Chapter 13

Emmerson bolted upright and reached for his phone.

“What is that noise?” Rumor sat up and rubbed her eyes.

“It’s the alarm to the pool house.” Emmerson jumped from the bed, found a pair of jeans, and hiked them up over his hips. He retrieved his weapon and clip, slamming it into position. His heart thumped in his chest.

“What does that mean?”

“It means someone just broke in,” he said. “Hey Siri, call The Boss.” He raced to the sliders and peered out the window, but none of the lights were on. Fuck. Someone must have shut them off. But how? The breaker was in the garage. That alarm should have gone off first and he knew he engaged it.

Or had he.

Shit. He hadn’t. Not after his father left.

Damn it.

“Emmerson. It’s fucking four in the morning. This better be?—”

“Ma, I’ve got an intruder. I forgot to turn on the house alarm last night after Dad left. The only one that was on was the pool house and it just went off.”

“Shit. All right. Chris is on patrol tonight. I’ll call Emmett. He’s the closest and can be there in ten. I’ll be there shortly after.”

“Tell Chris not to come in with lights on. I’ll see you soon.” He ended the call, tucking his cell in his back pocket, and turned.

Rumor clutched the sheets to her chin and stared at him with wide, fearful eyes. He didn’t have time to comfort her, even though all he wanted to do was take her in his arms, hold her, and tell her how much he cared.

And that it would be okay.

“Put some clothes on and stay right here until I get back,” he said in a stern voice.

“You can’t leave me here. Besides, my clothes are in the kitchen. I’ve got nothing to change into.”

He raced to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. “Put these on.” He tossed them at her.

Crash!

He jerked as the sound of breaking glass filled the air.

“Fuck.”

“What was that?” Rumor tumbled out of the bed, crash-landing on the floor.

He raced to her side, helping her to her feet and tugging the shirt over her head.

She hobbled into the boxers.

“Stay right behind me, got it?”

“What the hell is going on?” She gripped his arms.

“I don’t know. But I need you to do exactly what I say.” He turned, holding his weapon at the ready. “I’m sorry if I’m being harsh or acting like a dick, but I take it personally when someone invades my space.” He took out his phone and quickly sent a text to Emmett, his mom, and Chris with an update. It was just a few words.

Intruder broke into main house.

“I’m not upset by how you’re acting,” she whispered. “I’m just scared shitless.”

So was he, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

Slowly, he tugged open the bedroom door and inched out into the pitch-black hallway. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness. It wasn’t the first time he’d been in a dangerous situation. Hell, he was a cop. He’d been shot at before. Even took a bullet once.

But never in his life had anyone dared invade his home.

He rounded the corner into the family room. The sliding glass doors to the patio had been shattered. “Watch your feet,” he whispered as he maneuvered around the sofa.

A shadow to his left caught his attention. He jerked his body, keeping Rumor tucked behind him, but another shadow slinked out from the kitchen to his right and he froze as he stared at the wrong end of a gun.

“I’d put that down if I were you,” Tony said as he flicked on the lights that hung over the island.

“I will do no such thing.” Emmerson sucked in a deep breath, aiming his weapon dead center at Tony’s chest.

Rumor dug her nails into Emmerson’s back. She gasped as the other shadow emerged.

Tom.

Fucker.

Two guns.

Pointed at Emmerson.

And Rumor.

This was not good.

“You’re going to hand over your gun and give us the girl. Otherwise, we start shooting,” Tom said, waving his weapon like a fucking lunatic. He stood approximately six-two and was an impressive man, to say the least. Muscular. Fit. Surprisingly so for a man known for snorting his own product. His biceps bulged and were lined with tattoos. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail. And his face looked like leather from too much sun.

Tony, on the other hand, was a scrawny fellow. Not much meat on his bones and Emmerson knew without a doubt he could take that kid. But at what cost? He couldn’t disarm both men at once. Not without one of them shooting and by the look in Tony’s eye, he was higher than a fucking kite.

Bad sign.

“You can have my gun. You can even have me. But you’re not taking Rumor anywhere.” Emmerson released his grip on his gun and held his hands up. These two assholes had no idea the cavalry had been called. All Emmerson had to do was buy some time. His life—and Rumor’s—was in the hands of his family and Chris. He trusted them and had faith that if he could contain the situation long enough, they would save the day.

They always did.

Tom snatched the gun from his fingertips. “We’re not fucking around. That woman stole from us. And then she sent my boy up the river. If you think we’re going to let her get away with that, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Well, you boys have a different problem because I don’t believe you know who I am.” Emmerson reached behind his back, holding Rumor tight to his body. His job was to protect her and he’d do that, or die trying.

Not because his mother told him to, but because his heart commanded it.

He loved her. No denying it and he wasn’t even going to try.

“We know you’re a cop,” Tom said. “And we don’t care. Home invasions happen all the time.” Tom grabbed Rumor by the hair and yanked her from Emmerson’s grasp.

She screamed.

