Carter Reed(43)

Carter watched as two cars sped away with Emma in the back. She was safe. He kept telling himself that. She was safe. He needed to make sure there were no others and he was one of the best. He was needed there, not with her. Not yet.

There was a third car, and he sprinted over to it. The driver had been shot and slumped over the steering wheel, sounding the horn. Carter pulled his body back to silence it. Then he sensed movement in the back seat and ripped out a struggling man. The man swung his arm around, trying to aim his gun at Carter but it was knocked away. The man kicked out. That was blocked as well. He swung his other leg at him, but was pinned to the car. He couldn’t do a thing but glare at his captor.

Carter stared at him. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t blink. His eyes were blank. They were ice-cold blue.

Gene hurried over. The taller, older man stopped and glanced around. He stroked his jaw. “That was the first hit.”

“I’m aware.” Carter glared at him. He threw the man to one of their guards and crossed to kick at one of the unconscious men. When he was rewarded with a moan, he hauled the guy up and threw him against a wall. “Who leaked her location?”

“We can interrogate them at the warehouse.”

“No!”

“Carter.” Gene stepped forward, placing a hand on his associate’s tense shoulders. “We will do this. Go to your woman. Make sure she’s okay.”

Carter knew he was right. Gene was always right. It was annoying. However, while he would normally ignore the unwanted advice, he listened this time. He remembered Emma’s face and how pale she had gone when she was lifted into the car.

He reached down, wound his arms around the struggling man, and snapped his neck. As he stood, Gene stepped back and asked him, “Did that make you feel better?”

“No.” He glanced up, an impassive mask over his face. “We leave for Chicago tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

Carter didn’t answer.

Gene sighed, “There’s another issue.”

Carter snapped his gaze to his friend. His jaw clenched as he waited.

“The boyfriend went back.”

Carter’s shoulders grew even more rigid. “Tell me he went for money.”

“There was no money with him. They’re getting him hooked. They can control him better that way, if they still need him.”

A savage curse came out, but Carter couldn’t do anything about that. He repeated instead, “We go to Chicago tomorrow.”

Gene never questioned him again.

“And call Noah. I don’t want her going to New York. It’s not safe.”

Two of his other men had pulled up on motorcycles. He gestured for one to step off, and he climbed on. He turned the bike around and went home.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The car sped into the basement, and Mike carried me through a door. It opened to the gym, and we kept going until we were in the kitchen. After he sat me down in the middle of the room, he swept it. Four more men followed and they went in opposite directions. They were checking the perimeter.

I couldn’t form a thought, much less a decision, so I stayed and swayed on my feet.

“Clear.”

“Clear.”

“Clear.”

“Clear.”

“Clear.”

I glanced around the kitchen and croaked out, “Clear in here.”

Someone laughed somewhere in the building, but all seemed quiet as they filtered down to the kitchen area. Nope, only three of them did. Two were missing.

Mike said, “They took point outside your elevator.”

Oh. Of course. The elevator. Couldn’t forget the elevator.

“Emma.”

I turned. It was Mike speaking to me. Why was he the only one that ever spoke to me?

He gestured towards a stool that one of the other guys pulled out. “You look like you’re going to fall down.”

Oh. Then I swayed a bit more until the guy behind the chair took my arm and guided me into it. He pushed me up to the counter and I lifted my hands to rest on it.

“She has a gun?!”

The men whirled around, but it was Carter. He stood in the open door from the gym, and he was pissed. He rounded on Mike and pointed to the counter. “She has a gun?!”

He looked at a loss.

I sighed in relief. He was here. He was alive. He was furious, but damn he was hot. I couldn’t stop a blush from forming at my thoughts. Images flashed in my mind of us on the bed, in the car, on this counter. Yep. I bobbed my head in a nod to myself. I was in shock. I must’ve been because all I wanted to do was jump Carter. I didn’t want to think about those gun shots or the bodies we left behind, nope. Sex seemed like a better distraction to me.

“Emma?” Carter had come closer. He tipped my head up to his. “Where did you get the gun from?”

“The guy you shot.”

He frowned.

“His gun slid under the car and I reached to get it. I wanted to help.”

He softened and placed a tender kiss to my lips. He murmured against them, “Leave the gun. Go take a shower.”

I stayed. It wasn’t to make a statement, I just didn’t think my legs could work.

“Please, Emma.”

I nodded. “I can’t walk.”

One of the men snickered again.