I shot to my feet, pushing it open, not registering Tenn's hasty, "Scarlett, wait—"
I should have listened. The second the door swung open, a hand shot out to close over my wrist, dragging me into the room so fast I stumbled. Before I could hit the ground, an arm looped around my neck, hauling me to my feet, holding me still as a gun pressed to my temple.
Chapter Thirty-Three
SCARLETT
I stumbled, terrified I was going to fall and end up getting shot in the head. The arm around my neck pinned me to a wide chest. Not Elliott or Thatcher. Too broad. Too tall. The arm around my neck tightened, the cold barrel of a gun pressing to my temple.
Tenn stood across the room from me, his face stone, eyes giving away nothing.
"Who the fuck ah you?" demanded a voice to my right in a pronounced Boston accent. My stomach sank. I was a complete idiot. I'd wanted to see Thatcher so badly I hadn't stopped to think about who else might be in the room.
Boston accent plus a gun to my head had to equal the Learys. Fuck.
Tenn was as calm and cool as a mountain lake. Hands loose at his sides, he kept his eyes on the man with the gun to my head. "That's Thatcher's mother you have there. We're here for him. Whatever you've got going on with Elliott doesn't have anything to do with us."
"That fuck'n idgit. Who goes on the run with a kid?" said the one to my right.
"Elliott is an idiot," I said carefully, the arm around my neck cutting into my air. "I don't care what you do with him, we're just here for Thatcher."
I hadn't missed that Tenn didn't identify himself. Right now, the Sawyer name was more of a liability than a help. The last thing we needed was for these guys to decide that taking Tenn hostage would lead to a big payout.
"Can't give 'im to you," the first guy said. I couldn't turn my neck to see any of them, but I could tell by their voices who was speaking. Close enough, at least. I wasn't sure it mattered. All that mattered was Thatcher. A few minutes ago, all I wanted was to see his face. Now, I hoped he was long gone. Unlikely, with his backpack on the bed and Elliott's car in the parking lot.
"What do you need with the kid?" Tenn asked as if this whole thing was an inconvenience. I wouldn't have guessed he'd be such a good actor. I wished I could pull off his cool, but all I could do was try not to pass out from terror.
"Leverage," was the answer. Not good.
"Elliott isn't enough?" Tenn asked, sounding more curious than truly interested.
"He needs motivation."
"What if we—" My voice disappeared at the crank of the arm on my neck. Blinking at the sudden lack of air, everything got a little hazy as the room exploded in sound and motion.
The door swung inward, familiar voices talking in hushed whispers. Like lightening, Tenn lunged, his hand closing over Thatcher's shoulder, hauling Thatch behind him and sending him to the ground with a hard shove. The moment he let go of Thatcher, he caught Elliott with an arm around the neck, his free hand coming up to press a gun to Elliott's temple.
Standoff.
Tenn had moved so fast, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Maybe he'd spotted their approach through the open curtains. He must have been ready for them, but he'd given no sign. He'd shoved Thatcher out of the line of fire and grabbed Elliott in a heartbeat. With his arm around Elliott's neck, Tenn held Elliott captive in a mirror of my own position.
In a lazy drawl, he said, "Wanna trade?"
My jaw would have dropped if it hadn't been jammed shut by the goon's arm. How could he sound so in control? So relaxed? My insides were ice, my heart and mind screaming in terror. I was barely holding it together and Tenn sounded like he was talking about the last Danish at breakfast.
That was when it hit me. In that exact moment, breathless with fear, I knew I loved Tennessee Sawyer. I knew it because I was afraid, but I was not alone. As long as Tenn was with me, I'd never be alone. I can't tell you how I understood that with such certainty.
Watching him press his gun to Elliott's head, my son almost hidden from view on the floor behind him, I knew.
This man was not going to bail on me, or take advantage, or treat my kids like they weren't important. This man was worth loving, and I wasn't foolish enough to do anything but love him the way he deserved. Just as soon as we got out of here.