Mine to Hold (Mine #3)(57)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“I’m not going to jail!”

“Yes, you are. You’re going to jail just like Ethan did. Your whole family—you’re the crazy ones!”

Then Noah was there. He ran onto the balcony. “Claire!”

Austin whirled toward Noah. He brought his gun up, aiming right at Noah.

“No!” Claire screamed.

Austin’s hand jerked.

Claire fired her weapon even as Austin shot at Noah. Her bullet hit Austin in the shoulder, and he stumbled, falling forward.

Claire raced past him, hurrying toward Noah. He’d fallen too. Please, God, not Noah, not Noah.

Noah’s head lifted. “Fucking ass**le!” And he tried to charge at Austin.

Claire threw her arms around Noah. He was alive. He was safe. They were both alive. “I love you.” The words burst from her.

Noah stiffened. His arms tightened around her then, squeezing her so much that he stole her breath.

“No!” Austin’s snarling voice. “You don’t escape, Claire! Not this time!”

She tried to look back, but Noah grabbed Claire and shoved her behind him.

“Neither of you escape,” Austin shouted.

Noah had put his body in front of Claire. He’d yanked the gun from her hand.

Gunshots filled the night.

But…

Austin’s gun had been equipped with a silencer. She shouldn’t have been able to hear so many shots. Claire craned her neck to see around Noah.

“No one shoots my partner.”

She looked to the left. Lane was there, standing on the balcony, his weapon still drawn. Pointed at Austin.

Her gaze flew back to Austin. He was on his feet, but staggering. Under the lights of the balcony, she could see the dark balloon of blood on his chest. From several wounds.

Noah had a gun aimed at Austin, too. Noah and Lane had both shot the guy. That was why she’d heard the sound of so many gunshots.

Austin sank to his knees. “Claire…”

“Go to hell,” she whispered back to him.

And, he did. Austin tumbled back, and the blood pooled beneath him.

***

“You’re going to be okay.”

Claire’s head turned at the husky words. Gwen had just been loaded onto a stretcher, and Lane was right beside her, holding tightly to her hand.

“It’s barely a scratch, love,” Lane told her. “Just another kick-ass battle wound for you to show off to the guys back in D.C.”

Claire stepped toward them. Gwen’s eyes were open. She whispered something to Lane—

“I love you, too,” he told her as he bent to kiss her hand.

Then the EMTs wheeled Gwen out of the suite. Claire watched her go, frozen, heart-sick. Gwen had been hurt because of her. A hotel bellman had been found with a gunshot wound to the head. When Austin had said that he had tied up loose ends, the sonofabitch had meant it.

His body was still out on the balcony. Cops and crime scene techs swarmed around him.

“Are you okay?” At the gruff question, Claire looked up and found Drake standing near the doorway.

She nodded.

“Claire…” He sighed her name. “Stop trying to bullshit me.” Then she found herself being yanked into his arms. “You look like you’re about to shatter.”

She felt that way. “I-I thought Austin wasn’t like them.” Maybe that was what hurt the most.

“Noah wants you out of here.” Easing back, Drake stared down at her. “He has to talk with the cops, but he wanted me to take you downstairs so you’d be safe.”

And all she wanted was…Noah.

She’d told him that she loved him. She hadn’t meant for those words to spill out. In that one instant, she’d just been so afraid and her guard had lowered.

“The cops will want to talk with me, too.” Her gaze darted back to the balcony. Noah was out there with the cops.

“Come with me, Claire. You don’t need to—hell, you don’t need to watch them bring out the body.”

No, she didn’t want to watch that. “Noah killed him.” Her voice was just for his ears. “Didn’t he?”

“He told me they didn’t know yet if Lane’s bullet or his ended the bastard. Either way, I figure it’s good riddance.” He turned, and with a steady hold on her, Drake led her to the door.

She didn’t look back when they slipped out of that suite. The EMTs and Gwen were already gone. Claire glanced down and realized she still had blood on her hands.

A few moments later, the elevator dinged. She and Drake slipped inside when the doors parted. Then, as soon as they were alone and on their way down, Claire confessed, “I didn’t want him to do it.”

Drake lifted a brow.

“I never wanted Noah to kill for me.”

“I know.”

She sucked in a gulp of air. “Why did it have to happen like this?”

With his eyes on her, Drake shook his head. “You’re not responsible, got it? Austin Harrison is to blame. The man was twisted, and he needed to be put down.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“To me, it is. And for Noah, the choice was kill or be killed. He did just what he’d been trained to do.”

I love you.

She stared at her blood-stained hands. “What’s going to happen now?”

“I’d say that’s up to you and Noah.”

Noah hadn’t said much. That was the problem. After Austin had fallen, Noah had pushed her inside the suite as fast as he could. His hands had roamed over her, checking for injuries, and when he’d been satisfied that she was unharmed, he’d let her go.

I love you. “I think I made a mistake.” She straightened her shoulders.

The elevator stopped. The doors opened, and she hurried to exit. But Drake caught her shoulder. “What mistake?”

Swallowing, Claire looked over at him. “I fell for Noah.” He’d gotten right past her guard. “Austin wanted to hurt him. I couldn’t let that happen. I-I was the one to fire the first shot.”

“Because you were saving Noah.”

She had saved him, barely. Austin’s bullet hadn’t hit Noah. She licked her lips. “I shot first because I love Noah.”

And everyone I love gets hurt.

***

“Austin Harrison.” Lane shook his head as he watched the body get bagged and tagged. “Never seen crazy run in a family as much as it did in that one.”

A thick knot of tension curled at the top of Noah’s spine. “He was going to kill Claire.” Every time he thought of just how close he’d come to losing her…I’ll have nightmares forever about that moment.