Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 105065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 525(@200wpm)___ 420(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 525(@200wpm)___ 420(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
I cover my ears and squeeze my knees against my torso. An intense pressure builds in my chest as I sit here, feeling completely useless. I think about Lachlan, wondering what’s happening out there. He seems strong, invincible almost. I used to think that about my dad too. But he wasn’t invincible, and neither is Lachlan. On that note, neither am I.
The voices outside the door are getting closer. The gunshots, louder. I hear a thud, and I know it’s a body falling to the floor. Jesus. Shit. Fuck. Shit. I’m right in the middle of a hailstorm of bullets and I’m about to hyperventilate. If one of them comes into this room, they’ll see me right away.
I eye the small pocket beneath Lachlan’s desk and decide to scramble for it. When I’m about halfway there, the door splinters open and sends shards of wood flying. I make a strangled noise in my throat when I glance up and see two scary ass looking dudes with guns.
I half expect them to shoot me on sight, but they aren’t even looking at my face. It takes me a minute to realize why. I glance down and belatedly remember that Lachlan ripped my dress and my goddamn tits are hanging out.
One of the guys says something in what I’m guessing is Armenian and then laughs. The other nods in agreement and they take a step forward. Crap. This is not my finest moment, but I’m going to have to try to fend them off in my half-ripped spandex dress. But first, I’ll need to catch them off guard.
“Get up,” the man says with a heavy accent. “You come with us.”
Like hell I will. I stand up on shaky legs and hold up my hands as I step towards them. One of them grabs me by the hair and shoves me forward. I take a step and then freeze, slamming my head back into his nose as hard as I can.
He curses and the other guy is on top of me before I have a chance to get my bearings. He throws me to the floor and starts muttering angry words I don’t understand as he slaps me around a bit. My head is throbbing and I’m disoriented, but I know I need to think fast. I need to get a grip on this situation.
The man on top of me starts groping around my chest as he says something to the other guy who’s bleeding all over the place. I use his distraction to knee him in the nuts before I kick him hard in the chest. When he loses his balance, I scramble up on my feet and make a run for the door, only to be met by another hard wall of muscle.
Before I can make sense of what’s happening, Lachlan grips me around the waist and swivels me around. I hear a couple of loud pops and scream when I realize they are shooting at Lachlan. Not just shooting, but shot.
We both fall back against the wall and he manages to pull us out of view before we slide to the floor in a heap together.
“Jesus, Lachlan!” I scream. “You’re shot. You just took a fucking bullet for me…”
He’s bleeding all over the place and I’m freaking out. But there isn’t time to process anything because the guys inside the office start shooting off more rounds through the walls. Chunks of drywall and dust are flying everywhere as Lachlan pushes me behind him and tells me to stay low. He winces and gets down on his belly, crawling back towards the door.
“Lachlan!”
“Mack… shut up and stay down.”
He pokes his head around the bottom of the doorjamb and fires off a couple quick shots. I hear a grunt inside followed by a thud. More gunfire comes our way opposite of the wall, and Lachlan scrambles backward with a painful grimace.
I can’t tell exactly where he’s been shot, and I don’t know how much longer he’s going to be able to carry on with this. Where the hell are the rest of his men? There’s still gunfire coming from the front of the club, and there’s nowhere for us to go.
Something crashes inside the office, and before I even have time to blink, one of the guys is hurling himself on top of Lachlan. He doesn’t have his gun because half of his hand has been blown off from the looks of it. Lachlan tries to fire off a shot, but the guy knocks the gun out of his hand and sends it flying.
I reach out and grab it while they scuffle, and then stand up on shaky legs, pointing at the guy with the black eyes.
“Jaysus!” Lachlan yells up at me. “Don’t fecking fire that off now. Ye’re liable to finish me off.”
“Then get the fuck outta’ the way!” I scream.
Lachlan smashes his fist across the other guy’s face and it disorients him long enough for Lachlan to stand up.
“Give me the gun, sweetheart.” He holds out his hand, but I can’t move. I’m frozen. I don’t want this. I don’t want to see this guy die. Jesus. What have I gotten myself into?
“No.” My lip wobbles and I try to hide it by biting down.
“Give me the goddamn gun!” he yells.
I take a step back and shake my head. I need to think about this. I need to figure out another way. Surely, there must be another way.
Lachlan lunges at me and pries the gun out of my hands with surprising ease.
“Close your eyes, sweetheart.”
I do. I close them because I can’t see it. But I hear it, and that’s just as bad. Two shots. And like a fucking idiot, I open my eyes and look at the holes in his head.
“Oh, God.”
I turn around and vomit all over the floor. Lachlan’s behind me, trying to pull me against him. Trying to comfort me.
“What the fuck?” I scream. “What the FUCK? You just killed him? You fucking killed him!”
He grabs me by the arms and whirls me around, slamming me up against the wall.