Keeping Secret (Secret McQueen) - By Sierra Dean Page 0,95
in time to see Morgan scurry out the open ballroom door as she narrowly avoided another two shots that pierced the wood.
As quickly as the gunfire had begun, it was silent again, and I took the lack of explosions as an invitation to stand up. Holden had darted out the door the moment the gunfire ceased but returned empty-handed a second later shaking his head.
The assassins were no longer standing, and aside from a few new bullet wounds and an unflattering splash of blood across the front of Mercedes’s yellow dress, everyone looked to be in one piece.
I pointed to Tyler with my unarmed hand. “You promise me.”
He jerked his chin up to acknowledge his understanding and crossed the platform in two long-legged strides to stoop next to Desmond, a cell phone already out. Sirens sounded in the distance. Doubtless one of the guests who had made it out had called the police.
It didn’t matter who had called, it only mattered that Desmond would get the help he needed.
I looked at Keaty. “Can you take care of this?”
He nodded, already holstering his weapon. Nolan and Owen had gone to check on their women, both of whom were in one piece. Ben was comforting Eugenia, who looked pale but otherwise fine. The charred row of burnt seats that had once been white told me she’d done her part to protect me. Even Kellen was holding it together better than the last time she’d been involved in a shootout.
Practice makes perfect, I guess.
Shane was gritting his teeth as he wound a makeshift bandage of torn dress shirt around his arm.
“Hey, hotshot,” I called to him, getting his attention. “You in one piece?”
“Stings like a son of a bitch.”
“Can you still hold a gun?”
He raised his shooting arm and held it straight out, gun in hand, to show me he was still rock steady. “Takes more than silver bullets to take me down.”
“And you?” I looked at Holden who was standing beside me.
He nodded.
“Then come the hell on.” I left the ballroom without a glance back to see if they were following me.
Chapter Forty-Five
One thing I’d learned over the last year was to not go alone if you didn’t have to.
I’d put myself at unnecessary risk dozens of times out of foolish pride because I thought I could handle myself and because I didn’t want to put anyone in danger. But Shane was an assassin. He worked for the council, and by extension it was his job to do whatever I asked.
I liked him, but I didn’t feel guilty asking him to risk his life.
I asked him to risk his life every time I gave him a warrant.
Plus, I’d trained him over the last couple of months to be an efficient and meticulous hunter. He was the man I wanted with me tonight if any further shit was going to hit the fan.
As for Holden, well…when I wasn’t sure who else I could trust, I knew I could count on him if it came to life-or-death situations.
We took Shane’s car back to my apartment—I drove—and the entire trip none of us said a damned thing to one another. I hadn’t taken the time to go back to my hotel suite and get my phone. If Tyler needed to get me news on Desmond, there was no way for him to reach me. As I unlocked my apartment and let Shane and Holden in, I asked the vampire to tell someone how to contact us. I don’t know who he called—the conversation was too short to bother listening in on—but he’d done what I’d requested.
I slipped off my heels and directed my attention to Shane. “Get into the bathroom and take your shirt off,” I commanded.
Shane wasn’t like Holden. Had I given the vampire the same instructions he would have obeyed, but he’d have been cheeky about it. Shane did as he was told, scuttling into the bathroom and leaving his bloody jacket and shirt in the hallway.
“There’s peroxide and bandages in the cubby next to the sink,” I told Holden. “Bandage him up while I get the rest of our shit together.”
He must have known I wasn’t in a mood for joking around because he followed my directions without talking back.
Fifteen minutes later I had a duffel bag loaded with weapons next to the front door and I’d swapped my heels for black boots I could more easily run in.