Page 88 of Protecting Josie
Suddenly, the man pointed his weapon at the sky and fired.
Josie’s ears rang, but before she could even comprehend what he’d done, the barrel of the revolver was back against her temple.
She winced in pain. The heat from the weapon being fired felt as if it was branding her skin. Any attempt to pull back, to get away from the searing heat, was useless.
The fury on Nate’s face was easy to see. Even from the ten or so feet that separated them, Josie could see the anger, the helplessness, the frustration.
“Back up!” the man ordered. “Or the next bullet will be in her brain.”
In her peripheral vision, Josie could see neighbors starting to gather in the street, no doubt attracted to the scene by the gunfire—she would’ve thought the sound of a shot would’ve had them runningaway, but apparently she was wrong. Shekept her gaze locked on Nate. If she was going to die, she wanted him to be the last thing she saw.
Even as she had the thought, anger welled inside her.
She was so mad.Furious.
That she’d been taken prisoner while she’d been in Kuwait visiting Ayden.
That she hadn’t been given food or water.
That Nate had been tortured in those cells.
That she’d finally found a man who was kind and protective, and for some reason likedher, and this asshole was trying to take that away from her.
That Gen and Millie thought it was okay to sell her.Sellher!
That apparently there was another woman who’d been sold to this horrible man who was holding her with a grip that felt as if it would leave permanent marks on her body.
Josie wasdone.
She opened her mouth, and all her frustrations poured out.
She screamed as loud as she could. Letting the world hear her frustration, her anger, her sorrow. Life was unfair—and she didn’t want to die!
Even as she continued screaming, Josie felt herself falling. The man had not only let go, he’d shoved her as hard as he could to the side. With her hands bound in front of her, she couldn’t protect herself as she crashed to the ground. She hit the ground hard, her scream cutting off as abruptly as it started.
Pandemonium erupted all around her. Nate, Preacher, and Smiley charged the man the second he shoved her away. Thesound of the damn gun going off again was loud but when Josie looked up, she couldn’t tell if anyone was shot.
There was a tangle of arms and legs as the men fought for control. Josie tried to scoot out of the way, but her shoulder screamed in pain and all she could do was lie on the grass and watch with wide eyes.
The fight, such as it was, ended in seconds. Even though the man she’d been sold to outweighed the SEALs by a hundred pounds or more, Preacher and Smiley quickly had him on his belly with his arms wrenched behind his back and his legs bent in a kind of hogtie situation. They didn’t have anything to tie him with, but he wasn’t going anywhere as long as the two SEALs had a hold of him.
Then Nate was there, kneeling in front of her, blocking Josie’s view.
“Are you all right? Were you hit?”
Hit? No, the man hadn’t struck her. Why would Nate think that?
“Josie, look at me! Did you get shot?”
Oh! That’s what he meant. She shook her head.
“Fuck!” Nate exclaimed.
And for some reason, hearing him say that, remembering back to the first time she’d heard him speak, when he’d said the exact same thing, made Josie feel safe.
Nate didn’t say another word, just reached into his pants pocket and pulled out something small and shiny. To her surprise, the cuffs around her wrists fell off.
“You have a handcuff key in your pocket?” she asked. Now that Nate was here, she had no problem speaking.
