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I leveled my gaze with hers. "Nobody in their right fucking mind would have you and ever let you go."
She looked like she was going to cry, and I had so much more I wanted to say, but Cathy had her gun out and was coming fast from the side. I wanted to make sure he stayed focused on me.
"Especially not some limpdicked little loser like this guy," I spat.
He laughed, sounding shocked, and waved his gun in my direction. "Who the fuck do you think–"
"Freeze!" Cathy shouted as soon as Zander's attention was on me and not Callie. At the same time, I motioned for Callie to stake a step back and managed to draw my pistol to aim it at Zander.
Callie was out of his immediate line of fire and both me and my deputy had our guns aimed at Zander.
"Drop it and kick it away, and put your hands on your head," Cathy commanded. And honestly, if I'd been Zander, I might have shit my pants. She sounded ferocious.
He hesitated, and I prepared to blow him away where he stood if he made the tiniest move toward Callie. But he eventually dropped the gun and kicked it in front of him.
I motioned for Callie to run around him at a distance. She jumped into my arms with a sob. I didn't know it was possible to feel that much relief. I could have crumpled to the ground with it, but I held her tight, still aiming my gun at Zander.
"It's over. It's finally over," I said, kissing Callie's ear.
Then I pulled her into one arm and started to approach Cathy and Zander to help her cuff him, if necessary. Right before I reached them, still holding Callie tight against me, the little bastard dove away from Cathy and grabbed for the gun he'd dropped.
She threw herself onto him, but I saw his hand grab it before they wrestled with it. Then I saw it lift toward me and Callie.
I shoved Callie behind me, instinct kicking in, and pushed forward to try to stop Zander before he did something stupid.
Too late.
I damn near felt the pain before I heard the shot that took me down. When it hit my chest, it threw me backward with a force like being picked up and slammed by the world's angriest linebacker.
The bullet's impact knocked the wind out of me. Whatever was left, hitting the ground drove out too. I gasped for a breath, looking up at the sky, cringing against the pain. The last thing I heard was Callie screaming my name.
39
CALLIE
The shot rang out.
He went down right in front of me, grunting as he hit the ground. His eyes fluttered for a few seconds, and then he didn't move.
"Son of a bitch," Cathy growled as she wrestled the gun away from Zander. He cried out in pain that she'd broken his wrist. "Good," she yelled.
I could hear the handcuffs she put on him clinking. I could hear sirens growing louder in the distance and the approaching thump of helicopter blades. But as Blake stopped moving and I threw myself against him, pressing my ear to his chest, the one thing I needed to hear most, I couldn't hear.
His heartbeat.
Time sped back up to normal all of a sudden, and I screamed. "Blake!"
I shook his shoulders. I held his face in my hands. I kissed his mouth, his cheeks, his closed eyelids.
"Blake, wake up. Please!" I begged and pleaded with him to be okay. I was so desperate for him to open his eyes. He had to know I loved him, that I wanted to be with him.
"You have to be okay, Blake. I love you. Do you hear me? I love you."
As I stroked his face, I sobbed.
He didn’t move.
"Blake. I love you. Please…”
