Run To Me (Lazarus Rising #4)(61)

Reva grabbed his arm. “There he is.” Her voice was a hiss. She was staring across the room, her gaze on a tall, dark-haired man who wore a leather coat. The guy was staring at Reva, eyeing her like he’d just hit the jackpot. And he even lifted his beer, inclining it toward her.

Jay glanced at Willow. Her gaze was on the man, a furrow between her brows. “Anything, Willow?” Jay prompted, his voice quiet.

“He’s no one to me.” Her lips twisted. “But that’s hardly a surprise.”

The dark-haired guy put down his beer and began striding toward Reva. Toward Jay. His gaze swept to Willow. A faint smile curled his lips.

“We should go,” Reva whispered. “Can’t we lure him outside or something? This is making me nervous as all hell.”

Jay wasn’t nervous. He was pissed. The man was just striding forward, like he didn’t have a care in the world. He was heading toward Jay, and Jay jerked his head, a signal for West and the others. They could close in. They would take this guy outside.

A body came flying at the dark-haired man. Lucas Tate. He tackled the guy. Started driving his fist into the fellow’s face.

What the fuck?

Jay surged forward. So did West. Willow. Flynn.

The crowd was yelling. Some folks were shouting encouragement to Lucas. Some were rushing for the door.

Lucas rose, a gun gripped in his hands. He spun toward Jay. “He was going for his weapon.”

The man on the floor was unconscious. His body slack.

“I saw it,” Lucas growled. He still gripped the gun. “Thought one of your men would act, but no one did.” Lucas fired a disgusted glance around him, then focused on Jay once more. “You’re so fucking lucky I was here tonight, man.” His eyes gleamed.

Some women were screaming. Men were shouting, “Gun!” And general chaos was reigning.

Jay glanced at the man on the floor. A guy he’d never seen in his life. A guy Reva had identified for him. Willow stood at Jay’s side. His fingers threaded with hers. “Yes, very lucky.” Cops would be coming soon. No way to stop them. He was sure folks at Wander had already sounded the alarm. “Let’s clear the scene, take this outside, shall we? Flynn, why don’t you grab the body?”

Flynn yanked up the guy and tossed him over his shoulder, as if the unconscious man weighed nothing. Then they were making their way through the crowd, with Jay’s security team clearing the way. Reva was hurrying with them. Lucas had tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans.

Jay tightened his hold on Willow.

They exited the back of Wander and strode into a dark alley. His limo waited back there. As did several SUVs. His team.

“What are you going to do with the bastard?” Lucas demanded. “Can’t believe he pulled the gun on you right the hell there. Must be the same prick who set Push on fire.”

The fellow let out a groan. His eyes didn’t open.

“I don’t know him,” Willow said. “I thought I’d feel something. I don’t. Nothing at all.”

Lucas’s gaze was on her. “Why would you know him?” Suspicion cut lines near his mouth. “You working with him or something?”

“What? No, no, of course not—”

“Get him to containment,” Jay ordered his men.

“I should get out of here,” Reva said at the same moment. “I did my part. I gave him to you.”

Willow’s head turned. She gazed down at Reva. “Your heart is racing so fast.”

“Yes, well, that happens when someone pulls a gun, and I get caught in shit that I don’t want to be in.” Reva shuddered. “How the hell do you know what my heart is doing, anyway? Know what? Forget it. I need a ride home. And by home—I mean my place.” She pointed to West. “Take me home? Please?”

West hesitated.

The security team had just loaded the unconscious man in the back of an SUV.

Jay stared at the scene. “It’s wrong.”

“Maverick, the cops are coming,” Lucas muttered. “Maybe take your kidnap victim and haul ass? You need to go, now.”

Jay’s gaze slid back to Lucas. “I never saw a gun.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not exactly trained to notice shit like that, are you?” Lucas threw right back. He took a quick step forward.

“I’m not,” Jay agreed with a curt incline of his head. “But Flynn over there—he is. So is West. And as for Willow…” He brought her hand to his lips. Kissed her knuckles, but didn’t take his gaze off Lucas. “Willow doesn’t miss much.”

Lucas tensed. His eyes narrowed. He rocked forward onto the balls of his feet.

“You were in demolitions, weren’t you?” Jay mused, his gaze on Lucas.

“Um, I really want to leave now,” Reva cried. “I don’t want to be here when the cops arrive. And definitely not when you are kidnapping some poor guy!”

“Before I came here tonight, I thought I should take some time to do a little more research on the people who’ve been popping up lately. New visitors in my life, you could say.” Again, Jay kissed Willow’s knuckles.

Lucas’s gaze went colder.

“You were one of those people I decided to research, Lucas. You were trained in demolitions. You were originally in a unit with West, but then you went off grid. Been doing a lot of private work since then, haven’t you? Freelance?”