His fists clenched at his sides. “You really should watch your language with me.”
“Why? Because you’re going to kill me? Good. Because I’d rather be dead in this house than spend another second in the prison we bought for ourselves. You should’ve never been trusted, and when I’m done with you? You’ll be the one rotting in prison. So, you better go ahead and kill me, because none of this ends the way you want it to. I’m going to make sure of it, whether I’m alive, or whether I’m dead in the process.”
And as the wall behind me came alive, sliding up to reveal the rest of the house, I heard the most amazing voice behind me.
The most wondrous, reassuring voice I could have ever heard.
“Well,” Ranger said as he stepped up behind me, “would ya lookee what the cat dragged in.”
27
RANGER
With Dutch and Trooper on the task to figure out exactly how that man got into our house without coming in through any of the armed sides, I made my way up the stairs. From the first gunshot that popped off, I knew exactly what had happened. And I prayed with everything inside of me that Naomi could hold her own long enough for me to reformat the guys. I had to get them into position. With Gordon already slipping underneath our noses, we needed to make sure there wasn’t a way in hell he’d be able to get out of the house without going through one of us.
Then, I pressed that wall in and rolled it up to find the pot-bellied asshole standing there with a gun flashing on his hip.
“Now, we can talk,” I said as I stepped in front of Naomi, “man to man.”
Gordon quickly pulled his gun off his hip and aimed it at me.
“No!” Naomi exclaimed.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea you’ve got going for you,” I said plainly.
Gordon narrowed his eyes. “Get out of my way. I’m taking my fiancée home.”
Dutch stepped out of the bedroom behind Gordon. “I found how he got in. He scaled the backside of the house and came in through the bathroom window.”
I clicked my tongue. “Told you we should’ve boarded that thing up.”
Dutch pulled out his knives and shrugged. “We figured she could use the sunlight. Innocent mistake.”
Gordon peered over his shoulder. “You gonna filet me for dinner or something?”
Dutch chuckled. “You know what’s interesting?”
Gordon pivoted and aimed his gun right at Dutch’s head.
“No, please,” Naomi said as she came out from behind me, tears marring her voice, “Gordon, just stop.”
“What’s so fucking interesting, dickweed?” Gordon spat.
I heard footsteps rushing up behind me before Trooper slid onto the scene with two guns in his hand.
Both of them, aimed at Gordon.
“What’s interesting,” Troop said as he cocked both of his guns, “is that you’re not the only one in bed with someone you shouldn’t be.”
When Gordon whipped back around, I figured he was about to aim his gun at Trooper. Because, why not? He had aimed it at me. He had aimed it at Dutch. All that was left was to aim his sights at Trooper before he realized he was hopelessly outnumbered. However, when the gun stopped shy of him and aimed itself directly at Naomi’s forehead, I paused.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I warned.
“Why?” Gordon asked as he took a step toward Naomi. “Because you’ll kill me if I do?”
“Something like that,” Dutch said.
Gordon scoffed. “Well, if I am to die today, then let there be fire.”
