Free Loving Lily by Marie E. Blossom Page A

aloud, disarming the
man he'd taken out earlier.   He didn't
mention the possibility that the first man might die if he didn't get to a
hospital.   Lily didn't need to know that.
    "Shit,"
she muttered, grabbing her laptop and shoving it into a bag.
    "Yup.   I agree.   Total shitballs of a way to
end a fantastic night. " Matt had already
pulled on his jeans.   He shoved his feet
into his sneakers.   "You
ready?" He went through the men's clothes.   He pulled another gun off the first man and
unloaded it, then grabbed the first gun and did the same.   He found a knife on the second man.   He looked around, but didn't hear or see
anyone else, so he went to the bathroom and tossed the magazines into the
toilet tank.
    "Ready,"
Lily said, grabbing her purse and shoving it into the computer bag.
    Matt nodded
shortly.   She'd even managed to grab her
overnight bag.   "You don't
unpack?"
    She shrugged.   "I was afraid something like this might
happen someday," she explained, looking down at the men on the floor as if
she could make out details.   Matt knew
better.   It was too dark for that.   "I'm sorry, Matt.   You should go home. "
    "Shh,"
he said, gently pushing her behind him.   "I'm not just going to abandon you, Lily.   Especially not now. "
    "I need to
go.   My car's still at the garage," she said.
    "Shh,"
he said again, steering her to the wall by the door.   "Hang on . "
    She did as he
asked, but she obviously wasn't happy about it.   He ducked his head out the door, but didn't
see anything.   "Okay, it's clear.   Come on. "
    ****
    Lily followed
him out of the room, hoping he was right about it being clear.   She worried about the men in the room.   What if they hurt Betsy or one of the other
guests?
    "What
about the men in the room?"
    Matt glanced
back, frowning.   "I'll call the cops
from Alex's place, give them a report about noise or something . "
    Lily nodded.   "How long will they be unconscious?"
    He lifted a
shoulder.   "Not long.   That's why we've got to move. "
    "They'll
be gone, then, by the time the cops get here . "
    "Can't be
helped," Matt said shortly.
    Lily figured he
was right.   She knew the police wouldn't
help her, but it still bothered her.   She
vowed to call Betsy tomorrow and let her know that she'd stayed with Matt for
the night.   If everyone thought the room
was empty, it would be a simple breaking and entering.   No one would connect that to the men who'd
tried to kill her.   She took a deep
breath, trying not to over-think it.   If
she did, she'd freak out and that wouldn't help.   She clutched her bags tighter, focusing on
putting one foot in front of the other.   Matt led her down the path, carefully angling
his body so she would be behind him the entire way.   When they made it to the front of the bed and
breakfast, he paused.
    "One car.   Looks empty," he said.
    She peered
around him.   "I don't recognize it . "
    "Me
neither . " He shrugged.   "We'll go to Alex's and figure out what
to do from there . "
     
    By the time
they got to the garage, Lily was shaking from the adrenaline crash.   She'd woken in the middle of the night to the
sound of Matt quietly taking down two intruders and still felt a bit
overwhelmed.   She hated to think of him
being injured because of her, but what would she have done without him?
    I'd be dead , she thought, standing beside him.   The door to the upstairs apartment was locked.   The back of her neck crawled.   Matt had taken her overnight bag to carry, but
even so, she felt exhausted.   Exposed.   She checked
behind them, but the street was still empty.   Her legs shook and she put a hand on his bare
waist as he got the door open.   He
doesn't even have a shirt on, so suck it up and deal , she ordered herself
firmly.   You're alive and Matt's okay.   Her little pep-talk didn't work
particularly well.   She wiggled her
fingers into the waistband of his jeans and hung on.
    "Just a
second," Matt said, flashing a