the repetitive motion of my arms and legs. Eventually, I slowed and came to a stop in the shallower end of the pool. I stood up and inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly in and out, the way I’d learned in the yoga class I took before I moved home. I missed it, and one of the first things I would do when I left here was find a new studio. It wasn’t an option now because my mother didn’t approve of yoga or meditation. She insisted they were based in New Age spirituality, and by doing it, we were worshiping other gods. I took another breath in and let it out. Not going there right now. Thinking about that would totally kill my mood.
I moved towards the edge of the pool when there was a loud pop sound, and the glass with my juice in it that I’d set on the table by the pool exploded into a thousand pieces. I looked around, trying to figure out what happened. Pop. Pop. Pop. Three in a row as three of the outdoor lights shattered. It took a minute for my brain to catch up, but then it did. Someone was shooting at me. I did the only thing I could think to do. I screamed for Roman as loudly as I could. Pop. The light closest to me exploded. I sucked in a deep breath and dropped under the water, praying I could hold my breath until it was safe.
Chapter 13
Roman
I pressed the brew button on the coffeemaker. I had time to run to the main house and grab a couple of Alejandra’s muffins, but I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with the Coben family this morning. Well, not most of them, anyway. I wouldn’t mind taking my cup of coffee out by the pool and watching while Trey swam.
I poured the creamer in my coffee and stirred. I turned towards the door when I heard it. The distinctive pop of gunfire, and then Trey screaming my name. Fuck. I dropped my cup, pulled my gun from my back holster, and ran for the door, heart pounding. Trey. Shit. Pop. Pop. Pop. Three more shots. I threw open the door. Broken glass peppered the deck, but I didn’t see Trey. An engine revved, and a boat sped away. Shit, it was too far away to see any identifiers. And I needed to find Trey. They hadn’t had time to get him to the boat, so he had to be here. Footsteps pounded on the path from the house, and I glanced up to find Fredrick and another one of the guards running towards me.
“Gunshots from the water,” I yelled, moving towards the pool, and there he was, under the water in the shallow end. He floated there motionless with a tale-tell cloud of red blood drifting above him. Fuck. I jumped into the pool, grabbed him. The second I touched him, he went from dead-still to struggling and fighting like a wildcat. I pulled him to me and up out of the water. “Trey, it’s me.” He continued to struggle, so I repeated myself over and over until he froze and got his feet underneath him,
He spun to face me. “Roman, someone was shooting at me,” he huffed out between deep breaths.
“I know, baby. I heard you call for me, and I heard the gunshots. Where are you hit?”
“Hit, I’m not hit. I went underwater.”
“But you’re bleeding,” I insisted. Turning him and looking for the injury. “It’s your shoulder. It looks like a cut. It’s pretty deep.”
“Must have been from the glass. The lights were exploding, and glass was going everywhere.”
“Okay, let me talk to Fredrick, and then we’ll get that cleaned up, okay?” I led him up the steps and out of the pool. “Do you know if we have any first aid supplies?” He didn’t answer me, just stood there looking out at the water. He was starting to shake, and I was afraid that shock wasn’t far behind. I had never wanted to pull someone in my arms and just hold them so badly in my life. “Trey,” I said to get his attention.
“Huh?”
“First aid supplies, do you know if there are any?” I thought giving him a task to do might help him center himself.
“Oh, yeah, in the cabinet under the downstairs bathroom sink.”
“Okay, you go wait for me there, okay? I want to tell Fredrick you’re okay.” He nodded and went inside.