Page 260 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
My hands were shaking so bad, I thought I would drop the gun without the asshole’s command. I heard him cock his weapon, and it was a sound from a nightmare. “No!” I shouted, my entire being focused on the danger of losing Jack.
It was enough of a distraction for the one who’d grabbed me to approach. He brought his arm down on my hands, hard enough to knock the gun from my grip. I let out a cry, but it was quickly silenced. The man grabbed me by my throat, pushing me back against the desk and holding me down there.
I heard a sound of animal rage and it shook me before I realized it was coming from Jack. I managed to look over my captor’s shoulder to see Jack pivot around, so fast he was nearly a blur. The man behind him fired his weapon and I screamed, but it was too late. Jack was out of the way of the blast and had spun around so that he was now positioned behind the man.
Jack’s muscular arm encircled the man’s throat and he yanked, hard. Using his other hand, he knocked the gun out of his grip. While he held the man in a chokehold, I watched as the guy’s face turned red, and then purple.
“Jack!” I tried to scream, “Behind you!” The third man had pulled himself off the floor and had recovered his weapon. He was raising it to point it at Jack. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jack spun, still gripping the man around the throat. He dashed forward, ramming his head into the other’s man’s face.
The guy in front of him dropped, instantly unconscious. Then Jack released the man he was holding, who had finally succumbed to the choke hold and passed out. Calmly, Jack bends to pick up the two weapons they’d dropped.
He strode forward, and my heart was hammering against my ribcage. The look on his face was savage. Dark.
The man holding me down had been struggling to reach my gun on the floor while still holding me in place. He hadn’t yet realized that Jack was about to rain vengeance down upon him.
“You might want to give up,” I rasped at him, my voice rough because of the pressure he was keeping on my throat. The man stiffened when he felt the guns hit his back.
“Let her go,” Jack snarled, pushing harder with the weapons.
The man gave up his quest for a gun and let go of my throat, putting his hands into the air. I shoved my way off the desk, heaving to catch my breath.
I could see the look on Jack’s face and it frightened the hell out of me. He looked to be one second away from killing the man. Although the intruder might have deserved it, I couldn’t let it happen. Jack didn’t need another soul on his conscience.
It happened so fast, I didn’t realize what he’d done until it was over. With a quick flick of the wrist, Jack brought the gun down on the back of the third guy’s head. The man dropped to his knees, then keeled over, joining his companions in unconsciousness.
I dashed to my desk and grabbed the phone, calling 9-1-1. Giving the dispatcher the information she asked for, I silently prayed for the police to hurry up. I was afraid if they took too long, Jack would take matters into his own hands.
The look on his face was haunted. It caused a coldness to enter my chest. Jack was so brave, so strong, he should be reveling in his victory.
Jack had been outnumbered and outgunned, but he’d still managed to take out all three intruders and to get the upper hand. So why was he looking at me like he was a moment away from collapsing in grief?
“Please hurry,” I murmured to the dispatcher, but I could already hear the sirens in the distance. I put the phone back on the hook and started to walk slowly towards Jack, but he shook his head, instructing me without words to keep my distance.
We stood there, staring at each other, waiting for the cops to come.
CHAPTER 17
JACK
I made sure to put the weapons down before the police entered the office. I held my hands in front of my chest and was relieved when I saw Emma mirror my motions.
The police wasted little time entering, guns drawn. They ordered us to hold still as they proceeded to pick up the weapons scattered around the office. I risked a glance at the woman beside me and could see that she was spooked. Her eyes were wide, her normally tan face pale and drawn.
I was furious at what had happened. It was evident to me that someone had caught Emma following them and had returned the favor. They’d pursued her back to the office and had come charging in to do God knew what.
The cops divided us to take our statements. I started from the beginning, informing them of our contract with Dexter Jansen, and of the suspicions I’d had. I told him about the photos, showed them to the cops, and then ran them through the events at the movie theater earlier.
The officer I was speaking to seemed to agree with my assessment: Emma had been followed back to the office. He said they were familiar with two of the men who were now handcuffed in the back of squad cars. They were hired goons of a notorious crime family who’d recently increased their operations in Savannah.
He requested I email the photos to his captain, then informed me that they’d already been investigating Councilman Drake for his role in some recent no-bid contracts. When I showed him the photo of the ledger, he asked me to send that as well, saying they would share their findings with the FBI.
The office door opened and Smith and his son strode in. The officer stationed at the door tried to stop them from entering the crime scene, but Smith was having none of it and finally the cop backed down.
Smith headed straight for his daughter, who was being interviewed by two officers a few desks away. He pulled his little girl into his arms and started barking out questions. Matt wasn’t far behind, putting an arm around Emma’s shoulders.
I let out a breath. “Are we about done here?”
The officer nodded. “I bet these assholes rue the day they ever got mixed up with Delta Force.”
