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Samson stepped forward. “There’s nothing to settle.” If he could just get a bit closer. “She made her decision.”
“And she made the wrong one.” Edward gripped the gun with shaky hands. “She doesn’t want you.” His voice rose another decibel. “She wants me.”
The only thing worse than an amateur holding a gun was a strung-out amateur holding a gun.
“Edward, what are you doing?” Lisbeth’s voice sounded from the doorway, and Samson’s heart skidded to a halt.
He bolted forward, and Edward cocked the gun. “Don’t take another step.” Then he looked over his shoulder. “Lisbeth?”
Lisbeth edged into the room, and as if this fucked-up situation couldn’t get worse, she positioned herself between the gun and Samson.
“You were supposed to be with me.” Edward sounded more unhinged with every word.
“It just didn’t work out.”
Samson marveled at Lisbeth’s calm tone as he slowly eased forward. If Lisbeth could keep this nut job talking, they might just get out of this alive.
“It’s no one's fault,” Lisbeth soothed. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
That’s right, babe, keep talking to him.Samson used the diversion to move a few inches closer while Frank eased around Edward’s other side.
“You were supposed to marry me.” His arm relaxed slightly, and the gun wavered.
“I know, and I’m sorry, but you’ll find someone else.”
Samson caught sight of Mamba just outside the door, reaching into the waist of his jeans. He shook his head slightly. The last thing he wanted was to startle Edward when Lisbeth was so close to him and the gun.
“Everyone expected us to get married.” Edward’s voice turned vengeful. “And now you’ve made me look like a fool.”
Samson shot Frank a slight nod. They were only three feet from Edward on either side. One more foot and he could pull Lisbeth out of the line of fire.
Lisbeth extended her hand to Edward. “Just … please listen to me and put down—”
Edward spun to Samson. “Don’t come any further”—he snatched Lisbeth’s forearm and dragged her to his side—“or I’ll end her first.”
Edward glanced at Frank close to his other side, then twisted to face him, leveling the gun at Frank’s chest. Lisbeth yelped and tried to break free. Samson jerked Edward around by the shoulder, then clamped his fist around his wrist, twisting it hard. Edward grunted as they scuffled for control of the gun.
A gunshot rang out at the same time Samson wrenched Lisbeth behind him. He wrestled the gun out of Edward’s hand seconds before Mamba cold-cocked him from behind. Edward’s body sprawled face down at his feet on the concrete floor. A searing breath burned through Samson’s lungs as he wheeled around to Lisbeth.
She offered him a weak smile and reached out to him with a bloody hand. “I don’t feel so good.”
EPILOGUE
The locker room exploded into a frenzy of activity. Samson rushed to Lisbeth, scooping her up while Mamba dragged Edward to his feet with his arms pinned tight behind his back. Within the next fifteen minutes, the small space overflowed with cops and EMTs, and this time the Serpents' influence paid off. Edward was carted away, and Lisbeth was whisked to Valley Medical Center.
A half-hour later, Samson sat on the hard plastic chair in the emergency room, flanked by Mamba on one side and Frank on the other. The three men sat in silence as Boa paced the room while Madeline badgered the staff about Lisbeth’s condition.
The ER vibrated with people, but a gunshot wound usually trumped all other injuries.
The electronic doors opened, and Nick entered; he surveyed the room and approached them. “How’s she doin’?”
Samson shrugged a shoulder. “Don’t know anything yet.” He stood and stretched his back, but it didn’t relieve the knot of tension. “How did you find me?”
“I set my GPS tostupid-ass motherfucker,and look who I found.” Nick twisted his lips in an attempt at humor, but his eyes were somber. “Mamba called me. Can’t believe she got caught in the crossfire. What the fuck happened?”
Samson had no words because his brain was too busy spinning with the guilt of another woman he let down. He couldn’t save his mother from being a full-out junkie, he couldn’t save Yvette from throwing herself off a roof, and now he couldn’t save Lisbeth from a maniac with a gun.
“I talked to Cobra outside. He hit up his contacts with Metro, and they’ve got that fucker Edward in custody.” Nick leaned in and lowered his voice, “He won’t be released any time soon.”
