Page 80 of The Desperate Warrior

“Me too.”

As she walked out of the center toward the SUV where Brock was waiting, her phone buzzed. She pulled it from her purse. It was Nikki. She was planning on staying at the bungalow while Brock took Jules away to a safe place. Jules got the feeling that Luke might also stick around Fort Worth a while longer.

Today, Nikki was hanging out at the bungalow, probably waiting for Luke to get back. Brock was worried that Steve Randall might try something today at the surgical center, so he’d gotten Luke to keep watch over the back while he monitored the front.

“Hey, Nikki,” Jules answered.

Silence.

Her heart lurched. “Nikki? You okay?”

A man's voice came through the line—gruff and unmistakably cruel.

“She’ll be just fine … as long as you do exactly what I say.”

The air left Jules’s lungs. “Who is this?”

“I think you know. Come to your house alone. If I see your bodyguard, the cops, or anyone else, your cousin dies. You’ve got thirty minutes.”

“Wait—please! Don’t?—”

The line went dead.

Jules stumbled toward the SUV. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she yanked the door open and climbed in, gasping for breath.

Brock went on instant alert. “What is it?”

“Steve Randall’s got Nikki,” she choked out. “He’s got Nikki! We thought he was coming here, but he went to the house. He said I have to come alone. If I don’t, he’ll kill her.” Tears blurred her vision. “What are we going to do? I can’t lose her, Brock. I can’t lose my cousin.”

Brock reached for her hand, gripping it tightly. “Okay, just breathe. We’ll figure this out.”

“How?” she sobbed. “I have to get to her. Now.”

“I said we’ll figure it out. And we will.” He pulled out his phone and punched in a number. “Bro, we’ve got a problem.”

Breathe, Jules commanded herself as she climbed the steps to her front door. Her heart was beating so wildly that it felt like it would punch a hole through her chest. Even though she knew Brock and Luke were watching her every movement, she didn’t dare look around in case Steve Randall was watching. One wrong twitch could trigger disaster.

She reached out to press the doorbell but then hesitated as a prayer went through her mind.Please help me get through this. Help me to be brave. Please keep Nikki safe, and please help meto be safe.Taking in a deep breath, she punched the doorbell and waited.

It only took a second for the door to open. Steve Randall thrust out his meaty hand and caught her wrist in a crushing grip before pulling her inside. He slammed the door and dragged her into a chokehold. Then he pressed the cold muzzle of a gun against her temple.

“Please,” she uttered, “you don’t have to do this.” If he shot her at this moment, there would be no time for Brock or Luke to react. It would all be over.

“Shut up,” he snarled, giving her a whiff of his putrid breath. Or maybe it was body odor.

Her fear was so thick in her throat that she could taste it.

Nikki was on the couch. Her cheeks were wet from tears, her beautiful face etched with raw fear. Jules’s heart shuddered. Nikki was going to die, and it was all her fault.

She was also going to die.

Terror iced through her veins, making her feel paralyzed.

No, she had to be strong and keep the faith. Another prayer went through her mind.Dear Lord, please help us.Brock and Luke were outside. They had a plan. She just needed to do her part. All they needed was a little precious time to get into position. They’d tried to get a clear shot earlier so that Jules wouldn’t have to go into a dangerous situation. However, Steve would never get close to a window. Luke was the one who suggested that Jules go in.“If Steve Randall’s distracted, then we’ll have a better chance of getting to him.”

Brock had flatly refused to put Jules in danger, but she insisted, fearing that if she didn’t go inside before the thirty minutes was up, Steve would kill Jules.

Steve let out a string of curses and then hauled her over and pushed her down on the couch beside Nikki. The hard landing shot pain through her injured shoulder. Nikki grabbedhold of Jules’s hands and scooted close to her. They sat huddled together, trembling from head to toe.

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