The sound of flesh hitting flesh—pounding fists—had Jacqueline spinning around. A gasp broke from her when she saw Remy drive his hand into some guy’s stomach. The blow was immediately followed by a vicious upper cut that sent the stranger’s head whipping back as he fell toward the corner.
“Keep working, sweetness,” Remy called, barely sounding out of breath. “I’ve got this.”
Another man burst through the entrance. Smaller, leaner, with bright red hair, he came charging at Remy with a roar.
Remy went in low and slammed into his attacker’s midsection even as he locked his arms around the guy and threw him to the floor. She could have sworn the whole room shook.
“Work, sweetness,”Remy growled.
Her shaking fingers went back to the safe as she turned away.
“Yes,” a voice hissed. The voice that had given her nightmares and sent her running from her home and straight to Remy. “Do keep working.”
Jacqueline froze.
“Keep working or I will have to put a bullet into his brain.”
She broke through the ice that had captured her and leapt to her feet even as she whirled toward Remy once more. He still sprawled on top of the redhead he’d tackled to the floor, but Preston had entered the little room, too. Sure enough, he had a gun pointed at Remy’s head.
“I don’t like blood and gore,” Preston informed her. “I’d hate to splatter your thief’s brains all over my wonderful treasure room, but if you don’t do exactly as I order, then you can watch him die.”
“No.”A snarl from her. Her hand went to her bag. Pushed inside. From what she could see, Remy had left one of Preston’s guards bleeding and unconscious in the corner. As for the redhead, his body was slack beneath Remy’s.He’s unconscious, too.That just left Preston. An armed Preston.
“No?” Preston frowned at her.
“If you shoot him, if you so much asbruisehim, I won’t open the safe. Ever. You shoot him, and you might as well shoot me.”
“Uh, sweetness…” Remy cleared his throat. He also rose, slowly, and she noticed that Preston tracked his movements with the gun.
Had the gun just shook?Preston wasn’t nearly as confident as he seemed.
“Jacqueline…” Remy lifted his hands to show Preston that he wasn’t armed. “I think we need to come up with an agreement thatdoesn’tinvolve you getting shot.”
At the moment, her priority was keeping him safe. “Get the gun away from Remy!” Her voice wavered. Her fingers drove deeper into her bag. “Now!”This time, her yell didn’t waver. It was packed with the fury she felt at seeing a gun pointed at Remy.
Remy could not get hurt.
“I think this is a good exit point,” Remy murmured.
Oh, hell, no.He thought he could toss out their codewordnow?Not happening.He thinks I’m going to try running away and leaving him? He thinks he can drop that ‘exit’ bullshit to me?“I don’t go anywhere without you,” she said fiercely.
He looked at her. His eyes gleamed. “I fucking love you.” His mouth sort of dropped open after the confession, as if the words had just surprised him.
They didn’t surprise her. “I know. I—”
Bam.
Preston had fired his gun. The bastard had fired! Blood bloomed on Remy’s thigh, soaking his jeans, even as he fell to the floor.
“Sonofabitch,”Remy snarled as he grabbed for his leg.
Preston aimed the gun at Remy—at his chest. “I don’t take orders.” The gun stayed on Remy, but Preston’s head turned toward Jacqueline. “Open the safe or he dies. Once he’s dead, if you’re still being a bitch, then I’ll hurt you until you open it. I will hurt you until you beg to do everything I want.”
Her fingers closed around the screwdriver. A gift of love if ever there had been one.
“Don’t,” Remy gritted out.
Was he going to tell her not to open the safe for Preston? He didn’t need to worry. She wasn’t. Shewasterrified because that was so much blood. Remy needed help. They had to get out of there.