Chapter 22 #2
Dani’s throat bobbed. He was lying. Brock pinched the device between his fingers and lowered his hand to hover at his waist.
“I’m not going anywhere without her.” His voice rolled out hard, determined.
He meant every damn word. He trained his laser-focused stare on Ubrigg, willing him to release Dani.
Part of him wanted to lunge, to take the risk.
Ubrigg was losing his cool and if Brock didn’t do something fast, they’d all end up with their guts plastered on the interior of this godforsaken building.
“Do it now or you’ll both die!” Ubrigg rose onto his toes and directed the weapon at Brock’s midsection.
Seeing the opportunity, Dani threw herself to the side. Brock dove for the gun. He locked his hands over the top of the rifle and steered the nozzle toward the wall. Ubrigg clung to the handle and closed his finger over the trigger.
“Dani, get down!” The scream ripped through his throat. Brock drove his shoulder into Ubrigg’s stomach, throwing his fingers off the trigger.
The electrical room door opened and Ubrigg jerked his head over his shoulder.
“Hello.” Rhett smacked the butt of his gun down on Ubrigg’s skull with a sharp thunk, and the man floated to the ground. Brock yanked the weapon away from Ubrigg, shoved the gun into Rhett’s hands, and whipped around.
Dani lay curled on her side on the tile floor. A sea of red on a backdrop of white. He stepped over Ubrigg’s unconscious form and fell to his knees in front of her. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck.
“Oh my god. I can’t believe you’re okay. When you didn’t show, I—I . . .”
“Shh, it’s all right.” He coasted his hands over her back, soothing the trembles that wracked her body.
She curled her face into the crook of his neck and he locked her in an embrace.
She sobbed again and his insides wrenched.
Emotion thickened the lining of his throat.
Dipping his face into her hair, he breathed in the scent of fresh hair dye and piney hotel shampoo.
Those scents didn’t stir familiarity, but the soft peppermint of her skin calmed his still jumping nerves.
He pulled away and caught her face between his palms. “Baby, are you okay?” He moved the pad of his thumb under her eye, over the thick river of mascara and tears.
She turned her cheek and pressed a kiss to his palm. “I’m fine. Now.”
He searched every inch of her exposed skin: a fresh bruise on her forearm, thick purple cuffs around the delicate skin at her wrists, and the greenish-yellow remnants of the rope that had nearly strangled her days ago at Leland’s house.
She was far from okay. He dropped his forehead to hers and kissed her cheek, then her nose, then her lips. “Fuck, Dani. I thought I’d never see you again. I thought that bastard would murder you when I didn’t show. It nearly fucking killed me knowing I couldn’t get to you.”
He heard sirens, and Dani’s gaze flickered around the hall. “Uh, Brock?”
He chuckled. “It’s all right. Rhett’s here,” he said, moving his shoulder out of her line of vision so she could see him.
Her mouth hung open and the skin above her brow puckered. “How . . .” She shook her head and Brock held out his hand.
“It’s all over now.”
Rhett’s footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned to look over his shoulder. Dani curled her fingers into his and he helped her to her feet.
“They’ll need to take you to the police station for statements and questions, but not to worry. Brock filled me in on who the real terrorists are and with that information, we won’t have a problem getting you both back to the United States ASAP.”
Dani nodded, but her delicate shoulders shivered. Brock wrapped his arm around her and held her against his chest. “It’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want to leave you.” She circled her hand around his wrist and fire blasted from her aqua eyes.
Rhett cleared his throat. “They’ll need to separate you for your statement, but—”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Bullets fired from the end of the hallway. Brock shoved Dani against the wall, blocking the spray of bullets with his body. One ripped through his shoulder and pain obliterated his senses. Rhett’s anguished curses reached Brock’s ears but he didn’t dare look.
Dani’s scream bounced off the walls, splitting his eardrums. She clapped her hands over her ears as the onslaught of shots ricocheted around her. Dust billowed around them and small pieces of debris whipped his skin.
“Who the hell is that?” Brock shouted as Rhett returned fire, throwing off the shooter.
“It’s Romy! The guard I fought off.”
More gunshots fired and Rhett howled. “Shit!” Rhett disappeared around the corner of the cafeteria door. “Brock, get her out!”
Fuck. There was no way out. The shooter advanced down the hallway.
His black attire matched that of his dead partner’s.
Murder blazed from his black eyes. They were locked on Dani, and so was the end of his gun.
Brock wrenched open the door of the electrical room as more bullets rained down.
He threw Dani into the room and crouched behind the open door.
Peeking around the corner, Brock spotted Rhett laying slumped on the ground. Blood pooled on the front of his shirt. Brock fumbled with the gun’s clip, but steel pellets littered the door, shaking it against Brock’s body.
“Brock!” Dani shouted. “Grab the gun!”
He tore his gaze to the assault rifle Rhett must have dropped. He dove into the hall, locked his hand around the neck strap, and pulled it to him. Keeping the door propped on his knee, he peeked around the corner and returned fire.
The gun blasted out bullets, shuddering against Brock’s shoulder.
The guard dove for cover, but Brock’s shots ripped through the man’s legs.
He yelled and cursed then fired again. Something bashed into the side of Brock’s head, knocking him off balance.
Paralysis rolled down his arms and the gun landed at his feet.
“Police! Laissez tomber votre arme!”
Brock lowered the gun to the floor. He tried to raise his hands above his head, but the motion sent him tumbling backward. His tailbone connected with the hard floor. Dani’s chest slammed against his back, and he rested on her belly. Her hands rubbed his skin, cooling his heated flesh.
The loud hum of electricity buzzed with the vibrations of voices, and Brock’s mind drifted. Pain crackled in his skull, but he focused his gaze on Dani’s face and smiled.
Something’s wrong.
Tears flooded her cheeks. Her fingernails pierced his arms. He frowned at her.
“Honey, it’s all right. Don’t worry.” He reached for her face but the effort was too great.
What the hell was wrong with him? Nausea catapulted into his windpipe, and he tried to shake off the buzzing noise in his ears as if it were an annoying gnat.
It didn’t recede, so he stared at Dani’s mouth, reading her lips.
“Brock, you’ve been shot!”
He raised his hand to the searing pain at his head. Why the hell were his ears ringing so bad? And what was she screaming about? The bullet had torn through his shoulder and it hurt like a fucking bitch, but he wouldn’t die from it.
But damn, the pain in his head was persistent. His ear ached, and he remembered the infection he’d had as a kid. He groped the side of his head and hot liquid coated his fingertips. When he brought his hand in front of his face, it shook.
I’ve been shot in the head.
The world tilted on its axis and Dani’s face drifted in and out of focus.
Damn, he hated seeing her so sad. Using the last of his strength, he brushed his fingers over her cheek, smudging the milky white with a smear of red.
Still so pretty. His heart ached. He’d never loved someone so much in his life and he hadn’t even told her that lately.
The last three years had been the biggest waste of time—time he’d do anything to get back. So he could tell her how he felt.
He pulled his lips into a smile even though it hurt like hell.
“Dani, I love you. I’ve always loved you.
” His racing heart slowed in his chest and his lower extremities tingled.
“Don’t . . . cry . . .” The last word rode out on a breath and his hand fell to his chest like a ton of bricks.
The squelching pain in his head became a dull throb, and his gaze drifted beyond Dani’s beautiful face to the bright fluorescent bulbs overhead.
“No! Brock, please . . .” Her sob was the last thing he heard as darkness slowly blotted out his consciousness.