positioning her body in front of his, he wrapped an arm around her chest and pointed the gun at her temple. “Don’t move and do exactly what I say.”
Anthony jerked to a halt with wide eyes. A look of horror in his features.
