Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen #3)(113)

He had his gun out before Holland could think. Gemma shoved her out of the way and slammed the door shut as the first bullet went flying.

She felt something heavy hit her. Dax had thrown himself over her body.

The door exploded inward and she heard another volley of shots.

“I’m giving you one last chance, Holland,” Chad shouted. “Come out and we’ll talk, but you have to give the rest of them up. That’s the only way this ends.”

She heard a shout and another shot.

“Or Connor can handle them,” Dax growled, jumping to his feet.

“There’s still three of them and they’re armed to the teeth,” Holland whispered. “But I think I’ve documented enough. He fired first. The tape will show that.”

“Sweetheart, I got an audio of the conversation in case Morgan’s video doesn’t capture voices. I’ve got his confession on my phone,” Dax replied. “Gemma, are they coming in?”

Gemma had taken up a position behind the couch. “Not yet. But I can’t really see much.”

“He’ll try to wait us out or smoke us out,” Holland said a moment before her uncle proved her right by shoving the door open and rolling in a canister of tear gas.

“Damn it.” Dax pulled his shirt over his mouth and held a hand out to her. “I’m going out first.”

Her eyes were already starting to burn. Lara and Morgan would have some time, but if she didn’t finish this, those two would be trapped and unprotected.

She looked back through the smoke at Gemma, gesturing to the back door. Gemma nodded and silently started moving toward the rear of the house to retrieve Lara and Morgan.

In the distance, she heard gunfire again.

“Let’s go. That’s Connor giving us some chaos to escape in. Sweetheart, I know you don’t want to, but please let me go first,” he practically begged as he coughed.

But he didn’t understand. “They’ll be reluctant to kill me. I’m going out with my hands up. You come behind me. Then you can save me.”

If he walked through that door alone, they would immediately kill him. She could distract Beau, Chad, and the others. She could give him a chance. Between Connor, who was firing enough to start his own war, and Gemma, who would return after setting Lara and Morgan on the path around the swamp to provide another distraction, Dax had a shot at survival. Lara would make a clean getaway and meet up with Connor in front of the house, probably when the rain of gunfire ended.

Honestly, she didn’t give a shit if Morgan died. He was an ass.

“Sweetheart, I can’t lose you.” Dax squeezed her hand.

Despite the gas that was making her eyes tear, she kissed him. “Then don’t.”

There was no more time then to figure out their relationship or decide what she should do. There was only the here and now and she loved him. She couldn’t let him walk out there first because he would die and her life would be over.

Even if she never touched the man again, she couldn’t live in a world that didn’t have Dax Spencer in it.

She dropped her gun and darted out the door, holding her hands up high. Holland hoped her leap of faith, that her uncle and Chad wouldn’t simply shoot her, paid off. She had to take the chance so Dax could live.

As soon as she emerged, fresh air hit her eyes. Tears flowed freely down her face, but she could sort of breathe again. She dragged air into her burning lungs as she took in the scene in front of her. A body lay strewn on the ground about ten feet away. Another was laid out to her left. Chad and her uncle were back to back, looking for the sniper.

Her uncle stopped, training his gun on her. “Stay right where you are. Where’s Spencer?”

“I told you. He’s not here.” She needed him to believe that now . . . but Dax couldn’t linger in the noxious house too long. “I told you, I left him behind. He’s too reckless.”

“Who’s out there shooting?” Chad demanded.

“Gemma’s fast.” She wasn’t revealing Connor’s presence. “But I’ll play along with your plan. Take me in. Just don’t shoot me.”

She only needed them to believe her surrender for a minute or two, just until Connor could get a clean shot at Chad, then the others could back her up to take her uncle in.

But she feared Dax wouldn’t stay in the background.

In fact, she knew he would come for her. Always. He could be angry with her, feel betrayed by her. It wouldn’t matter. He would come for her.

She wasn’t a woman who needed saving, but Dax would still be there, supporting her.

“Go and get in the car, Holland,” her uncle insisted.

“Do it!” Chad yelled.

She nodded, stepping off the porch and into the yard. “I will.”

Smoke poured out behind her and she moved slowly, not really having to pretend distress and disorientation.

“In the back of the car,” her uncle yelled, his finger on the trigger.

He followed directly behind her. Holland’s heart pounded furiously. She hoped like hell her calculated risk hadn’t been a mistake. She’d had to leave her gun behind and had zero way to defend herself. She was trusting that blood meant something to this man who’d already ruined her life and Dax’s.

So many things could go wrong. But she prayed that Dax would be all right.