Page 259 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
Her eyes narrowed. “But I didn’t.”
“But you could have.” I put my arms on her shoulders. “I can’t see you hurt, Emma. You put yourself in danger, and I can’t allow that.”
“Because you don’t want Dad and Matt mad at you. You don’t want to lose your new job.” I could hear the bitterness in her tone.
“No,” I said softly, getting closer. “Because I couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt. Because it would tear me up inside.”
Her beautiful golden eyes widened, and I felt her go soft in my arms. It was the perfect invitation, and I couldn’t resist.
I lowered my head until it was inches from her lips. I was about to close the distance, to seize her lips, to hell with the consequences, when I heard a sound that turned my blood to ice.
The office door opened. My gaze shot up to find three masked men entering the office. Without thinking, I thrust Emma behind me, shielding her with my body.
They lunged forward, the guy in the lead pulling out a gun. My body running on instinct, I kicked it out of his hand. With no moment to spare, I dove for the second guy, who was reaching inside his jacket, presumably for a weapon. I tackled him and we hit the ground.
“Emma, run!” I yelled, landing an elbow in the intruder’s guts.
I prayed to God that she heeded me. Three armed men against one wasn’t going to be an easy win, but maybe I could buy her enough time to get out.
CHAPTER 16
EMMA
Jack had been about to kiss me. I’d remembered that look in his eyes, knew that an answering hunger resided in my own.
Every fiber of my being had welled up with longing, and I waited, wanting that kiss more than I’d wanted a pony for Christmas when I was 12.
Instead of a kiss, I’d gotten a taste of danger. Three goons had entered the office and the shit had hit the fan.
I froze, unsure of how to react. I saw Jack kick a gun out of the hand of the first guy, then drop another guy to the ground. “Emma, run!” he yelled, then launched himself at the third man.
His words were the catalyst I needed. I started to back away, but before I could turn and flee, someone grabbed me. It was the first guy, the one who’d lost his gun. Thanking the self-defense lessons Dad had insisted on giving me, I didn’t hesitate. I slammed an elbow into the guy’s guts and he loosened his hold, enough for me to get away.
I sped to the conference room, slamming the door behind me and locking it. The walls were made out of glass, so I knew they wouldn’t stop anyone who was determined to get in, but it would hopefully buy me enough time to do what I had to do next.
I moved the book and hit the keypad for the gun safe, holding my breath as the bookshelf slid open. Once inside the safe, I had to catch my breath, my heart was pounding so hard. There was no time to lose, but I had to make the right choice.
My father had insisted that I learn how to fire every gun in the room. He’d taken me to the range every time he acquired a new model, testing me on how to fire, load and reload, until I’d felt comfortable enough with every piece to please him.
I’d thought it silly at the time, but now I could see why Dad had insisted on my learning to work these guns. Right now, Jack was trying desperately to fight off three armed men. I had to find a way to help him. That meant picking up one of these guns.
I grabbed a 9 millimeter off one of the shelves, then snagged a clip. I popped it in and made sure the safety was off. Then it was time to save the day.
My hands were shaking as I exited the safe. I’d held guns countless times, but only on the range, and never when anyone was in danger. I could see Jack fighting with two of the men, while the other was fiddling with the door to the conference room.
The one at the door saw the gun in my hand and turned, running back towards the others. I couldn’t afford to hesitate. I hit the door, unlocking it and rushing back into the fray.
Jack was wrestling with one of the men in black, and the other was lying a few paces away, not moving. The third sprinted across the office, getting closer to his companions.
“Everyone freeze!” I shouted and I rushed forward, pointing my gun at the one closest to Jack. “Let him go. Now.”
Jack’s eyes met mine, and for an instant, I thought I could see pride there. It is immediately replaced with a black look of anger. The runner skidded to a stop, but unfortunately it put him within range of the weapon he’d lost earlier. Grabbing it, he pointed it in my direction. Jack shook off the man he was tussling with and lunged forward, punching the one with a gun in the face.
I thought the tide was turning, and rushed forward to kick the gun away from the one he’d punched.
“Don’t move,” a thick voice said from behind Jack. One of the men he’d been struggling with, the one that wasn’t hurt too badly to move, had managed to position himself at Jack’s rear and currently had a gun held to the back of his head.
“Drop the fucking gun or I blow his brains out,” he said.
