Page 23 of Atlanta Heat (Tempting SEALs 6)

“The cage. Now!”

Her gaze swung to Macey where he struggled with Landry for possession of the gun. The other man still had it clenched in his hand, fighting to bring it around to bear on Macey.

Her gaze swung back to the snake. It was pressing against the seam of the glass door, butting against it, demanding its freedom. Emerson imagined she could feel the rage pouring from the creature.

Macey had warned her that the anaconda hated guns. Hated them so much that he had to keep them in a specially designed safe and he couldn’t carry one himself within the basement because of the snake’s instinctive need to kill whoever or whatever carried the weapon.

With a trembling hand she lifted the latch to the door, swung it open, and jumped aside as Drack immediately pressed out of the opening.

Drack wasn’t a fast creature, but she knew where she was headed.

Pierce. Her godfather trusted him, loved him like a son. He was always extolling the warrant officer’s virtues. He hadn’t mentioned deceit and treason as any of those virtues, though.

She couldn’t just stand here, but she couldn’t look away. The anaconda was making its way across the room toward the two men struggling for the gun. Emerson was terrified the snake would go for the scent of blood rather than the scent of a weapon.

The two men were cursing, delivering hard, powerful blows even as they fought for the gun.

Emerson considered attacking Landry herself, but if he got hold of her, she knew Macey would sacrifice himself to protect her. Instead, she ran to the other side of the bed and the phone that sat at the side of it.

She glimpsed the anaconda drawing closer as she skirted the side of the bed. Had she been insane to let the creature free, despite Macey’s orders? She hadn’t even told him she loved him, she thought frantically as she reached the table and jerked the cordless phone from its base and began to dial.

It was ringing. Ringing. Emerson stared across the bed, watching as the two men struggled on the floor now. Macey was gloriously naked, Pierce was dressed in a black mission suit.

Macey straddled the other man, one hand locked on Landry’s wrist, trying to dislodge the gun as the other hand delivered a blow to his face. Landry returned with a blow to his side, throwing Macey off as he nearly lost his grip on Landry’s wrist.

They were cursing, snarling. Macey delivered another blow to Landry’s jaw. When Landry’s fist connected with his side again, Macey’s hand broke contact with his wrist.

“Answer the phone. Answer the phone,” Emerson cried out. “Oh God, where are—”

“Macey!” Her godfather’s voice yelled into the line. “Secure premises. Our mole is Landry, I repeat—”

“No shit!” Emerson screamed into the line. “Get down here. Where are you? Landry’s here.”

A shot exploded in the room. Horrified, Emerson tried to pierce the disorienting flare of light and shadows to the two men fighting. Macey had Landry’s wrist in a two-handed grip, holding the weapon, trying to turn it back on the other man as Landry’s fingers tightened on the trigger again.

Macey’s expression twisted savagely. Landry’s wrist turned until the gun was almost trained on Macey.

She was aware of her godfather screaming in her ear, an explosion from the front of the house, and the increased blare of sirens.

It happened in slow motion, and yet so fast she couldn’t make sense of it. Macey twisted Landry’s hand back just as the gun fired again. The warrant officer’s body jerked, spasmed, then Macey jumped back as Drack attacked.

It shot forward, slicing between Macey’s body and Landry’s, her mouth opening wide, teeth gleaming to clamp over the dying man’s face and twine its massive girth around his neck. Two more shots fired; the snake jerked, shuddered, but held its grip.

Voices were raised. Not her voice. Not Macey’s. He was jerking the sheet off the bed and wrapping it around her as black-suited

SEALs swarmed into the room, weapons held ready, lights slicing into the room.

“Get those fucking weapons out of here!” Macey screamed.

Amazingly, the six men rushed back into the living area and returned seconds later, weaponless, their gazes locked on the still form of Warrant Officer Pierce Landry and the anaconda attached to his head.

“Shit,” Macey breathed out as he finished securing the sheet around Emerson. “Reno, hit the code on the alarms,” he yelled at the suited men. “Shut this damned noise off.”

Drack was dead and so was Pierce. Emerson could see the blood spreading out from beneath the creature and the aide’s still form.

“Fucking bastard killed my snake.” Macey’s voice was weary, resigned.

The sirens cut off abruptly, the music and lights stilled, and bright normal white light lit up the room.

---