Hold On (Page 181)

“Yo,” Colt answered.

“Cal reports burgundy Taurus in Cher’s drive. You and Sully. Mike and me. And I’m calling Tanner. We go in soft with no one else there to fuck this shit up.”

“You’re too close to this, brother. Let me call Drew and Sean there. Adam and Ellen,” Colt replied. “We’ll take care of her.”

“If I’m too close, you’re too close,” Garrett gave him the truth.

There was a pause, then, “Fuck.”

Colt knew the truth.

“You call cap,” Garrett ordered. “Tell him what we’re doin’, but do not let him throw everything we got at this so fifteen squads from all over the county roll in hot and tweak this guy to do somethin’ even stupider than abducting my woman. We don’t know what we’re dealin’ with here. We go in easy.”

“You got it. I’m on it. Meet you there.”

“Our ETA, five.”

“Ours, seven. But we’ll shave off two.”

They disconnected.

Her own fucking house.

He called her number. It was the fourth time he’d called since he’d heard.

She didn’t answer.

Then he called Tanner and gave him the news.

“Okay, keep your shit, man, but if this is about Lowe, her bein’ Lowe’s and now you bein’ hers, this could be about you. Goin’ to her place, he could be drawin’ you there,” Tanner warned.

“That thought crossed my mind,” Garrett replied.

“We’ll get her, brother,” Tanner assured.

They would.

They had to.

Because he definitely could survive losing Mia.

He could even survive losing his mom.

But he wasn’t sure he was capable of waking up and not seeing Cher’s pretty.

* * * * *

Cher

“You’re breaking all my shit,” I bit out.

He was also near to dislocating my shoulder, jerking me around while he shoved the gun in my shelves in my media center and knocked shit off, not to mention tore pictures off the wall.

“Ratted on him. Got him caught. Weasel fucker,” he muttered.

Things had turned.

He had turned.

It was like I wasn’t there. He was so focused on finding cameras that didn’t exist, I was an afterthought.

And I was fucked.

There was nothing I could do. My hands were still zip-tied behind my back.

I couldn’t run and get shot dead, making my son fatherless and motherless.

I couldn’t fight to try and get the gun away from him.

I couldn’t think of Ryker on my floor, hopefully still breathing.

I couldn’t think of Ryan at all.

I couldn’t do anything but get extremely pissed off that my life sucked so fucking bad.

I should have known.

Never hope.

Never want.

Certainly never dream.

Never.

If this guy made me dead, he’d set my kid on a path where he could learn that.

And I wouldn’t be there to set him straight.

Fucker.

Fucking fucker.

“Please let me go,” I whispered.

He didn’t let me go.

His head came up and he jerked me around so quickly, my head snapped on my neck.

I saw him stare at the door.

My eyes shot to the door.

Was someone there?

Should I cry out?

“You ratted too.”

His words in that weird whisper made me look to him.

He was looking at me.

“I wanted to make a video for them. A nice video they’d like. A video of you on his camera. A video of me cleaning up Denny’s business.”

Oh God.

Please let someone be out there.

“You,” he kept whispering, “the slut-stripper whore and the weasel. You got him caught.”

“He was murdering people,” I replied.

“In the name of love.”

I stared at him.

Fucking fuck this guy was whacked.

And there it was. Just my luck. Just the suckage of my life.

I missed it.

Again.

“It’s time,” he said.

Oh no.

Shit.

Fuck.

“Time for what?” I asked.

“Time for it to end.”

He jerked me to the door. He opened the door. He kicked the storm and the glass shattered.

He put the gun to my head and walked me out, our feet crunching on glass.

He held me in front of him like a shield.

I could feel the cold metal against my temple.

But all I could see was Merry standing in my yard.

His gun was up, his eyes on me.

He was there.

Of course he was there.

He took care of me.

“Lower your weapon!” I heard Mike shout.

It was just a flicker of movement, but I knew Merry’s eyes were now on Jones.

“Lower your weapon and step away from Ms. Rivers!” I heard Sully yell.

“Her first,” Jones shouted to Merry. “Then you.”

Gun still up, Merry’s eyes stayed locked to Jones.

“You got a bead?” I heard Tanner ask.

I swallowed.

He’d take care of me. He was there. Right there. In my yard.

He loved me.

We’d finally found happy.

He’d take care of me.

I had to believe.

He was Merry, my Merry.

I had to believe.

I stayed focused on Merry.

Merry stayed focused on Jones.

His head barely moved, but it did.

In an affirmative.

I braced.

“Hold on,” Merry said.

That was for me.

And I did what I was told.

I held on and believed.

Jones shifted minutely.

“Take the shot!” Colt roared.

Merry’s gun exploded.