Page 23 of August

He yelped in pain, twisting beneath August’s weight.

“Try that again.” August spoke calmly but was anything but. He was itching to get Gigi out of the water. He needed to check her out and assess her injuries. Adrenaline could hide a concussion pretty well.

Sending a glance to the river, he spotted Gigi still clinging to the rock. Anger fired through him. This sonofabitch had almost killed them both—and had totaled his work vehicle, too. Not wanting to keep Gigi in the water a second longer than necessary, he swung his gun forward, aimed at the guy’s knee, and fired.

Crack!

“Ahh!” the man reached for his leg, his face contorting with pain. “My fucking leg!”

“And I’m going to put a bullet in the other in a minute.” He aimed at the man’s other knee for good measure.

The man huffed and puffed through clenched teeth. “All right! Val Alvarez.”

August moved his finger over the trigger. “What’s he want?”

“That bitch dead,” the man spat.

“Why?” August pressed. He had a damn good idea, but he needed to be sure there wasn’t anything he was missing.

The man’s brown eyes blazed with disgust. “Fernando was his brother. Val will get justice for him.”

Rage settled in August’s blood. This had nothing to do with Gigi. She was collateral damage. An innocent bystander. Todd had screwed them over, and because of that, these assholes wanted to take her life.

“Not today,” August said with finality. Aiming the gun at the man’s forehead, he fired.

The assassin’s eyes turned lifeless as a dark hole ate through the bone between his eyes. Blood blew out the back of his head to mar the gray stones.

Nausea tossed August’s stomach. He hated messy jobs, but he couldn’t let the assassin live. He reached into the pocket of the man’s pants, snapped a picture of his ID, then pocketed the guy’s phone. Turning, he made his way back to the river.

Gigi’s face was pinched with strain. He cursed under his breath. Wading into a spot in the water where he could stand without being pulled downstream, he extended his hand. “Swim to me,” he called.

She moved from the rock, her long hair soaked and her body trembling. She shook her head. “I don’t think I can!”

“C’mon. Just swim as far as you can. I’ll grab you.”

She kicked off from the rock, her arms outstretched. The current grabbed her slight frame quickly. August lunged forward, catching her hand and pulling her to him. Then he clamped his arm around her waist and she locked her hold around his shoulders so he could carry her from the river. Setting her gently on the stones, he brought his hands to her cheeks.

She shook like a leaf in the wind. Drenched and wide-eyed, she stared at him. “Is he dead?”

He gave one nod and looked over her face. A few scratches, probably from the accident, and some scrapes on her hands, but nothing too serious. Moving his palms over her arms and legs, he checked for broken bones. “Does this hurt?” he asked, as he rotated one wrist, then the other.

She shook her head. “I’m o-okay. Just f-freezing.”

He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s all right. Good thing it’s fall and not winter. We’ll be fine until help comes.”

“That could be a long time. No one will see us down here.”

“Rami will be here soon. He wouldn’t have wasted any time, and we’re only about a half hour from his place.”

She nodded. “Okay. I g-guess that’s not s-so bad.” Her cold nose touched his throat, and he ran his hands up and down her back to create some friction. “I lost my sh-shoes,” she said, nodding at her wet and dirty feet.

“We’ll get you some. Are you hurt?” he asked, needing further confirmation.

“No.”

His jaw tightened and fresh anger surged through him, making his response slow and deliberate. “You’re in shock.”

“My neck is a bit sore and my head is pounding. Other than that, I’m all right,” she insisted. “You?” She tilted her head to look at him, and he couldn’t resist stroking her cheek with his thumb.

---