Page 101 of Protected from Malice
Rage erupts inside me, white-hot and incendiary.
Eden’s hurt. From here, I can see the gash on her temple and the blood running down her face and neck from it. I can see the crimson stains on her shirt. I can see how her hands are twisted together, trembling badly.
Lightning-fast, I run through my options.
I could shoot Gayla, but then I take the chance of her moving and the bullet hitting Eden instead.
I could try to signal to Eden to duck, then take out Gayla. I’m not crazy about that idea, though. There’s too great a chance of something going wrong.
Or I could sneak in there to disarm her, eliminating the need for my gun at all.
“I didn’t realize!” snaps Gayla. “I just used his truck because it was bigger than my crappy sedan.” She pauses. “But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Because once you’re dead, they’ll let Chris out of jail andI’llbe there to help him pick up the pieces.”
“How is killing me going to get him out of jail?” Eden asks. “I don’t think it works that way.”
Gayla cackles. “Oh, it will. Because I’ll make it look like you killed yourself. In a minute, we’re going into the bedroom. You’re going to write a note saying how sorry you are. How you faked it all. How no one tried to kidnap you. How you feel so guilty for ruining a man’s life, you can’t go on any longer.”
As I step through the doorway, Eden’s eyes widen slightly. But she’s so strong, so smart, so fucking amazing, she covers her reaction before the woman in front of her notices. Instead, Eden keeps her engaged, saying, “I’m not sure, Gayla. Maybe we could come up with another plan.”
“No! I don’t need another plan! This one is perfect!”
On a held breath, I lunge forward.
Praying my skills hold sound.
Praying I don’t fuck this up somehow.
I loop my arm around Gayla’s elbow and yank down. No holding back, I use all my strength, even if sheisa woman.
Her elbow pops. The gun falls to the ground.
Then I spin her around, sweeping my leg behind her knees to take them out from under her.
Eden leaps off the couch and kicks the gun away as I wrestle Gayla to the floor.
Gayla shrieks bloody murder.
In the distance, sirens approach.
I grab my trusty zip ties from my pocket—I’m going to sleep with the damn things at this point—and quickly restrain the struggling woman, hog tying her ankles and wrists together.
Satisfied that the threat is neutralized, I jump back up and rush to Eden.
She flings herself into my arms, shuddering.
“Rafe.”Her voice wobbles. “I knew you’d come.”
My eyes burn.
Emotion like nothing I’ve felt before sweeps through me.
Anger. Guilt. Relief.
Love.
Ah, fuck.
I fucking love her.
