barked commands could be heard from outside. They would have access to us in a matter of moments.
I kept my gun on her.
“He’s never going to stop coming for you.” Her steady, if a little high-pitched, voice was directed to the ground. “Do you understand?” She looked up at me, her eyes wild. “He’s never going to stop.”
I adjusted my grip on the weapon, ignoring the shuffling behind me as people shifted furniture away from the door. I kept my laser focus on her.
“It’s better if you just . . .” Her free hand curled into a fist. Blood dripped from her wound onto the floor, and she swayed a little, widening her stance. “It’s better for all of us if you just . . . die.”
Behind her, fire from the grill rose several feet into the air, then swirled toward me like a striking snake.
The gun was snatched from my grip. Lucian pointed and fired. Unlike me, he knew how to handle a gun. He fired off three shots in quick succession—two to her chest and one to the head.
The fire fizzled out inches from my face as the woman crumpled to the ground, dead.
Despite his messy clothes and tangled hair from the gale-force winds, Lucian’s face was calm, determined. He lowered the weapon and looked at me.
Melior Group agents streamed into the space from the newly cleared front door and the back of the building, guns raised, shouting orders.
“Are you hurt?” Lucian’s sole focus was still me.
I slumped against the side of his chair. “I don’t think so. But I don’t think I can walk just yet.” My voice was hoarse, and I dropped my head, taking deep breaths.
Lucian’s hand went to the tangled mess at the back of my head—I didn’t look forward to brushing through that later—but he didn’t ask any more questions.
The next few hours both dragged on painfully slowly and were a blur of activity. The guys showed up around the same time as the ambulances. Tyler’s black Escalade screeched to a halt at the curb, the doors opening before it had even fully stopped. They flocked to me like birds—big, muscled, tense, angry birds. But their hands were gentle, their kisses soft.
Eventually the EMTs made them back away so they could check me for injuries. Alec lingered the longest, his hands on either side of my head, his forehead pressed to mine. He was in full gear now. I had no idea when he’d had time to put on the vest and strap all the weapons on.
“Alec, I’m OK. Just let them check me so we can go home.”
He kissed my forehead and leaned away. “You’re going to the hospital for a thorough check-up, but I have to stay here for a while. I . . .” He hesitated, but I could see the love in his eyes, could practically feel the words trying to tumble off his lips. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He turned and walked away, his shoulders stiff. Kyo fell into step beside him, with Marcus and Jamie following close behind.
As the EMTs started checking me for injuries, I turned to Tyler. “I didn’t know he was working today.”
“He was on call. He’ll have to stay until things are finalized here.” Tyler cast his eyes over the scene, his brow creasing. The place was crawling with Melior Group operatives, as well as local police. “It’s good for us to have someone we trust on the ground anyway.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. Couldn’t we trust anyone employed by Melior Group? Weren’t they all under Lucian’s orders and at Tyler’s beck and call? I kept my mouth shut; this wasn’t the best time to raise the issue.
Lucian lost patience with the EMTs before I did, insisting he was fine and wheeling himself over to one of the senior police officers.
Josh sighed. “I’ll go talk him into going home.”
Law enforcement interviewed everyone while the street was still shut down. Businesses had been evacuated while we were still fighting for our lives inside. No one was permitted to return yet, but a crowd was gathering at both ends of the street, held back by police tape and armed men.
When a news van rolled up, I groaned. Soon after that we left. We managed to convince Lucian to come with us, but he refused to go to the hospital. Despite the guys’ arguments, I insisted that if Lucian wasn’t going, neither was I. I just wanted a shower, something