Glenn followed on her heels. “I mean, if you were my girl, I’d make things happen a lot faster.”
Never.She quit walking and faced him. “Please stop. I mean it.”
A nasty expression crossed his face and she tensed.
“Glenn!” Lambert growled. “Leave her alone. She’s working.”
Color stained Glenn’s cheeks and he flashed a scowl in his father’s direction. Then, he spun on his heel and stalked toward the plane, passing his father without a word.
Caitlyn lightly touched the weapon holstered at her side and started breathing again. She wasn’t helpless againstassholes like him anymore. That didn’t mean she welcomed the conflict. The less contact with Glenn, the better.
As she started walking again, a silver glint flashed at the edge of the jungle. Without thought, Caitlyn launched herself at Lambert. “Get down!”
She caught him around the middle and knocked him to the ground. The impact as she landed across his hips jarred her entire skeleton.
Crack.A rifle shot ruptured the air. Lambert’s guards dropped to their knees. They formed a wall in front of him and Caitlyn and turned their firepower on the gunman’s location.
Within seconds the barrage stopped, leaving behind a coppery, sulfur-scented haze and a ringing in her ears.
“We got him.” Christophe turned to Lambert, his voice faint. “Sir, are you all right?”
Caitlyn scrambled off herclient, her heart on double time. There was no blood on either of them, and Lambert’s eyes were open, his gaze lucid as he pushed to sitting.Thank God.
The shock of adrenaline kept her on her knees. She couldn’t trust her shaky limbs yet. Some people claimed that near-death experiences made them feel more alive. Her stomach violently rejected the notion.
She’d been shot at before. Hell, she’dlived in a hyper-vigilant state of awareness during—and for a while after—her deployment to Iraq, butdamn. Despite—or maybe because of—Lambert’s security measures, she’d never expected bullets to fly here. Somehow that made it worse.
Christophe moved in and waved her back so he could check his boss’s condition while she scanned the airfield. Perimeter security goons rushed the downed shooterand scurried like ants to ensure the remaining area was safe.
Get up, Cait. With a deep breath, she stood and brushed dirt off her pants with trembling hands. Empty hands. She must have dropped Rockley’s leash when she knocked down Lambert.
“Ro?” she called, turning in a circle, shading her eyes from fresh sunlight glimmering over the treetops. “Rockley!”
Her breath backed up in her chest.Please.
A yelp came from her right. The mutt cowered under the plane’s fuselage, up against one of the wheel chocks.
“Oh, thank God.” She nearly fell to her knees. Stumbling, she ran to the dog and dropped to the tarmac, hugging him with one arm and stroking his back. “What a good boy. I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I love you, sweetie. I love you.”
He whined and nuzzled her face.
Her heart finallyfound its rhythm and she took a deep breath, dropping her forehead to his. “Jesus.”
Behind her, someone cleared his throat. Rockley growled and ducked his head. So, Glenn then.
She stood and tried unsuccessfully to wipe Ro’s black hairs off her white shirt and tan cargo pants before turning.
“You okay?” Glenn asked, his brows furrowed.
“Fine.” She jerked her chin at Lambert, who stood in ahuddle of his men. “Your dad?”
“A few bruises, but alive, thanks to you.” His voice deepened with anger. Glenn might be an ass, but the attempt on his dad’s life had pissed him off.
She shrugged off his words. “I could just as easily have been wrong.”
“But you weren’t. And everyone else missed it.” He rubbed a shaky hand over his mouth and down his jaw. Maybe he was human after all. “Whatclued you in?”
“A reflection. A small spark of light. The guy clearly wasn’t an expert.”
