He glared down at Jacqueline. “Do not even think of coming to help me on this.”
“I’ll hide behind the couch,” she promised.
His mouth pressed to hers. Fast. Hard. “Stay low,” he growled. Then he was crouching, staying low, too, and going for his gun. The gun he’d put down while he talked with Constantine. It was no big surprise to see that his buddy had a weapon, too. Constantine’s face had locked into tight, angry lines as he pressed his body against the wall.
“You okay?” Remy demanded when he closed in.
“Because you moved my ass out of the way, yeah, I’m good.”
“You’re not wearing a bulletproof vest.” Hadn’t the jerk learned anything from their time together?
“Neither are you,” Constantine threw back without missing a beat. “In fact, when I first saw you, it looked like you’d just dragged your ass out of bed—”
He had. This wasn’t the time for that talk. “I’ll take the prick coming in the front door. You get the one in the back.”
Constantine inclined his head and moved to—
Remy caught his arm. “Don’t get your ass shot.”
“Same, buddy,same.”
Remy let Constantine go, and he got ready to take out the bastard coming intohishome.
***
Nate had shot the bastard. Hell, yes. Tim practically flew toward the cabin because why worry about going in softly? Sure, sure, Nate hadsaidto be cautious before his partner had bounded toward the back of the place, but they’d taken out Jacqueline’s protection. No need for caution now.
They were miles from town. Miles from any other help. All they had to do was grab the woman andgo.Nate was heading around to the back, in case she tried to run out that way, and Tim was taking the front of the cabin.
So freaking simple. He’d known that if they just waited until nightfall, it would be a piece of cake. They’d have Jacqueline back in New Orleans long before the sun rose, they’d get a fat payday, and maybe he’d hit the casinos in Biloxi and double his money.
He jumped up the porch steps. Lifted his foot and kicked at the door. The first kick didn’t do anything, but the second one sent the door bounding open. “Come out,come out!”Tim bellowed as adrenaline surged through him. “Don’t have anyone to keep you safe, but if you’re nice to me, then I will—”
A chair slammed into the side of his head. The attack came from nowhere—freakingnowhere—and he staggered. His gun slipped from his hand and flew across the room, disappearing behind some old couch even as his knees fell and hit the wooden floor.
“I’m not going to be fuckingniceto you,” a hard voice snarled. “I’m just going to kick your ass and maybe break your fingers.”
Tim’s head turned slowly, and he found himself staring at the big bastard who’d answered the door when he’d come calling before. The jerk who hadn’t cared at all that Tim had flashed an FBI badge at him.
The jerk who didnotseem to be suffering from any gunshot injury. “Hell,” Tim groused. “Nate missed.”
The bastard brought up a gun and aimed it right at Tim’s forehead. “He did, but I won’t.”
Tim froze.
***
Constantine decided to use Remy’s trick. He opened the back door, stepped to the side, and he let his prey rush right inside the cabin. And the fool didn’t even hesitate. He barreled in like he owned the place.
The intruder thundered, “Jacqueline! Come out and make this easy on—”
“Why do it easy?” Constantine drawled. “I prefer the hard way.”
The sonofabitch whirled toward him, gaping. “Who—who—”
Constantine plowed a fist into his jaw. The guy staggered back, tried to raise his weapon, so Constantine just brought up his own gun, much faster. “Nope.” He smiled at the intruder. “I can squeeze my trigger faster than you can. And I’ve got you targeted.Drop it.”
The intruder looked at him, looked at his gun—and didn’t drop it. Even as the man’s face twisted into a snarl, Constantine knew the fool was about to fire.