Free Out of Turn by Tiffany Snow Page B

attention, and I’m only getting paid for you, sweetheart.”
    I didn’t see any way out of this. I couldn’t let him go kill Alisha and Lewis. And I’d sent away both men who could have protected me, so no one was coming to the rescue.
    In retrospect, probably not the best decision I’d ever made.
    “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’ll be quick and painless. You won’t even know what hit you.”
    Gee, thanks, now I felt all better.
    He holstered his gun and racked the slide on mine. Standing in front of me, he reached for my arm—
    Tigger suddenly jumped up on the couch, startling both the guy and me. I used the split second of distraction to slam my arm into his, knocking the gun away. He fired reflexively, the bullet embedding itself in the couch.
    I threw myself at him and we both went down. The gun flew from his hand and I fought dirty, shoving my knee into his groin and pressing my forearm against his throat. He grunted in pain, but his hand found my hair and yanked, forcing my head back. I lost my leverage and he threw me off. His fist crashed into my side and I screamed in pain from the agonizing blow against my bruised ribs.
    He scrabbled to get on top of me, but I rolled, throwing my elbow out and catching him in the face. My gun was just a few inches away and I reached for it. He grabbed my waist, pulling me backward—
    Then suddenly I was free. He was off me.
    I leapt for my gun, grabbing it and rolling onto my back in one quick movement, then froze.
    Blane had the man in a headlock and was squeezing his neck, slowly suffocating him. The man struggled, but he was no match for Blane. A few moments later, his body went lax and his eyes rolled back in his head. Blane dropped his body to the floor and stepped over it. He crouched down next to me.
    “Kat, are you all right?”
    I couldn’t answer, so I just gave a jerky nod.
    He reached out and carefully took the gun from my grip, ejecting the chambered round before setting it aside. He took me in his arms and pulled me onto his lap. I curled into him, my hands fisting his shirt.
    I was shaking like a leaf, the fear and adrenaline leaving me an exhausted mess. It felt so good to be in Blane’s arms again, which was a bizarre thought, considering the circumstances. I inhaled, the familiar scent of him comforting in ways I didn’t examine too closely.
    “Did he hurt you?” Blane asked.
    “Hit me. Pulled my hair,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
    Blane’s hand cupped my head and I felt his lips brush my brow, then he tucked me back into the crook of his neck. I sighed, my eyes slipping shut.
    Blane’s arms tightened around me. “I can’t lose you,” he murmured. “Not like this.”
    I didn’t have anything to say to that, so I remained silent.
    “Well, this wasn’t what I was expecting.”
    At Kade’s voice, my eyes shot open. He stood in the open doorway, gun in hand. His gaze took in the man on the floor and every part of me folded into Blane’s lap. If I could havemade myself smaller to fit inside Blane’s pocket, I probably would have.
    “Nine-one-one call on the scanner,” Kade said. “Neighbor heard shots. Cops are on their way.” His eyes locked on mine. “What happened?”
    “He broke in. Told me to kill myself,” I said. “Said he’d get a bonus if it looked like a suicide.”
    “Fuck.”
    I agreed with Kade’s sentiment, as did Blane, judging by the way his muscles contracted around me, holding me even closer. My body felt like liquid against his.
    “Why the
fuck
haven’t you taken care of this?” Kade exploded, shoving his gun in the back of his jeans.
    I started, his anger taking me by surprise. “What—”
    “Not you. Him.” He jerked his chin toward Blane. “Why is Gage still alive?”
    “I don’t go running around killing people just because it suits me,” Blane ground out.
    “So you’d rather that he keep sending people to kill Kathleen?” Kade’s furious outrage made me wince. “Are you