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I sucked in a sharp breath. Oh, she was so going to die.
“You hurt her,” Lucas snarled, “and I will—”
“Allow me to introduce myself,” she went on, constantly flicking Lucas quick glances. She clearly knew how fast he could move. And how dangerous he was. And how fearless he was when it came to fighting. That’s why she had the gun pointed at me. Keep Lucas controlled by threatening me.
Smart.
“I’m Supreme Court Justice Maureen Ford.”
Supreme Court Justice? I went cold. Jesus. One of the state’s top judges?
“What…” I shook my head, looking at Fluffy—barely conscious and still bleeding—and then up at her again. If I looked at Lucas, I’m not sure what would happen. “What are you doing here? Why do you want to kill Lucas?”
“Don’t tell her, Maureen,” Lucas pleaded. “I’ll let you do whatever you want to me, but don’t—”
“I have to kill Tripwire because he is the last member of Trinity left who knows me as Queen B.”
“Fuck!” Lucas screamed again. I’d never heard him so furious. And scared.
I swallowed. “And who’s Queen B when she’s at home?”
Maureen Ford laughed. “I like her, Trip. She’s feisty.” She moved a little closer to me. “Queen B was Trinity’s main financial controller. The money brains, as it were, behind the organization. But now…” She preened. Actually preened. “Now, I’m about to step up my political career, so I need to get rid of the skeletons.”
“Maureen, you can walk away,” Lucas said. I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t want him to see the fear in my eyes—and I was scared. It would push him over the edge, and I couldn’t let that happen. “Just walk away. Stop talking and walk—”
“I’m not going to do that, Trip. You know that. You were the smartest member of Trinity I’d ever encountered. Which would explain why I couldn’t track you down. Until now. Nice of Ronnie here to find the little boy and get you both on television. If not for that, I’d still be trying to locate you.”
Shit.
I balled my fist and glared at her. “You made a really big mistake coming here.”
Cold hate flooded her eyes and she waved the gun at me again. “Get up.”
I shook my head, pressing my hands harder to Fluffy’s shoulder.
“I’m…okay…” Fluffy rasped.
“Bullshit,” I mumbled.
Maureen extended the gun a little closer to me. “I said, get up.”
I narrowed my eyes. Maybe, if I pissed her off enough, she’d try to scare me by shoving the gun completely in my face. If she did that, I could—
Wild barking bounced around the silence. Wild barking and the crazy click click click of claws on the floor as Groot came running into the living room from wherever he’d been.
Groot. My puppy.
“Groot,” I shouted, just as Maureen swung her gun to point it straight at my dog.
I shoved myself upright, driving my shoulder into her extended arm.
The gun fired. And then I felt it hit my back and clatter to the floor.
No gun in her hand now. Good.
She screamed. I slammed into her, driving her backward. We smashed into the wall. My teeth clicked in my head. I had a surreal moment where time seemed to freeze and I wondered how much of a dent we’d made in the plasterboard, and then Maureen Ford was fighting against me, trying to get away.
No fucking way in hell was I letting that happen.
