UP IN FLAMES

The tall man in front sneered. “Because we couldn’t afford to take any chances. We know what you are, Lawman. And you’re going to be our insurance to make sure no one interferes in our business. Got it?”

Outed. Alaric didn’t dare glance at Vanessa to see her reaction. He’d wanted to tell her himself, but now that choice had been taken away from him. But he couldn’t allow himself to focus on that. Right now he needed to worry about keeping them alive. Four armed against two unarmed. If Vanessa hadn’t been there, Alaric might have taken a wild chance and tried to fight. As it was, he had to do whatever it took to protect her.

His BOS brothers were now his and Vanessa’s best chance. If only he could figure out a way to alert them. Even if Bobby could hear well enough to decipher what was going on, any assistance he could send would arrive far too late.

“Now what?” he asked, looking from Chloe to the three armed men. “What’s your plan?”

“You’re coming with us,” the man who’d spoken earlier declared. “You’ll be our hostage until we’ve completed our transaction without interference by the police.”

He noted they didn’t mention the FBI. Minor detail, which could mean something or nothing at all. “What about her?” he asked, jerking his head toward Vanessa.

The tall man laughed. “Chloe here will take care of her. She’s not our problem.”

“No.”

All four of them looked at him, clearly surprised.

“I’m not going anywhere until I know she’s safe,” he continued. “I mean it.”

The three cartel guys shifted their weight, appearing uneasy. Finally, their spokesman replied, “Again, this isn’t up to you. Now move.”

“No. Go ahead and shoot me. I have a sneaking suspicion you need me alive, as hostages generally are. I won’t be of much use to you dead.”

He had them there. And relished the moment they realized it. Movement behind them caught his attention. Chloe opened her mouth to shout a warning, but by the time she got the words out, Paul had already come in, and he was fast, shooting one of the men in the hand so he dropped his weapon, screaming in pain.

Though Alaric couldn’t be sure how and why Paul had come over, he couldn’t focus on that now. Instead, he went into action. His bullet caught the second guy in the chest, and he leaped, intent on taking out the third cartel guy and hoping Vanessa could deal with Chloe. Left hook to the jaw, and his opponent went down like a rock, dropping his pistol. Alaric jumped on top of him, and a few more well-aimed punches knocked the guy unconscious.

Someone squeezed off a shot. Then another, a rapid volley that could come only from a semiautomatic or fully automatic weapon. Praying no one had been hit, he turned to look for Vanessa.

She was gone. Along with Chloe. Damn.

“Help, please,” Paul called. He’d grabbed the guy who he’d shot from behind in a restraining hold and seemed to be struggling to hang on. The guy who got hit in the chest was dead. Alaric saw a spreading red stain on Paul’s side and realized he’d been hit.

First, he helped Paul, then used a lamp cord to tie the guy up, then they tag-teamed the final cartel member.

“I’m so sorry,” Alaric told Paul, who grinned like it was nothing.

“It’s okay. I sure came around at the right time,” Paul replied, “Emily is going to kill me for getting shot again though. She warned me,”

“I’m going to call 911, and then I’m going to find Vanessa.” Alaric told him. Chloe couldn’t have taken her far. Praying they hadn’t left the premises, he heard a feminine voice scream for help from what sounded like the backyard, near the pool.

He sprinted outside, skidding to a halt just as Vanessa broke free of Chloe and shoved her in the pool, gun and all.

“Are you okay?”

Looking up, Vanessa exhaled, dusting her hands off on her jeans. “Yep. In fact, I’m better than okay. I’ve been wanting to push that witch in the pool for a good while now.”

Damn, he loved her, Alaric thought as he stared at her. No more unable to help himself than breathe, he crossed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. She hugged him back for just a moment, before laughing up at him. “You’d best let me go or I might let you go swimming too.”

He glanced at the pool, stunned to realize Chloe hadn’t surfaced.

“Apparently she doesn’t know how to swim,” he commented, right before he jumped in to save her.

Later, after the sheriff and his men had arrived and taken the prisoners into custody, even though they’d only be holding them for the FBI, he checked on Paul. The other man sat perched on the back bumper of the ambulance, arguing with his fiancé and two paramedics.

“What’s going on?” Alaric asked.

“They fixed me up,” Paul answered. “Right as rain. I’m fine now, but these fellers want me to go to the hospital to get checked out.”

“Maybe you should,” Alaric pointed out.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

“He definitely should,” Emily concurred. “They say he lost a lot of blood.”

“I’m fine.” Paul stuck out his jaw. “I know my rights. They can’t force me to go without my consent.”

“He’s right,” one of the paramedics said, his tone glum. “So if you’re not going to let us take you to the hospital, can you please get off the bumper so we can be on our way?”

“I’ll move when I feel ready to move,” Paul shot back. “And I’m not ready yet.”

“He’s dizzy from loss of blood,” the other paramedic said with a sigh. “Sir, I really think you should let us take you to the hospital.”

“I already told you…” Paul began.

“Enough.” Alaric shook his head. “Paul, go with these men to the hospital. Emily can bring you home once you’re done getting checked out.”

“Fine,” Paul mumbled. A bit of relief crept into his voice. “I’ll go to the hospital.”

Alaric watched until the ambulance had driven away and got into the car with Vanessa. Vanessa had taken a seat on the curb and put her head between her hands. Even as he debated whether or not he should, he approached her. “Are you all right?”