Fake Boyfriend - Miley Maine Page 0,65

That is not happening,” I said. I still felt like I hadn’t gotten over the side affected from the last time I was drugged.

Douglas pointed the gun at me. “You’re not calling the shots here, brat.”

Very slowly, Jackson stepped in front of me. “What Loren meant to say, is that we can work out another way to to make sure we don’t follow you, or call the police.” Jackson nudged my hip. “Loren, why don’t you go sit down by Marie?”

I wasn’t happy being pushed aside, but I’d spent enough time ignoring Jackson’s warnings, and look where that had gotten us. Into a whole boatload of shit. So this time I was going to listen. I made my way over to the couch, and sat down next to Marie, who instantly clutched my hand.

Douglas didn’t try to stop me, but he did shoot us several dirty looks. “You aren’t calling the shots either, soldier.” With one hand, he popped the cap off the syringe. A droplet of liquid formed at the end.

“I wasn’t intending to. I was just thinking we could work this out, man to man,” Jackson said.

Without warning, Douglas lunged at Jackson, bringing the syringe up toward his neck. I leaped up from the couch. There was no way I could just sit there if Jackson was getting drugged. Douglas was no doctor; he didn’t know what the hell he was doing, and I’d already endangered Jackson’s life enough.

“I’m going to kill you, you mother fucker,” Douglas screamed.

But I shouldn't have worried. Jackson must have anticipated that Douglas would lose it, because he threw one arm up and blocked Douglas’s arm. With his other arm he grabbed for the gun. Douglas threw his body forward and the gun went off.

“Loren, hit the floor,” Jackson shouted in our direction.

“Shit, get down.” I grabbed Marie and we hit the floor. This time I was going to listen to him. I wiggled, on my stomach, pulling part of the coffee table in front of us.

I peeked up, fearing the worst, but there was no blood on Jackson and he was still upright. It looked like the bullet had lodged in the ceiling. Part of the plaster was hanging loose now.

“Come on, get behind the couch.” Marie and I belly-crawled until we were completely behind the couch, while Jackson continued to grapple with Douglas, who was still screaming that he was going to kill him.

I squeezed my eyes shut as glass shattered.

Please let him be okay. All of this is my fault.

Jackson might not be in love with me, but I owed him so much. He’d survived dozens of high-level deployments. It wouldn't be fair for my cousin’s idiot husband to be the one to harm him.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jackson

This fool was not going to be the reason I died. I’d been on the world’s worst hot spots, and I’d survived. I would not be taken down by an idiot. He was also not going to be the reason that anything happened to Loren, or even to her crazy cousin.

He was stronger than he looked, and he’d reached the end of his rope. He was desperate, and he was ready to take his chances. The gun going off hadn’t been an accident. He’d deliberately tried to pull the trigger.

When the gun had fired, my head had whipped over to the couch, where Loren had been sitting. If that bullet had hit her, even just a graze, I would have gutted Douglas with my fish knife.

I’d lost my sister to a maniac. I wasn’t going to lose Loren too.

I brought my knee up between his legs, and my head forward, right into his skull.

Finally he was dazed enough to drop to the ground, groaning and writhing. I grabbed the gun and emptied the chamber. I put the bullets in my pocket, and put the gun on the countertop.

“Loren, are you okay?” I called out.

“Yeah. Can we come out?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “He’s down. How’s Marie?”

“Fine,” Marie said in a wobbly voice.

I’m sure she wasn’t fine, but she was alive, and that was good enough for now.

Douglas was already trying to push himself back up. He wasn't having a lot of success. His arm was flailing around, reaching for something. I looked around and saw the syringe.

I picked it up. “Maybe I should inject this into your neck,” I said.

He moaned. “No.”

“It was good enough for me. So it should be good enough for you.”

He shook his head, which was pretty stupid about the way