The Bodyguard (Norcross #4) - Anna Hackett Page 0,67
through the gaps in the lattice, and saw people down below, resuming the party.
A hysterical sob built in her chest. She met Lorenz’s gaze.
He was disheveled, blood at the corner of his mouth, and scratches from her nails down his face.
“No, you’re not.” Sofie glared at him. “I have everything to live for, and one of those things is seeing you pay for your crimes.”
Lorenz shoved her and made an angry noise. Her hip smacked into the stone railing.
“Sofie!”
Rome’s deep shout.
Relief flared in her. She turned her head and saw him sprinting down the mezzanine level toward her. Ace and Vander were right behind him.
Rome—big, powerful, his eyes blazing.
She smiled. “And there’s the other thing I have to live for.”
“He can’t have you! No one can have you!”
She heard more shouts and looked the other way. Saxon, Easton, and Rhys were running up the stairs from the other direction.
“It’s over, Lorenz.”
“No! No.”
He gave her a vicious shove.
With a cry, Sofie fell back and Lorenz’s weight pushed her straight through the flimsy lattice. The wood cracked and she tipped over the railing.
No. For a second her heart stopped, then it raced with terror.
She fell through the air, and threw her arms out. Then a hand gripped her wrist, jerking her to a stop. She dangled in the air.
She looked up into Lorenz’s strained face.
“You’re mine, Sofie. Mine to kill.”
Chapter Twenty
When Rome saw Sofie fall over the edge, his brain shut down.
No. Fucking, no.
He wasn’t losing her. She was sweetness and light. Love and laughter.
She was his to love, protect, and cherish. Even though she did a damn good job of protecting herself.
This asshole couldn’t have her.
Rome leaped forward, and saw her dangling from the asshole’s hand. Screams started down below.
“Back up or I’ll drop her.” The man’s voice was strained.
“Fuck you.” Rome focused solely on Sofie. He reached down and clamped a hand on her slim wrist, below where her stalker was holding her.
“I said back off!” With his other hand, the man pulled a small knife.
“Rome!” Sofie cried, her legs kicking and her dress flowing around her.
The asshole stabbed at Rome. He felt the prick of the blade on his arm, but blocked out the pain. Nothing would make him let go of Sofie.
“Vander,” Rome growled.
Like a shadow, Vander appeared. He rammed a brutal punch into the man’s kidneys.
The attacker cried out and let Sofie go. Rome took her full weight.
Vander followed through with a hard hit with the butt of his Glock to the back of the man’s head. The guy crumpled.
Vander grabbed the back of the man’s jacket and dragged him away.
Rome looked down at Sofie. “I’ve got you.”
“I love you,” she said. “This is bad timing, I know, but I wanted you to know.”
There was an explosion of emotion in Rome’s chest. “I love you too, beautiful.”
Her brown eyes shimmered with tears. “You do? Oh, God.”
“How about we talk more about this once you aren’t dangling off the side of a balcony,” he suggested.
He grabbed her with his other hand.
“You know, I’m actually pretty good at dangling off buildings.”
Rome grunted. “You’ll be retiring from that.”
With a smooth jerk of his arms, he pulled her up and over the railing.
Below, the gala guests cheered.
Rome yanked her into his arms and sank to the floor. “Fuck.” He let out a shuddering breath. “When I couldn’t find you… When I saw you go over the edge…”
She cupped his cheek. “I’m right here, Rome. Perfectly alive. I knew you’d come.”
He shuddered.
“I knew you’d never give up. Like you never gave up with Lola. You were only a child, you did nothing wrong, Rome. The blame for what happened to her lies solely with her attacker. We can’t live in fear. We have to live.”
“I know, beautiful. Damn, Lola would have loved you.”
Sofie shoved her ripped skirt aside, straddled him, and kissed the hell out of him.
Rome didn’t care where they were, or that they had an audience. She was safe. He felt her pulse under his fingers.
He kissed her with all the love he felt until she moaned into his mouth.
“Well, looks like Rome has things under control.”
Rome lifted his head and saw Zane Roth standing behind the Norcross men, grinning at them. There was amusement and relief on all the men’s faces.
With a laugh, Sofie leaned against Rome’s chest and he held her tight.
Vander dragged her attacker to his feet. “I’ll get this waste of space to Hunt. We’ve got the others downstairs.”
“His name is Lorenz Stalder,” Sofie spat. “He’s