Page 106 of The Reluctant Siren
A low groan floated to her ears.
She moved closer, stopping before the front window. Thedrapes were closed but they didn’t mask the sound of fists hitting flesh.
Landon brought up the rear but moved past Niall. Hewhispered her way. “I’ll go first. They’re expecting a man. We got two, and itsounds like Jensen’s on the floor. Do you want me to shoot to incapacitate?”
She shook her head. “Take ’em all out. Jack has what heneeds, and it sounds like Hamilton doesn’t, so he’s not going to shoot Jensenquickly. Don’t play, Landon.”
Landon nodded.
And then they moved in.
“My man is about to walk in with your fed friend and thenwe’ll have a good time with him, too,” a deep voice was saying. “Hurting youdoesn’t seem to work, so let’s see how long it takes hurting another asshole.You look like the kind of pussy who can’t stand to see someone hurt.”
“Yeah, he always stopped people getting rough with thegirls,” another voice said. “He was weak. I’ll be glad he’s gone so we canstart running the clubs like they should be.”
“Fuuuuuck…yyyoyou,” came Jensen’s reply. She could hear histeeth chatter.
Niall reached out. “Be careful. I love you.”
She nodded. But didn’t say the words. She was too focused,every bit of her attention on the job ahead. A cool professionalism had comeover her, and nothing else could touch her right now. She wished she’d leftNiall behind but it would have hurt him.
Landon knocked. “Yo, boss, took out the fed. What you wantme to do with the body?”
He did a decent impression of the man she’d taken down.Landon was going to be excellent at his job one day.
The door opened and the man from the club frowned in thedoorway. “You’re not…”
Landon shot him and moved out of the way for Harlow. Shepushed past Phil and entered the small space Jensen had called home for months.Hamilton stood over Jensen’s body, his eyes wide with shock. Jensen was on theground, his body still seizing from who knew how many encounters withelectricity.
Hamilton dropped the taser and went for his gun and Harlowshot him.
In the end it was that easy.
When you shoot, make sure he doesn’t get up. You takeaim and fire, and don’t wait for him to give you an excuse or tell you howwrong you are. Take him out.
Hamilton fell to the floor as Harlow shot him again. Two tothe chest. She thought she could avoid the head shot or it might look like apro had done it or the mob. Then again…
The truth is usually best. Or some approximation of it.Don’t let your cover get too complicated.
Her dad was in her head a lot today.
Niall rushed in, dropping to his knees by Jensen. “Damn,man. What did they do to you?”
“Go easy with the darts. They can hurt coming out. And turnthat fucking thing off so it doesn’t accidently get him again,” Harlow said,standing over them, watching Niall helping Jensen. Jensen had tears runningdown his cheeks, but she couldn’t bring herself to drop to her knees and holdhim.
He’d left her. This was what she had for him now.
“Yeah, hey, could you tell Big Tag…no, don’t get Big Tag…”Landon sighed into his phone. “Hey, boss, yeah, we’re going to need a cleaner.Or maybe a friendly police contact.” He paused. “Nah, he’s alive. He just won’tbe using a TENS unit anytime soon. All the friendlies are alive, but I did killa bald dude who looks like he belongs on the back of a bike as the old versionof one of theSons of Anarchyguys. Yes, he was an asshole. You toldme I was only allowed to kill assholes…”
She stared down at the men she’d loved and realized how easyit would be to fall right back into their arms again. It had been the safestplace. Well, it had seemed like the safest place. Like many things in Jensen’slife, it had been a lie.
“Harlow, I think he should go to the hospital,” Niall saidquietly.
“We’ll get him looked at,” she heard herself say.
“Well, he was tasing a guy and not in a fun way. Yeah, itwas one of her dudes. That’s how I knew he was an asshole.” Landon put a handover the microphone of his cell. “He’s sending someone. He’s going to talk toour DPD contacts, and then he’ll put the call into the FBI. I’m going to takethe phone down and let him talk to Jack.”
Was she going to stand here? If she did for too long, shemight break down. He almost died. He’d been tortured.
