Page 95 of A Tempting Seduction

“Shoot! I heard the shooting. You killed my partner.”

“That was Ford. I'm unarmed.”

Ruby started to struggle against the man's grip, and he jerked her braid harder. “Stop moving!”

“Why should I stop?” Ruby's voice was defiant, stronger than I'd expected. “You're just going to kill me anyway.”

The gunman was getting more agitated, arguing with Jase about weapons while Ruby continued to fight. I pressed my hand to my stomach and leaned against the wall.

“Idiot! I'm going to pass out,” I said, letting my voice go weak. I watched as Ruby struggled more from under my lashes. I didn’t slump to the floor, nope, I face planted forward. In front of the gunman ad Ruby. Loud. Spread-eagle.

I heard a shot. The gunshot was impossibly loud in the confined space. I prayed it was Jase as I looked up.

I saw Ruby covered in blood. I felt my world crash and burn.

Then I realized she was standing, and the gunman was on the floor.

Ruby ran the three steps toward me and dropped to her knees. “Ford! Wake up, honey. Please, baby. Wake up.”

Before I could say anything, I heard Jase laughing. “He’s fine, Ruby. He’s probably got the wind knocked out of him.”

“What are you talking about?” she snarled. “Call an ambulance!” she demanded.

I sat up slowly. “Sweetheart, I’m fine.” I pulled her into my arms. We were both bloody messes. I wiped the blood and other bits from her face.

“Ewww,” she cried. She used the hem of her shirt to start wiping her face, but it was bloody too, and it just made it worse. What’s more, she was almost exposing her belly.

“Jase, get a towel.” I commanded.

“On it.”

“There’s nobody else?” Ruby asked, her voice shaking.

“Simon and Nolan are outside. It’s quiet,” Jase assured her as he handed her two bath towels from my bathroom.

Ruby looked at me for reassurance. “It’s really over?”

“Yeah,” I said, looking at Jase over her head. “It's over.”

But even as I said the words, I knew it wasn't true. Tonight was over. This attack was over.

But somewhere out there, Horace Waters was still breathing. Still planning. Still coming for the woman in my arms.

This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

Chapter Twenty-One

The wheels touched down at LAX with a bump that made me wince, not from the landing but from watching Ford's jaw clench as he gritted his teeth against what had to be serious pain. Two days. It had been two days since Saturday night when those men attacked us at his house, and the stubborn man was still pretending he felt fine.

He didn't look fine. The knife wound on his upper arm had to hurt really bad. The cut had been deep enough to require seventeen stitches, and they’d even discussed surgery at one point, but decided against it.

More concerning was how much blood he'd lost during the fight. The doctor at Jasper Creek Medical had been very clear that Ford needed to take it easy. Getting on a plane did not fall under the ‘take it easy’ category.

But here we were, Monday afternoon, descending into Los Angeles because Ford Larson was too protective to let me face this alone. As soon as the flight attendant said we could unfasten our seatbelts, Ford got up and opened the overhead compartment.

“Don't even think about it,” I said as he started to reach for my bag.