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She dug her heels into the wooden planks of the kitchen floor. She couldn’t go anywhere with this man.
“Bathroom’s clear. Must have been—” Beau stepped into the hallway and his eyes widened. He raised the gun in his hand. “Let her go. Now.”
The man’s laugh slid across her cheek along with his hot, sticky breath. “Never gonna happen. Now be a good boy and stay put while I walk us out of here. If you make any sudden movements, I’ll kill her.”
* * *
Lightfrom the hallway bounced off the knife in the man’s hand, and Beau tightened his grip on his weapon, but he didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Didn’t think of one damn thing except how to get Izzy away from this creep.
Izzy’s gaze latched onto him, eyes wide and filled with terror.
“Just let her go, and I swear, I won’t try and stop you,” Beau pleaded. “You can get the hell out of here. Free and clear. But leave Izzy alone.”
The man sneered. “Do you think I’m an idiot?” he asked, taking a step backward. He lifted his palm from her mouth to better grip her arm and drag her with him.
Only a handful of feet separated the man from the backdoor. Beau needed to think of something and fast. His phone sat heavy in his pocket, but there was no way he’d get to the device and send off a message before Izzy was injured.
As if sensing Beau was forming a plan, the man bolted backward, Izzy still pressed against him like a shield.
“No!” Izzy yelled, scratching at the arm secured across her waist.
Beau lunged forward.
The man jabbed the tip of the knife against Izzy’s side.
She doubled over his forearm, pain contorting the lines of her face as she let out a sharp hiss.
Beau stopped, his heart wedged in his tight throat. “Please. Don’t hurt her.”
“Drop your gun.”
Crouching low, Beau set his weapon on the floor and rose with his palms held high. “She hasn’t done anything.” He kept his focus on the man, partly to commit every detail of his chiseled jaw and gray eyes to memory, partly because if he focused on the tears streaming down Izzy’s face he’d fall to pieces.
“She’s seen too much. One way or another, I need to clean up the mess made here before moving on. Now kick the gun to me.”
Frustration rippled through his muscles as they bunched together, stiffening his body until he thought he’d explode. He wanted nothing more than to erase the space between them and slam his fist in this asshole’s face, but that wasn’t an option. His only option was doing as he was told while he figured out a plan to get him and Izzy out of this mess—before anyone got hurt.
Biting back a growl, he used the side of his foot to slide the gun across the floor.
Izzy’s captor kept the hand with the knife against her side in its place, released his arm from across her middle, and quickly bent to retrieve the gun. He pressed the barrel to the back of Izzy’s head.
She squeezed her eyes shut and hunched her shoulders forward, as if trying to make herself smaller. A pathetic whimper poured through her lips.
Anger heated Beau’s blood. His palms itched to make a move, to take action, but his choices were too freaking limited.
“We’re leaving now,” the man said, hauling Izzy with him as he moved toward the back door. “Don’t do something you’ll regret. I’d hate to hurt one piece of hair on this pretty, blond head. She’s worth a lot more to me alive.”
Izzy’s eyes grew wide. “Please. Please don’t take me. I swear I don’t know anything.”
The man clicked his tongue. “Maybe, maybe not. Either way, time’s up. For both of you.” He removed the gun from Izzy’s skull and aimed it at Beau.
Adrenaline shot through Beau’s veins, and he dove behind the four-person table at the exact time the deafening explosion of the gunshot erupted against his eardrums. The impact of the hard floor against his body slammed against him. A burning sensation singed the top of his shoulder.
“No!” Izzy screamed, thrashing against her captor.
Bang!
Another bullet slammed into his calve. He bit down, swallowing a scream of agony.
