Page 60 of Mastered by Them
Immediately I spy a guy on the ground. He’s moaning and holding his head. Amber stands right next to him, her arm extended, gun in her hand.
The guy on the ground catches sight of me. He freezes and starts to raise his hand, probably to get Amber’s attention.
I spring up, grip her gun arm and push it away from Troy before she can see me coming.
The gun goes off. Several people in the ballroom scream in fright.
“Let go! You’re hurting me!” Amber’s screeches make my ears ring.
I don’t let her go. No fucking way. I pry the gun from her grasp, making sure to keep it pointed at the ceiling the whole time. Then I drop it to the ground and kick it toward Troy.
As for Troy…he’s staring, dumbstruck, at me and Amber.
The guy at my feet doesn’t move. It seems raising his hand to signal alarm was the most he could do, and now he’s out cold.
Or he’s pretending to be out cold. Fucking coward.
“Who’s this guy?” I nudge the man’s knee with my foot.
He groans. I guess I gave him more of a kick than a nudge.
Troy smirks. “Dan. He’s an asshole.”
“Troy.” Amber’s voice is a low, harsh sound. “Call off your prince, let me go. I’ll disappear, I promise?—”
“No.” Troy detaches the gun’s magazine and sets it on the AV board behind him. He cocks his head. “I hear people coming.”
“Are they ours?” I ask.
Amber’s struggles renew, her slinky dress sliding against my grip. I tighten my hold while wishing I could push her away from me.
“Let me go.” Amber tries to elbow me in the gut. If I weren’t holding her as tight, she’d hurt me—and she’d probably get me in the nose, too. Lucky for me, I’ve had to restrain Danica, so I’m prepared.
“Weapons down!” a man calls as he steps into the room.
He isn’t police—he’s a uniformed security officer. He takes in the room before him. A similarly uniformed woman shows up behind him, her eyes alert, a no-nonsense expression on her face.
“Ironwood,” Troy says. “They’re ours.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Amber rushes to say. “These men are attacking me. They knocked out my bodyguard—Dan, are you okay? Dan—wake up!”
The female bodyguard’s lip curls. “Yeah, I don’t buy it. Still, over here with me, please. The police are on their way.”
The fight leaves Amber as the woman speaks. She has nowhere to run to, no way to escape. I pass her over to the bodyguard, grateful to no longer be touching her.
I’ll take a long fucking shower when Danica and I get home.
Danica. I look around and address the bodyguards. “Where’s my fiancée? Did you see a small, blond woman on your way in?”
“She’s waiting for you,” the male bodyguard says, “but she’ll have to wait a little longer. The police will need your statement.”
An annoying necessity. But Amber isn’t holding a gun on my friend, and soon she’ll be in police custody. I’ll take the inconvenience of a statement in exchange for Troy’s safety.
20
Troy
One of the Ironwood bodyguards keeps hold of Amber, and the other gestures me out of the room. Two more arrive soon after to tend to Dan. He’s moaning and carrying on, but either he’s pretending or he’s a bigger wimp than I thought. I barely hit him.
