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I don’t know. But I don’t think it was somewhere good. That is fast becoming obvious.
“I’m giving you five seconds to let her go,” Hoss grinds out. “Or you’re going to end up like your friend.”
“You’re the one,” the bald man breathes. “You’re the one who has been killing us off.”
A sinister smile transforms Hoss’s face. “They should have shackled me a little tighter. Or bumped me off, instead of keeping me prisoner. There is nothing, there is fucking nothing, that could have kept me from her. And your five seconds are up.”
Hoss cocks the gun. He can’t fire, though. It’s too risky. I’m being used as a shield.
That hesitation costs us, because my captor has time to reach for something.
Now there is a gun pressed to my temple, as well.
Every ounce of color drains from Hoss’s face.
“It’s going to be all right, baby,” he says, voice strained.
“She’s coming with me.” The bald man begins to back up, taking me with him. “The boss is adamant. We leave her alone, it means you win. And she’s a loose end. He can’t allow that.”
“When was the last time you spoke to the boss?” Hoss asks.
My captor hesitates. “Last night.” A tremor goes through him. “Why?”
A muscle pops in Hoss’s cheek. “That tracks. Since I killed him this morning. You’re the very last of the vermin.” A glint flashes in Hoss’s eye. “Let. Her. Go.”
“Fuck you. You’re bluffing,” sputters the bald man.
“Am I?”
The man holding the gun to my head is distracted. Caught off guard. This could be my best opportunity for escape. Without hesitating another second, I drop my weight. Completely allow my knees to collapse. It’s a move I learned from Comeback Girl—and it works. The bald man is so startled by my sudden plunge that he can’t hold on. Hoss is already surging forward to get between me and the man. “Don’t kill him,” I blurt, reaching for Hoss’s leg. “Just let him go. Please. No more—”
A shot is fired into the center of the bald man’s forehead.
He drops lifeless to the ground.
And then there is only Hoss, seething in the evening fog, his arm muscles bunched and rippling in the sleeves of his T-shirt, his broad back tensed. Eyes still carrying that wealth of homicidal rage that scares me. When I met him, he was a truck driver. Now he’s a murderer.
You’re the one who has been killing us all off.
“Tatum,” he whispers, kneeling in front of me. Dropping the gun and taking my face in his hands. “Ah Jesus, you’re even more beautiful than I remember.”
My heart dances in my chest.
He’s alive. So solid and gorgeous and reassuring.
But there is blood all over his face and that terrifies me. How casual he can be about the fact that he killed two men seconds earlier. Still, I allow my heart to operate my actions because I have no choice. I’m throwing myself into his arms before I can guess my own intentions. His thick arms crush me to his chest and he makes a strangled sound, running his hands everywhere. Up and down my back, over my hair and sides and hips.
“Baby. Oh God, baby,” he says, helping me to my feet. “I’ve been sick without you. Every day has felt like a goddamn year.” His mouth finds mine, his lips dragging mine wide with a gruff intake of sound, his tongue sweeping in to taste me. Sinking in to claim me more fully, his large body swaying into mine. As if the taste of me has sapped him of tension. “Everything is okay now. I’m going to take you from here. We’re going to leave tonight and I’m going to bring you somewhere safe.”
Everything inside of me wants to nod, to let him take my hand and guide me wherever we can be together. But…no. I can’t. I can’t do that. My new life is here. I’ve struggled every second of the last three months to build this new foundation and I’m not giving it up. There is no way I’m just going to walk away. And furthermore…
I have my baby to think about.
My child is going to need stability.
Normalcy.
And this man…Hoss. When I pull back and look into his eyes, I can see that he’s changed. He just murdered two men without batting an eyelash. He’s cold and ruthless. I know he would never hurt me or our child, but…he could bring trouble to my door. He could kill again. Even if this trafficking ring has been eliminated, I could see him bumping off a man for flirting with me. Whatever he’s been through, he’s not in his right mind now. My instinct is telling me that. There are too many red flags when all I want is a peaceful life for my baby.
