Another low curse hit her ear before Coop said, “We’re almost there, baby. Just keep your gun on him. We’re almost there.”
Wanting nothing more than to put a bullet between the asshole’s eyes, Mac spoke between clenched teeth. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Are you the one who sent me the pictures? Are you here for the money?”
“Pictures?” Luca’s dark brows scrunched together. “I told you, Abig…Mac. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re lying.” Her hand shook as she inched closer. “Stop.Lying!”
“Easy,” Trevor warned. “We’re coming up on the house now. Less than a minute out.”
“I’m telling you the truth!” Luca lost some of his famous control. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The pictures of me and my partner.” She didn’t even realize she was moving toward him again. “The threats. You’re the only one with the capability of finding out where I was. What name I was using. And you’re the only one who could’ve known I took the two mi—”
Mac didn’t get a chance to finish, because she’d made a rookie mistake. She’d let her emotions take over, and she’d gotten too close.
Moving too fast to anticipate, Luca swung his left arm up, shoving hers up and over. The gun went off, the deafening sound echoing off the room’s paneled walls.
“Mac!”Both Coop and Trevor yelled for her.
“In here!” she screamed as loudly as she could, praying they could hear which direction to go.
Fighting back, Mac tried pointing the gun’s barrel back toward Luca, but the man was already wrapping his free hand around her throat. With all of her strength, Mac pushed back, but even with her training, the man was a formidable opponent.
Using his size and strength to his advantage, Luca growled as he lifted her off the ground, slamming her into the built-in bookcase behind her. The solid wood shelves dug into her back, but she ignored the pain and kept on.
With his body pressed up against hers, Luca continued holding her up like that. One meaty hand wrapped around both wrists, banging them repeatedly into the shelves to get her to release the gun. The other squeezing her throat and cutting off her airway.
If I let go of this gun, I’m dead.
Needing to regain control of the situation, she continued to fight as hard as she could to get loose from his grasp. It was no use.
Despite all her strength, her arm muscles were no match for his, and with her feet off the ground and his large thighs pressed against hers, her legs were completely useless.
So she used her head.
Mac was much shorter than Luca, but when he’d picked her up, he’d inadvertently brought her to nearly eye-level with him. Taking full advantage, she tipped her head back as far as it would go before slamming it forward, straight into the bastard’s nose.
The sound of bone crunching was satisfying as fuck.
“You bitch!”
Blood began pouring out of Luca’s nose. It ran down over his mouth and chin, soaking the front of both their shirts. Still, he kept hold of her with one hand while rearing his other fist high in the air.
Turning her head to avoid the blow as much as possible, Mac squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain to come. It never did.
She heard what sounded like an animalistic growl right before Luca’s weight was pulled off of her. Suddenly falling, Mac’s hands and knees hit the carpet with a thud, her fingers still miraculously wrapped tightly around her weapon.
Gasping in several long, deep breaths, she looked up just in time to see Coop toss Luca down onto the floor. He straddled the other man and began pounding his face with his fists.
“You don’t fucking touch her!” Coop yelled. His words coincided with each new blow. “Never. Fucking. Again!”
Trevor stood at Luca’s head, his own gun trained on the bastard as he continued getting pummeled by her furious partner. Mac pushed herself to her feet, raising her gun as well.
Luca was no longer fighting back. Not that he ever really had the chance.
The guy was taller and broader than Coop, but just like in the field, the element of surprise had been the ultimate advantage.
“Sean, stop.” She rested her hand on the man’s back as he lifted his fist to hit Luca again. “He’s not worth it.”
