Dare To Run (The Sons of Steel Row #1)(89)

I blinked at him. “No. You can’t—”

“Yeah. I can,” he snapped. “Well? What’s it gonna be, Chris?”

Chris didn’t answer at first. He stared at Lucas, opening and closing his fist, gun pointed at the man I loved, but otherwise remained motionless. “You seem to think you have some sort of bargaining chip over me. That you’re the one with the upper hand. You’re not. And I’ll prove it.”

Aiming at Lucas’s shoulder, Chris squeezed the trigger. In what seemed like slow motion, I screamed and threw myself in front of him at the same time as the boom of the shot exploded in the silent room. I didn’t think. Didn’t hesitate. Didn’t even breathe.

I just moved.

As I flew toward him, I saw Lucas’s face—the shock clearly written across it as I did my best to save his life. As if he couldn’t believe I’d do so.

I hit the ground hard, slamming my right shoulder into the table by the door as I slid. The whole time, I didn’t take my eyes off Lucas. I watched him, making sure he didn’t fall to the floor with lifeless eyes. He just stood there, mouth wide, and then fell to his knees at my side. “Jesus f*cking Christ, Heidi. What the hell are you doing?”

His hands roamed over me, taking in every inch of me, and I finally breathed in. The oxygen filled my lungs, burning, but it didn’t matter. He was alive.

“Are you hit?” His hands trembled as they ran over me. He didn’t come back with bloody hands, and I didn’t feel pain, so I was pretty sure the answer was no. “Jesus, Heidi. You can’t . . . Christ.” He hugged me close, his arms strong and steady.

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” I finally managed to find my voice, gripping his shoulders tight. Then I whispered, “But you need to finish this.”

Lucas lunged for his gun, but he was too slow. Chris cocked his gun and aimed right at my head, freezing Lucas midreach. “Do it, and she dies. Right here. Right now. I won’t miss this time. And her blood will be on your hands.”

Lucas held his hands up, swallowing so hard I saw his Adam’s apple bob. He didn’t take his eyes off Chris. “I’ll sign the f*cking papers, okay? Don’t hurt her.” Lucas picked up the paper and pen. “Sign it, darlin’.”

Blinking back tears, I did as I was told, knowing it would be the last thing I ever did. My hand shook so hard that it was barely legible, but I did it. “Lucas . . .”

“I know, sweetheart.” He took the pen out of my shaking hands. “I know. And I’m sorry. I’m so f*cking sorry.” He signed the paper, but his hand didn’t waver. After he finished, he set it on the table and pushed me behind him, blocking me with his own body. “You got what you wanted. Let her go. She has nothing to do with this.”

Chris smiled. “Told you I’d win. That’s what happens when you care about someone else—you lose. You knew that already, though, didn’t you?”

I swallowed hard. “Go to hell.”

Chris smiled even wider. “Gladly. But you’ll go there first.” He pointed the gun at Lucas’s head. “Any last words, brother?”

“Fuck you,” Lucas snarled. “Those are my last words.”

And then he lunged for Chris. The men fell to the floor in a tangle of legs and arms. They moved so fast, both fighting for their lives, that I couldn’t tell who was who. A gunshot boomed, and they both froze, neither one moving.

I struggled to my feet, wheezing for air because I couldn’t breathe. “Lucas! Oh my God, Lucas!”

“No one move,” a familiar voice said from the doorway. I hadn’t even heard him arrive, but apparently he was the one who’d shot the gun. He held it aimed at the pair of men, his grip steady and his eyes locked on them. “Get up. Hands in the air.”

Lucas rolled to his feet, hands up. He had another bruise forming on his left eye, and it had swollen shut already. Blood covered his face, and he looked as if he struggled to breathe, but I didn’t see any bullet holes in him. “Scotty?”

Chris struggled to stand, looking a lot worse for the wear than Lucas.

He didn’t say anything.

“What’s going on here?” Scotty asked, aiming for Chris. Well, at least we had someone on our side, and not the other way around. “Give me one good reason not to shoot you in the head, right now.”

Chris laughed. It sounded maniacal. “Go ahead. See if I care.”

“Why are you here?” Lucas asked. “How did you know . . .?”

“I didn’t.” Scotty’s finger flexed on the trigger. “I had no idea any of this shit was happening. I was just in the neighborhood and heard the shots.”

Lucas stared at Scotty, knowledge in his eyes. Knowledge of what? I wasn’t sure. But it looked as if he watched Scotty with . . . with . . . pride. And a little bit of fear, too. Lucas wiped away the blood that rolled down across his mouth. “Don’t shoot him. He’s gonna walk out of here, and so are we. Everyone’s walking away alive.”

I pressed a hand to my chest, my heart thudding loudly. “Lucas.”

“I know, sweetheart.” He spared me a quick glance, running his gaze over me before turning back to Chris. Picking up the paper, he handed it off. “You’re still gonna have to actually fight for this, even with a note, but my position is now yours. I’m dead. Now, get the f*ck out of here before I change my mind.”