Free Sudden Response by R.L. Mathewson Page B

he managed to pull the trigger and shoot someone. He was out of control, acting feral,
    and the two large well trained men above her were having a hell of a time getting him under control. If they didn't do something
    soon he was going to get that gun clear and pull the trigger.
    "Please, Joe, let go!" Eric pleaded, breaking her heart.
    She knew he wanted her to run and save herself, but she couldn't do it. She wasn't on some bravery kick. No, she was
    absolutely terrified.
    She couldn't leave this room and leave him behind. Joe was scared out of her mind that if she left now she would never see him
    again and she couldn't risk that. She didn't know much, but she knew she couldn't live without Eric.
    Taking a deep breath, she did what she had to do. She let go and in the next second she shoved to her feet, hard. A dam hadn't
    been prepared for her sudden movement and Joe used his surprise to break his hold on the gun with her head and shoulders,
    slightly cringing when her head slammed into the butt of the gun, but she didn't stop until she broke A dam's hold.
    Then all hell broke loose.
    A s Tyler stumbled back, A dam turned his anger on her. With a feral screech he pulled back his fist and slammed it into the
    side of her face, knocking her back onto the ground.
    Just as she prepared herself for another strike A dam released a cry of pain and was slammed down to the ground with his arms
    twisted behind his back. She absently wiped at the hot liquid dripping near her eye as she watched Eric place a knee in the
    middle of A dam's back, ignoring the smaller man's cry of pain he leaned in to whisper near his ear.
    "If you ever touch her again I will fucking kill you," he said in a cold lethal tone that sent chills down her back. "You so much
    as look at her and I will kill you."
    A dam squeezed his eyes shut so he wasn't looking at her. She might have laughed if she wasn't truly frightened. She'd never
    seen Eric like this before and was a little worried about what he might do.
    "I got him," Tyler said, gesturing for Eric to move over. A fter a slight hesitation he moved off A dam, but held his arms back
    so he couldn't move. He looked over at her and frowned.
    "Joe?"
    "Huh?" she said in a daze. When had she closed her eyes? A nd when exactly had her head started to pound?
    "Gets a couple of head injuries and she passes out," she heard Eric mumble. "Such a girl."
    Chapter 10
    "I want him written up!" the social worker demanded, again.
    Eric ignored her as Bill tried to calm her down. He didn't give a rat's ass what they did to him. The only thing he cared about at
    the moment was behind those double gray doors, being examined.
    He rubbed a shaky hand over his face. She'd really scared the hell out of him tonight. Over the years they'd been in more fucked
    up situations than he could count, but none of them like tonights.
    When that little bastard went after Tyler's gun he swore his heart stopped. The only thing he could think of was getting Joe out
    of there before he pulled the trigger. A ny other woman would have made a run for it, but had Joe?
    Oh hell no, not miss, "I'm one of the guys." She not only stayed, but she just had to risk her life. That damn gun could have
    easily gone off when she decided to use her body to knock A dam's hands away.
    He dropped his face into his hands. He did not want to think about how close he came to losing her. What in the hell had she
    been thinking?
    It had been sheer luck that the gun hadn't gone off when she slammed into A dam's hands.
    It was fucking selfish, that's what it was. She could have gotten herself killed and left him all alone. Did she even think about
    what her dying would do to him?
    No.
    It was so fucking important to her to be one of the guys that she never once stopped to think how it would affect him if
    something happened to her. If something happened to her he would-
    "The three of them attacked him! He was forced to defend himself," the social worker declared loudly,