AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prickles of unease made Jennifer’s hair stand on end. She eased up from the couch.
Movement in the shadows confirmed her fears. Two large men appeared with huge rifles pointed at Tristan’s head.
“Make a move with that gun or call for help and it’ll be the last thing you do,” Naomi Rindlesbacher threatened Tristan.
Naomi and her mum stepped into the room.
Naomi had a pistol against her mum’s head. Her mum looked bruised and battered. Blood was matted at her temple and dried against her lip. Her mouth was covered with duct tape and her hands were bound in front of her.
“Mum!” Jennifer sprang to her feet.
“Don’t move unless you want her dead,” Naomi said coldly.
Jennifer had no doubt this woman would shoot. She wanted to scream for the guard that was supposed to be out front. Had they come in through the lake? A boat?
“How did you get in?” Tristan asked, echoing her thoughts.
“A very quiet motorboat.” Naomi attempted a fake smile, but her lips and cheeks didn’t cooperate very well. “Leslie told us the code to disarm the cottage security and to get in the back door during one of her ‘therapy’ sessions.”
Jennifer’s neck tightened at the thought of her mum being tortured into revealing that information.
Naomi looked around the cottage. “Where is William? Why aren’t you dead?” Naomi’s face no longer shifted in traditional facial expressions, but her eyes actually looked afraid. “When he didn’t arrive at our rendezvous point or respond to calls and texts, we came to the second rendezvous point, where we’re supposed to claim our castle and throne.”
“You’re delusional, and William is dead,” Tristan said in a level tone, as if he was telling her the weather.
“No!” Naomi shrieked. “No!” She pulled the pistol from Leslie’s head and pointed it shakily at Tristan. “I’ll kill you!”
Tristan smiled. Smiled! What was he thinking, taunting this crazy lady?
“Good luck,” he said.
Then he dropped low and kicked one of the assailant’s legs out from under him. The man toppled and knocked into the other man. They both went down on top of Tristan.
“Tristan!” Jennifer cried out.
Her mum raised her bound hands and brought them down on Naomi’s outstretched hand. Naomi’s pistol discharged. Jennifer screamed. The bullet lodged into the back of the couch. Her mum hit Naomi’s hands again and thankfully the gun clattered to the floor. Naomi shoved her mum hard. Her mum knocked into the men brawling on the floor and splayed on top of them. One of the massive men turned from hitting at Tristan to shove her mum off.
Jennifer rushed to help her. She pulled her away and to her feet, expecting Naomi to come at her any minute, but she didn’t.
“Go to the front door and get the guard,” Jennifer begged her mum. She had to help Tristan.
Jennifer wrapped her arms around one of the brute’s necks and clamped down hard. He tried to rip her arms off, but she refused to let go.
The distraction was what Tristan needed. He pummeled the other man with a series of hard jabs and uppercuts, then grabbed the enormous gun lying on the floor and slammed it into the man’s head. The man blessedly went unconscious.
The brute Jennifer was clinging to ripped her arms free and tossed her like a rag doll. Jennifer slammed into the couch.
“Jenn!” Tristan roared.
“I’m okay,” she panted. “Get that guy!”
Tristan smiled at her and then went to work pummeling the other guy. Jennifer wanted to watch her tough prince in action, but she hurried to follow her mum to the front door. Her mum was trying to unlock it and open it, but with her hands bound so tightly, she wasn’t having much luck.
Jennifer gently pushed her mum to the side. She turned the deadbolt and ripped the door open. The alarm didn’t go off. Why? She’d watched Tristan punch in the code right a few minutes ago.
Their guard, a different one than earlier, rushed toward her.
“You okay?” the guard pushed out as he ran.
