Hushed whispers came in Croatian and he curled his fingers around the gun’s grip best he could.A shadow filled the doorway before moving forward.The lead person of the ones there halted as the silence was split by a single growled word.
“Stati.”
The men listened and he opened his eyes to find Jasmine slowly coming closer from where she’d been hidden in the corner, not one but two pistols leveled.One at each man.
“Dusan wanted us to make sure he was okay.”Leader Man held his empty hands out to his sides.
Lance struggled to a seated position.One glance to the woman he was fast falling for and he knew this was seconds away from going sideways.Pure fury flickered in her expressive eyes.To him.He doubted they knew their lives were forfeit.
“So that means you break into an apartment without announcing yourself?”She gestured with the gun.“Back up.I want you out of this room.Don’t piss me off between here and the living room and I may think harder about killing both of you.”
The men complied and Lance swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“You stay put,” she growled without taking her attention off the other two.
“No can do, baby.I don’t like men near you.”
One shifted slightly to the left and Jasmine fired a round right into his kneecap.He went down with a howl.
“That was the one warning shot.Neither of you get another.”
“Bitch.You shot me.”
Lance reached for her shirt but only grasped air as she slid right up to the man and put the muzzle to his forehead.He whimpered and Lance swallowed.He didn’t want to clean up more blood.Hell, he’d lost enough himself that would have to be cleaned.
A coldness emanated from Jasmine, one he’d seen when they had been in Atlanta and she had been the heartless, drug-dealing crazy woman who’d made him want to punch something.More pieces clicked into place when it came to the mystery of Jasmine.Lance began to understand how truly good she was at blending in and not being seen, even while she stood out in such outrageous fashion.
She dipped her head closer to the man, the weapon trained on the other goon never once wavering, and murmured something to him.Lance couldn’t hear well enough to make it out but he was fairly certain whatever she whispered to him was in Croatian.
The other man tossed his sidearm away and held out his hands before slowly approaching the one she’d shot.He wouldn’t meet her gaze as he hefted up his partner and helped him back out of the bedroom.
No sounds came from Jasmine as she followed them.Lance heard more crunching of glass on the floor but nothing from her.Not a single step.By the time he struggled out to the living room, it was empty.Shards of broken glass littered a few places in his apartment—the hallway, under the window.
He smirked.She was damn good.His amusement fell away as he didn’t like her being away from him.Especially with me feeling like shit.
A sound from his kitchen and he turned to see Dusan there.Fear sliced through him and he lifted his Glock.But the man didn’t move from the chair.In fact, he seemed a bit ashen.
“What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for your psycho woman to get back and disarm the fucking bomb on my chair.”
Lance’s phone rang and he picked it up from the shelf he was beside.At the table, Dusan stiffened and watched him with wide eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Get some clothing on and leave.Tell that fucker that once you’re in the clear, I’ll disarm it.Not until then.Get down here and find a white Honda Pilot.Passenger side rear.Let the man take you to a safe house.I’ll meet you there.”She delivered the words, brisk and emotionless.Jasmine clicked off.
Lance longed to argue but his body was fading and he recognized he didn’t have a lot of time before he went down like that man she’d shot in the kneecap.
“Guess I’m leaving.She did say she would be up to disarm it once I was out of here.”
“You made an enemy today.”The man narrowed his gaze.
“I’m not the one who tried to have me killed today.”
“That wasn’t me!”Dusan slammed a meaty hand on the table, only to freeze when beeping filled the air.“I trusted…trust you, Lance.”
“Didn’t seem that way when your own son tried to rape and kill me.”
