The Seduction (Finding Forever #2) - Jessie Jones Page 0,71

She felt a tear slide down her face when she saw the guards positioned around the room. How the hell was she going to get out of here? Even if she could escape, she had no clue where Galen had brought her.

"I'm glad you finally woke up, Gill," Galen said as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. "I was going to have a doctor come in if you didn't soon. I want to make sure my girl is able to fly." When Gillian said nothing in response to his statement but darted her eyes toward the door, he chuckled. "I suggest you get the thought of escaping out of your head, sweetheart. There is no way in hell I am going to let you get away this time. On the contrary, I plan on flaunting you around just as that bastard Kenric did."

Tears filled Gillian's eyes when Galen mentioned John. Why didn't she tell John that she loved him? Gillian wished that she could have told him the truth, but her damn pride got in the way. She desperately wanted a relationship with John, but there was no way that he would want her after Galen was finished with her. The Brit would only realize that she was missing once his guards realized she was not at the hospital. She had no doubt John would assume the worst.

When she opened her eyes, she felt the bile rising in her sore, abused throat as Pandora walked up to Galen and kissed him passionately on the lips. Fighting the urge to vomit at the Greek woman's betrayal, Gillian grabbed her throat and painfully whispered, "You stupid whore! I can see why John no longer wants you. He'll make sure you get what you deserve, Pandora. I just wish I could be around to see it."

Rage filled Pandora as she broke the kiss with Galen to walk across the room. When she reached the beautiful American, the Greek model slapped Gillian across the face. Fury exploded in Pandora when Gillian's head barely moved from the blow and her darkened green eyes met hers. "Why can't you just die, bitch?" Pandora screamed as her hand landed across Gillian's cheek again. Rubbing her throbbing hand, the Greek yelled, "You turned John against me! He loved me before you came into the picture. I was going to marry him and have his baby, but you ruined everything. Now he hates me!"

"John was never going to marry you, Pandora. You were his whore and nothing more," Gillian whispered hoarsely, her face aching. "You ruined your relationship with him, not me."

"I'll ruin you, bitch!" Pandora yelled as she went to wrap her hands around Gillian's throat. However, before she could touch her, Pandora let out a blood curdling scream as Galen plunged the knife into her heart. The Greek woman's cries became soft whimpers as the man twisted the cold steel in her chest before pulling it out and plunging it back in. Pandora's eyes closed and her body collapsed in Galen's arms before he let her go and her dead body hit the floor with a loud thud.

Just as Pandora's body hit the antique, terracotta floor tiles, the blackness claimed Gillian as she passed out on the couch. The moment her head hit the cushion, a storm of bullets began raining down on Galen and his guards. As the guards began dropping dead around the room, Galen fell to his knees and scurried around the room looking for cover. Diving behind the couch, his heart pounded out of his chest as an eerie silence fell over the room. The breath caught in his throat when he heard the sound of boots cracking broken glass. Galen knew who was coming for him, and he was absolutely petrified! If Galen was going to die at the hands of John Kenric, then he was taking Gillian with him.

As John cautiously stepped into the large room with his most trusted guard, Luther, the breath caught in his throat and his eyes flooded with tears when he saw his precious kitten lying unconscious on the couch. He could see from where he was standing that she was breathing, and a wave of relief washed over him. However, the relief was only momentary. What if Gillian had been struck by a bullet, or what if she was bleeding to death? John's instinct was to run to her, but he knew that Galen was hiding behind the couch, and he didn't know what the Greek bastard was planning. The last thing John wanted to do was to put Gillian in any further danger. He was going to have to play this safe.

"Come on out, Galen!" John yelled as he cocked the gun he was holding in his hands. He then slowly crept toward the couch where Gillian lay as he motioned for Luther to go the other way. "Don't try anything stupid, bitch! You're dead! Just accept it and take your punishment like a man."

Galen momentarily froze at John's words. He knew the Brit had him cornered, but if he was going down, so was Kenric. Pulling the gun out of his waistband, he opened the barrel and began to fill the chambers with bullets. "I've waited a long time for this, Kenric! I just wish dear old Dad was here to see you die!" he shouted. "I not only get to kill you, but now I have Gillian. I only wish you could be around to watch me fuck her." Getting up on his knees, Galen shot to his feet, but before he could even cock his gun, a bullet from across the room was deposited directly between his eyes. As his head flew back with force, the life rushed from Galen's fading existence as he landed in a pool of his own blood.

Tossing aside the gun that just killed Galen, John quickly ran to Gillian. He didn't fight the tears that fell down his masculine face as he rolled her unconscious body over on the couch. Scooping her up, John hugged her tightly to his chest. Thank God his kitten was alive! She didn't look as though she was bleeding from anywhere, but he could see the swelling and bruising beginning on her face and neck. What exactly had Galen done to her? As he cried and rocked her in his arms, John secretly prayed that the Greek had not raped her. Although he would love her the same, women typically did not recover from that type of repugnant trauma. Could Gillian forgive John for putting her in harm's way? Even if kitten could forgive him, John didn't think that he would be able to forgive himself for almost losing her.

"Boss man," Luther said as he lightly touched John on the shoulder. He felt tears moisten his own eyes as he watched his employer intimately holding Gillian. Luther had never seen the Brit this upset before. "I hate to bother you, but we need to get Gillian checked out by a doctor, mate. He's waiting on the plane as we speak. Do you want me to carry her?"

"No! I have her," John said quietly as he placed a chaste kiss on Gillian's soft, pink lips. When he pulled back from the kiss, John held his breath as he watched his kitten open her emerald eyes and bring a hand up to stroke his bearded face. "I'm so sorry, kitten," John wept, kissing her again. "I love you. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. Please don't hate me."

"John…" Gillian smiled weakly, her voice whisper soft. "I didn't think I was ever going to see you again. Are you real, Bear?"

"I'm real, kitten." John smiled back, wanting to reassure her. "You're safe, and Galen is dead. We have to get you to a doctor, though, kitten. I'm going to have to move you."

Gillian barely shook her head in response before John swooped her delicate frame up carefully in his arms. She groaned loudly in pain as she buried her sore, battered face against his muscular chest. Inhaling his masculine scent, the tears poured from her eyes with the realization that she was safe in his arms. She wrapped hers around his neck and kissed the pulsing vein there before she whispered in his ear, "I love you, too." Knowing that she was protected and secure in his strong arms, the blackness claimed her once again.

To Be Continued…