“I can ski,” Malloy said stubbornly.
Denver sighed. “I like you, Malloy.”
The cop partially turned, his eyebrows rising. “I’m taken.”
Smart-ass. “I know.” Denver drove past the mall and took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to go well, but it was too late to turn back. In one smooth motion, he unholstered Malloy’s gun, pointed it at him, and yanked the wheel to turn the vehicle into a parking garage.
“What the fuck?” Malloy bellowed.
Denver pressed the pedal, speeding around and around, finally ending up in a quiet corner on the fifth level. “I’m sorry.” He shut off the engine, keeping the gun on the cop, meaning the words. So damn sorry.
Malloy glared. “You’re gonna have to shoot me, and I don’t think you will.”
“What in the world are you doing?” Franny smacked him on the back of the head.
Denver winced. “Ow.”
“Put that gun down right now,” she snapped, pinching his ear.
Pain roared through his entire head. “Noni? Tell your aunt to let go.” Did that sound like a whine? It kind of did.
Noni patted Talia’s knee in the back of the SUV, her eyes wide. “What are youdoing?”
Man, when she sounded like that, she was really mad. He couldn’t explain right now, though.
Malloy reached out to grab the gun, and Denver smashed his knuckles.
“Ouch,” Malloy roared, pulling back his hand.
“Denver!” Tina leaned over and pushed his shoulder. “You stop it.”
This was unreal.
Suddenly, all four doors opened.
Malloy’s body went rock tense. Men in ski masks and combat gear, fully loaded for war, gestured them out.
Denver slid out and then moved to assist Franny, Verna, and Tina. Their faces had gone pale, and Tina’s arm trembled. “It’s okay,” he whispered.
It took two men to get Malloy out of the car, and it sounded like he broke one of their noses in the process. He nailed the other guy in the balls, and that guy bent over with a cry of pain.
“Malloy, stop being an asshole,” Denver said, herding the women toward a nondescript van.
“Denver?” Noni called from the vehicle, starting to scramble over the seat.
He ducked as Tina aimed a pretty decent cross at his face and kept pushing her. “Stay there, sweetheart,” he called out. “Keep the baby safe.”
Noni instantly blocked the baby from the melee. He didn’t want to scare her, but he needed her out of the way for just a couple of moments.
Verna hit him in the gut with her purse, and in that second, he’d had enough. “Everybody get in the fucking van. Whether you like it or not, you’re going somewhere safe,” Denver bellowed.
Three men forced Malloy, his hands bound behind his back, into the van. The words he strung together were truly inspired. Denver sighed as soon as everybody had been shoved inside. “Listen. I know this sucks, but you all need to get to safety. Noni and I will follow with Talia.” If the baby could take an airplane, she and Noni would be in the van, too.
Tina looked warily at the masked men.
“They’re okay,” Denver said, nodding to the tallest one.
“I’m going to kill you,” Malloy shouted from his seat, struggling furiously.
