The sonofabitch was pissing Ryan off.
So he slammed Edward’s head into the silver cover, the freaking cloche, and then into the champagne bucket.
“Ryan!” Simone’s desperate cry.
The gun fell from Edward’s slack fingers. Ryan spun him around, and when he did, well, that tricky bastard swiped out with his hand, and Edward grabbed a knife from the table.
Aren’t you the determined one?
Ryan leapt back.
Edward surged at him.
And Simone threw a lamp at the waiter. The lamp slammed into the side of his head, a loud, cracking impact, and Edward went down without even a whimper. Knocked out cold, he crashed to the floor as the knife slipped from his fingers.
Simone scampered forward, but Ryan threw out a hand. “Don’t!”
“Are you okay?”
No, he was pissed. “Fucking ruined the chocolate mousse.”
“What?” She inched forward.
“Simone, stay the hell where you are. He’s here to kill you, and I don’t want him to get within touching distance of you, understand?” Ryan grabbed the gun that the waiter had been intent on using and tucked it in the back waistband of his pants. Then he reached for the knife. A freaking steak knife.
“It looked to me like he was trying to kill you.”
No, the bastard hadn’t actually shot at Ryan once.
“Um, is that our waiter?”
A glance at Simone showed her trying to crane her head and get a better view of the man on the floor.
Her lips pursed. “It looks like our waiter.” A pause. “To confirm, our waiter just tried to kill you?”
“I don’t think he was interested in me.” He had to unclench his teeth. He’d just taken in her full attire. Or, rather, her lack of attire. “You’re still just wearing the damn sheet!” And looking sexy as fuck while doing so.
“Oh, pardon me!” Her eyes rolled. “So sorry that I rushed to the rescue and didn’t stop to put on underwear and clothes first. My bad. The next time I hear gunfire blasting, I’ll just bide my sweet little time and let you get shot in the head, will that work better for you?”
Angry fists pounded into the suite’s door.
Her eyes went saucer wide. “Reinforcements,” she whispered.
“Yeah, but for us, not for him. Simone, please, go put on clothes.” Because he couldn’t think well with her just in a sheet. “Those will be the guards who were stationed in the hallway.” People under Jezebel’s command. “I’m sure they heard the gunfire.”
“I don’t know.” Her head tilted. Her hair trailed over one bare shoulder. “These fancy rooms are pretty well insulated. Not too sure how far sound traveled.”
“Simone. Clothes.”
“Ryan. Potential bad guys.”
He frowned at her.
More pounding came from the front door.
And the jerk on the floor let out a groan.
“I have this under control,” Ryan assured her as he took a step toward the door.
