Page 76 of Unplanned Target

The hair on the back of my neck stands up. Miranda’s not the only one who pays attention to vibes. They’ve always been something I paid attention to. And I’m sure as hell paying attention now. Just like I can feel when a hall is empty, I can also tell when something bad is about to happen.

And something bad is about to happen.

Butch seems to feel the same thing, because he’s doing what I am, positioning himself between the room opening in front of us and the girls we’re working so hard to free.

“You didn’t think I was going to let you get out of here, did you?” An older man dressed to the nines steps out to block our path. His voice is smooth and smug. “Those girls are worth a lot of money, gentlemen.” He holds both arms out. “Why don’t we make a deal? You can have the one of your choosing tonight, and we’ll walk away as friends.”

Does this guy really fucking think that’s going to work? He can’t possibly⁠—

“Fuck.” He’s distracting us.

I manage to turn just as a man steps out of the shadows and grabs Miranda, pressing a gun to her head.

He gives me a grin. “Gotcha.”

“Now.” The old guy claps his hands. “If you’d like to go on your way, we can forget all this ever happened.” He smirks. “If not, I suppose I will have to remove the lovely Miranda from existence.” His gaze zeroes in on Butch. “That would be a shame, wouldn’t it Mr. Morelli?”

I tear my eyes from Miranda’s wide gaze to focus on her brother. I’m expecting Butch to be looking at the old man. Calculating the best way to slaughter him with his bare hands.

But Butch is looking at me, staring weirdly hard. His eyes move oddly, and at first I think he’s just freaking the fuck out.

Then I notice he’s trying to tell me something.

I look in the direction he keeps gesturing with his eyeballs and can detect the faintest shift in the shadows.

Taking a deep breath, I force myself to remain calm, waiting for my moment. Maddox is about to provide me with a split second of opportunity. I have to make the most of it.

An eerie whistling sound echoes down the hall behind the man holding Miranda. It’s soft and strange and offers the tiniest bit of distraction.

The second his hand holding the gun shifts, I make my move. Yet again, I’m forced to give a man the easy way out. As the bullet pierces his brain, his limbs jolt, pushing his weapon even farther from Miranda before it goes off, the bullet he would have put into her beautiful head implanting in the cement wall as he goes down.

Before anyone can blink, Butch has his weapon drawn and takes out another piece of shit in a manner that is much too easy.

The old man hits the floor with a look of surprise frozen on his face.

It’s the last expression he will ever make.

And Miranda—my beautiful, brilliant Miranda—doesn’t freak out over how close she just came to being hurt. She marches over to the spot the old man fell, glaring down at him.

Then she spits on his face.

“Fuck you, Eugene. I hope your company tanks.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

MIRANDA

“How are you feeling?” Becca’s expression is pinched as she looks over where I’m lying on the cot my brother occupied not so long ago. She’s obviously been assigned to be my designated babysitter.

Eli’s a little jumpy after all the trouble Tony gave him, which is valid. My brother was a total pain in his butt and probably made Alaskan Security’s resident physician regret coming to Nashville in the first place. I’m glad he did though, because I feel pretty freaking good after all the drugs he just pumped into my system.

“I’m not planning to get up and cause problems if that’s what you’re asking.” I groan a little as I reach for the cup of ice water Becca brought me to sip on. “Are you positive you want to work for Alaskan Security? Because this is awful.”

Becca wrinkles her nose in a move that shifts around her glasses. “I’m not planning to be in the field.” Her lips lift the tiniest bit. “I’m going to cause problems for assholes from the safety of my office.”

I wince as I suck down a few gulps of icy liquid. “Probably a good decision.”

Hopefully, it’s the same one my daughter makes.