Page 42 of The Forbidden Sitter
The bedroom door opened and Brooke yelled, “On the floor. He can seeyou!”
Without missing a beat, Josh fell to the floor just as another bullet came through my son’s window. “Fuck!” He pressed a button on his walkie-talkie. “Samson, where the fuck areyou?”
There was no answer, and I felt sick inside. “Shit.”
Brooke glanced at me sideways. “I’m sure …” Another bullet cut her off, and the light in the hallway wentout.
We both jerked our heads and saw Josh was still on the floor, so who the hell had turned the lightsoff?
“Get the fuck out of there, Gannon.” It was Samson, and I was damn glad to hear hisvoice.
Braiden was crying in shock and terror, which only served to infuriate me further. I would kill the person who had frightened my son so badly. I vowedit.
I ducked and cursed as we both hurried to get across the hallway, with Brooke whispering reassuring words to our boy that it was all going to beokay.
The rooms across the hall were all interior rooms, which meant there were no windows anyone could shootthrough.
When we made it out into the hallway, we found Samson all dressed in black, with a black ski mask covering his face. Gun drawn, he was moving into Brooke’sbedroom.
I wasn’t about to wait to see what he was going to do, so I opened the door to my room, and Brooke, Braiden, and I were finally in a safe place as we crawled into myroom.
Wrapping the blanket around my waist to cover myself up, I took a hysterical Braiden from Brooke, He looked so tiny and fragile, crying in my arms. “Daddy’s got you, baby. You’re okay. Shh.” I rocked with him and shushed him, whispering words similar to Brooke’s earlier, until he finally seemed to calm down a little and burrowed his little face in my neck, clutching my shirt fiercely with his tiny fists, as if to make sure that I never let go of him again. My heart lurched at how much I loved this child. How had I ever existed without him in mylife?
When I finally looked up, I found tears streaming down Brooke’s face. “Why? Why, Gannon?” she sobbed. “Who would dothis?”
“Believe me, baby, if I had the slightest clue, the fucker would be dead already.” I held my son and continued rocking. Not really for him, as he’d fallen asleep, but to calmmyself.
I didn’t see Brooke move around behind me. Her arms closed around me as she hugged her body against my back, swaying with me. “It’s going to be okay. I love you both so much. We’re going to befine.”
How did I get so damnlucky?
A knock came to my door, then Samson’s voice called out, “Can I comein?”
Sniffling, Brooke pulled away from me, made sure the blanket was still covering her up, and she got up to walk around me as I sat on the floor, holding my son. She gave me a nod, and I told him to comein.
Samson’s eyes never let either of us know he knew what we were doing. He just looked the same way he always did. “I got a shot in that nicked whoever the hell that was. His right bicep was hit. I’ve already called the police to inform them of that, so if the assailant goes to any doctor or hospital, he’ll be detained and taken in forquestioning.”
I could only nod. I had no idea what to ask or say. But Brooke had a question. “And how did he get all the way around this huge house and into the backyard to pull this little feat off? Where were you?” She leveled her eyes on him, and I did not envy theman.
He looked down and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Thecan.”
“I see.” She looked away. “I’m sorry I spoke that way to you, Samson. I am. It’s just that the boy means more to me than you could ever imagine. And we could’ve …” She tried so hard not to fall apart, but she couldn’t hold it back. “We nearly lost him, Samson.” She sobbed and ran into thebathroom.
I looked up at my bodyguard as I nodded. “You did all you could. Thank you. At least you hit him. Now we have something to look for. And you will step up security around here. I want a lot more peoplearound.”
“I’m already on it, boss. You guys get some sleep.” He left me then, and I looked down at my son as tears filled myeyes.
Brooke was right. We could’ve losthim.
When she came back out, she had on one of my t-shirts. I kept some in one of the drawers in the bathroom along with some loose-fitting boxers, and I found some black plaid peeking out from under the white t-shirt that told me she had pulled a pair of them ontoo.
“Can I sleep with youtonight?”
“You both are. I’m not about to let either of you out of my sight,baby.”
She came to me, taking Braiden out of my arms, carrying him to the bed, where she laid him right in the middle. “I’ll sleep on one side; you sleep on theother.”
I went into the bathroom to clean myself up a bit before putting on a t-shirt and boxers myself. Splashing my face with cold water, I looked at myreflection.
