Page 100 of Deserving Maisy
“Maisy,” Jack warned, but she kept her gaze locked on her brother as she laughed harder. This was between the two of them, and she was done tiptoeing around the asshole.
“Stop it. Shut up!” Jason ordered.
But Maisy couldn’t stop. Her brother was so conceited.Sostupid. He’d always called her dumb, but thinking he could get away with killing Jack was just too much.
It wasn’t until he stalked toward her, and Jack again said her name in warning, that Maisy managed to control herself. Just in time too, because Jason was obviously ready to kick her. Looking up at him, she said, “You have no idea who you kidnapped, do you?”
Jason curled his lip. “It doesn’t matter.”
It mattered.Jackmattered.
“His name is Jack Wickett. He was a Night Stalker in the US Army. That’s one of their hotshot helicopter pilots, if you didn’t know. He was a POW and his face was plastered all over the internet by his captors. When he was rescued, the country literally rejoiced. There were parades, commendations.” She was laying it on a bit thick, but she didn’t care.
“When he got out of the military, he joined some of his buddies, former Navy SEALs, Delta Force, other special forces guys, and they started a retreat in New Mexico. It’s won awards, the pictures of the owners again all over the internet. You kidnapped one of the most recognizable faces in the country, brother dear. I’m not surprised none of your dumbass friends didn’t recognize him. But now? If he disappears again? I promise you, his friends will plaster his face all over social media—with all the details about his kidnapping and our fake marriage. The entireworldwill know who he is…and what you’ve done.”
Maisy was a little concerned he might ask why his friends didn’t do a media blitz the first time, but given Jason’s angry scowl, and the way his face was getting redder and redder, she figured he was too furious with herto think about anything else right now. And that’s what she wanted.
“You might get away with killing Mom and Dad, Martha, and even me. But there’s no way,no way, you’ll be able to hide the fact that my husband wastheJack Wickett. And that he mysteriously disappeared at the same time as I did. The cops are gonna be all over you. All over this place—especially after what I told them this morning. You’ll be at the top of their suspect list for sure.”
“What? What did you tell them?” Jason asked, his anger increasing, if that was even possible.
“Everything, Jason. I told themeverything,” Maisy said, looking straight into his eyes as she did.
“Fuck… Fuck, fuck, fuck,fuck!” Jason exclaimed, as he paced back and forth.
Then he pulled the gun out of his waistband and pointed it straight at her forehead.
Maisy stopped breathing. For all her bluster, she didn’t want to die. Not now. Not after finding Jack.
“Shooting her isn’t going to fix this,” Jack said firmly from the other side of the room. Maisy saw from the corner of her eye that he was standing now, but she didn’t dare look at him.
Because her brother didn’t lower the weapon.
“No. But it’ll make me feel better,” he said, his voice eerily calm.
“Put down the gun! Now!”
The new voice from the doorway made Maisy jerk, but she didn’t take her gaze from the barrel of the gun pointed at her head.
Jason didn’t move. But Jack did.
Her brother went down hard, his forehead hitting theconcrete floor as he landed. Maisy let out a squeak of surprise and fright, but before she could do much of anything, two men wearing all black, including bulletproof vests with a number of pockets that rivaled Jack’s vest from earlier, joined him in restraining her brother.
The gun Jason had been pointing at her was kicked away and his hands were cuffed behind him before Maisy could blink. Then Jack was there. Kneeling in front of her, blocking her view of what was happening with her brother.
“You idiot,” Jack murmured lovingly as another one of the men in the very crowded safe room used a key to remove the handcuffs around her wrists. Jack picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all and carried her out of the suddenly claustrophobic room, through the basement, and up the stairs. He didn’t stop in the living room but walked her through the house—which was also full of uniformed officers—out the door and straight to an ambulance.
“How did you get out of the cuffs?” she asked.
“I had a key in my hand. Your dumbass brother didn’t even check. I was waiting for a chance to subdue him, and you provided that. Although I’m not thrilled you riled him up so much that he pointed that weapon at you. I swear I just lost ten years off my life.”
“Jack, I’m okay,” she said after swallowing several times to find her voice.
“Humor me. That didn’t quite go as I’d planned,” he muttered as he gently lowered her to a gurney.
Maisy didn’t get a chance to ask him what the plan was before the paramedics were buzzing around her, taking her vitals and asking her questions about how she felt.
After about ten minutes of them fussing over her, theyfinally decided she wasn’t in dire need of a ride to the hospital.
