Meant to Be Immortal (Argeneau #32) - Lynsay Sands Page 0,118
a growl, “You know how I said I think you’re brave and I might be falling in love with you?”
“Yes,” she said warily.
“Well, you are brave, stupidly so, but I lied about the rest,” he said firmly. “I’m not falling in love with you.”
He might as well have stabbed her in the chest, because CJ felt those words like a physical blow. The pain was very real, and didn’t ease until he added, “Because I already do love you.”
CJ blinked at the admission. He did not seem pleased to make it. She, though, was overjoyed. He loved her! Damn, wasn’t that awesome, she thought, and then realized he was still yammering at her. Like anything else in the world could be nearly as important as that he loved her, she thought. Still, she tuned back into the conversation to hear “—making love to you too, and I’d like to be able to do so for a long time, so step back and let me handle this. In fact, perhaps you should just leave the room, so I can—”
“She’s not going anywhere,” the intruder growled with irritation. “I’m the one in charge here, and I plan to settle this today.”
“Like you tried to settle it at the Pub and Grill, when you did your best to run us down in the parking lot?” CJ asked sharply, glaring at him around Mac’s arm. She knew it was the wrong tactic to take, but Mac had just told her he loved her, dammit, and this guy was ruining what should have been a perfect moment.
“You saw me? You knew it was me?” Jefferson’s eyes were wide with alarm. “Does Dupree know? Hell! He’ll never let me get near Lily again if he knows— Goddammit! You’ve screwed up everything, you dumb bitch!” he snarled furiously, and raised his gun.
Mac was moving even as Jefferson pulled the trigger and then pain slammed into CJ’s chest and she went tumbling to her bedroom floor with Mac on top of her . . . only she wasn’t sure how he’d got there. His back had been to her when he’d moved in front of her, but he was facing her by the time her back smacked into the floor. He landed on top of her hard. She had the vague thought that he must have been like a whirling dervish to get turned before they landed, and damn he was heavy. But most of her mind was taken up with the fact that her chest hurt and she couldn’t breathe. She just wanted him off of her, but he wouldn’t budge when she shoved at him.
Instead, he growled, “Stay still,” and shifted to cover her more fully.
He was acting like a human shield, CJ realized, and wanted to kiss him and hit him for it all at the same time. But she did neither. She didn’t even tell him that it was too late and she had already been shot, because she couldn’t. She was gasping and struggling for breath, but couldn’t take any in. It felt like her lung had collapsed. Had the bullet hit a lung? She wished she could look to see, but Mac was in the way, and then she became aware that someone was screaming and turned her head, trying to see where the sound was coming from. Her eyes widened with alarm when she spotted Marguerite by the door.
She was screaming for the men, shouting their names, CJ realized, and then it was like watching a film with pieces cut out. Julius, Decker, and Bricker were suddenly behind Marguerite as if appearing out of thin air. The men took in the situation at once and both Bricker and Decker charged on Jefferson, crossing the room in what seemed like a blink. But Julius stopped by his wife, and slid a supporting arm around her. Then CJ was distracted from what was happening in the room when Mac pushed himself up and to the side to get off of her.
“No!”
CJ’s gaze shot back to Marguerite at that screech. She saw the horror and dismay on her face and was briefly confused at what had caused it . . . until she looked down and saw the large black hole between her breasts and the blood soaking her shirt around it. Dear God in heaven, no wonder she couldn’t breathe, she thought faintly.
“Marguerite!” Julius’s voice, full of alarm, drew CJ’s attention again and she saw that Marguerite was hunched over now, clutching her