He clenched his fists at his sides. A sense of dread and hopelessness filled his soul. “You’re not going to get away with this.”

“Take care of this asshole.” Tom waved his gun toward Tony.

“You want me to kill the cop?” Tony’s voice screeched and he lowered his gun slightly. “You said you’d handle it. That I’d get to deal with her.”

“Oh, I’ll let you have all your fun with this one in due time. But first, you have to handle him.” Tom smiled. “It’s how you prove your loyalty to me after trying to fuck me over in the first place.”

Emmerson had no idea how far out his family was and he couldn’t wait. He had to take matters into his own hands or surely, he and Rumor would die.

And he didn’t feel like dying today.

Tony raised his gun a little higher with a shaky hand.

Emmerson lunged forward, diving toward Tom and Rumor.

Bang!

The bullet tore through his shoulder, jerking his body as he tackled Tom and Rumor, dropping them both to the floor. The pain seared straight to his brain, but he did his best to ignore it as he reached for his weapon that went skidding across the tile.

He curled his fingers around the butt of the weapon as Tom hurled his body on top of Emmerson’s.

Rumor screamed again, but he couldn’t even glance up to see what that was about as Tom landed his fist right in Emmerson’s nose. That fucking hurt almost as bad as the hole in his shoulder.

Bang!

He continued to fight with Tom until he got the upper hand, sticking his gun into Tom’s side. “Don’t make me pull the trigger.”

Tom struggled to break free, kicking and swinging his arms, reaching for his weapon. The second his fingers touched the gun, Emmerson knew he had no choice. He had to fire.

Bang!

Tom’s body went limp.

Emmerson shoved him to the side.

The sound of boots crushing broken glass filled the thick air.

“Run and I’ll shoot you,” Emmett’s voice echoed in the night. “Fuck. I warned you.”

Bang!

Emmerson jumped to his feet.

Chris and his mother barreled through the front door.

Emmett reached down and pressed his finger against Tony’s neck. He shook his head. “He’s gone. He didn’t leave me a choice.”

“Neither did Tom.” Quickly, Emmerson checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

He turned his head.

Rumor lay on her side, curled in a ball, holding her stomach as blood flowed through her fingers.

“Rumor!” Emmerson dropped to his knees at her side, pressing his hands against the wound.

She blinked.

“Ambulance is ten minutes out.” His mother rested a hand on his shoulder. “We need to stop your bleeding too.”

“I’m fine.” He jerked her hand off his shoulder, examining Rumor’s wound more closely. “The bullet didn’t go through,” he said softly. “Stay with me, babe. It’s going to be okay.” Only, he wasn’t so sure. Blood oozed from her gut. So much blood and her face paled.

Her chest rose and fell in a shallow breath.

His mom sat on the floor, cradling Rumor’s head in her lap, stroking her hair. “Keep pressure on that wound.” She waved her hand to Chris. “Get something to make a tourniquet for Emmerson.”

“Ma. I told you, I’m fine. We need to?—”

“Shut up, son. That bullet went right through and you’re losing a lot of blood too. You won’t be any good to her if you pass out. Let Chris at least tie it off.”

Arguing with his mother wouldn’t be helpful, so he let Chris do what she demanded while he pushed on Rumor’s midsection.

She moaned and her eyes slowly closed.

“Come on, babe. Open your eyes,” he said. “I’m not going to lose you now. I won’t have it.”

“I’m sorry to have brought this to you,” she whispered.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one who should be apologizing.” He leaned over and kissed her sweet lips. “Now, I need you to fight. You hear me. You have too much to live for. We have too much to look forward to.”

Jameson raced through the front door, followed by the paramedics, who tried to shove him out of the way, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Emmerson.” Jameson placed a hand on his shoulder. “You need to get out of their way and let them do their job.”

Emmerson nodded as two more first responders came in. He stood, taking a step back, and watched in horror as they began to hook her up to an IV and lift her onto a gurney.

“Sir, we need to get you to the hospital too,” one of the paramedics said.

“I want to go with her.” He pointed to Rumor.

“She’s in good hands.” Jameson stepped in front of him. “You’re going to the same place and not only do you need some serious stitches, but we have no idea what kind of damage that bullet did internally. I’ll ride with you, now let’s go. The faster we get there, the faster we’ll know what’s going on with Rumor.”

Emmerson ran a hand over his unshaven face. He’d promised her he would shave and he’d be damned if the next time she saw him it would be with this scruff on his face. He glanced at his mother.

“Chris, Emmett, and I will handle everything here,” his mom said. “Go.”

He wiped the tear that had escaped his eye. “Ma, if they weren’t already dead, I’d kill them.”

“I know,” she said.

He swallowed his beating heart. “I love Rumor.”

“I know that too. Now get out of here. Get that shoulder taken care of. She’s going to need you.”

Following Jameson out the front door, he climbed into the back of the ambulance. The other one was already racing through the neighborhood. He sat down, leaned back, and closed his eyes. “She has to be okay. It can’t end this way.”

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