His Southern Temptation - By Robin Covington Page 0,70

me.”

“Where’d you get that kind of money so quickly?”

“I had savings. What do you care?” Lucky asked, ignoring the muffled “no” Taylor shouted from across the room. It was done. He’d do it again.

“I don’t.”

That covered, Lucky took a step toward Taylor, but Mr. Clean blocked his path, his hand hovering over the gun at his hip.

“Move.” When he didn’t budge Lucky looked at Eddie making sure his “what the fuck” expression was clear to see. “Make baldie move.”

“Where’s Sarah Morgan?” Eddie asked, ignoring his demand.

“I don’t know. I brought you the money. That was the deal.” Lucky called on his training to keep his voice even. Now was not the time to pick a fight unnecessarily.

“No, I told you I wanted you to find Sarah.” Eddie was so frustrated he was practically pouting. Unease crept up the back of Lucky’s neck. He didn’t need an emotional Eddie. Emotional always equaled reckless. “That bitch made a fool out of me and I’m going to teach her a lesson.”

“What the fuck lesson do you think you’re going to teach me?” A voice he’d never heard cut across the conversation and every head turned to see who had joined them. A woman stood on the stage next to Taylor, and while Lucky didn’t recognize the voice, the face was imprinted on his memory.

Sarah Morgan was back. Alive. Pissed. Holding a gun.

Apparently the party had officially started.

Eddie jumped out of his chair and raised his gun, his finger on the trigger and the intention to shoot Sarah written on his face in neon. Sarah didn’t even flinch, a smile—the definition of smug—parting her lips and dazzling them all with her pearly whites. The whole thing was surreal, and Lucky scrambled to figure how not to panic with Taylor a sitting duck in the cross fire. He pulled his gun, ready for anything.

“Sarah, you stupid whore. I’m going to kill you for stealing from me. Just who do you think you are to try and cross me, you little bitch?” Eddie said, spittle coating his lips and his eyes wild.

“She’s my wife,” Mr. Clean answered, and everyone in the room shifted to focus on him and the gun he now pointed at Eddie.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Eddie asked.

“I’m talking about how you got played, you stupid prick. You got played and you didn’t even know it. It was a pleasure to steal from you.” Mr. Clean raised his gun a little higher and pointed it at Eddie’s head. A clean shot. All he had to do was pull the trigger.

Sarah laughed, the sound harsh and ugly. “And you don’t even know how much we took from you. Two hundred thousand? Ha! Try two million and choke on it.”

“Why would you want to steal from me?” Eddie asked, his question tinged with a little bit of hurt.

“Because I got tired of having you treat me like shit. Because you had it and I wanted it,” she said.

Everything was silent for a few long moments, everyone in static position with guns drawn and trigger fingers at the ready. Lucky scanned the scene and took stock of the players. Mr. Clean was calm, Sarah was smug, and Eddie hovered between outrage and doubt.

This was nuts. He’d been dragged into a personal vendetta among these three. Now he and Taylor were caught in the cross fire, and the outcome would depend completely on what Eddie did next.

Lucky saw the shift in purpose flicker across Eddie’s face and he knew in an instant how it would go down. His heart seized. He could never get to Taylor in time to protect her.

It was like a slow-motion movie with delayed sound.

Lucky lunged forward, pulling his gun as Eddie pulled back the trigger and took aim at Sarah. The shot flew wide as Eddie was spun around by the impact of a bullet in his chest. Mr. Clean took a step forward, assessing whether Eddie was dead and firing two more for good measure. A triple tap. Mr. Clean was a pro. But not enough of a pro to understand how he got played. Poor bastard never saw the bullet coming for him.

Sarah Morgan was a good shot. The first one wasn’t deadly, but the next two pumped into her husband’s body got the job done. Apparently, it wasn’t a happy marriage.

Lucky vaulted the stage and was running toward Taylor when Sarah stopped him in his tracks. A cool little number, she was now standing behind Taylor, shielding