Watch Me (Dark Obsession #1)(37)
Author: Cynthia Eden

But Daniel yanked Gwen to her feet. He locked one arm around her neck and put the gun to her head.

Chance struggled to rise. To reach for the gun that had slipped from his fingers.

Daniel kicked the weapon out of Chance’s reach.

“You know…” Daniel’s voice actually sounded as if he were considering the situation. “I think she loved you, Valentine. Enough to die for you. Lucky sonofabitch.” Then he hauled Gwen back, pulling her inside of Wicked.

Chance tried to crawl after them. “Gwen!”

“I love you,” she whispered. Daniel’s hold was too strong. She was clawing at his arm, but she couldn’t break free.

He dragged her across the threshold then slammed the door shut and locked them inside Wicked.

“Ethan’s waiting for you,” he said, his breath blowing against her ear. “Come on…this has been such a long fucking time coming.” He was hauling her across the floor.

She kicked back at him, trying to do as much damage to him as she could. Chance was safe—for the moment. Now she had to survive. She had to stop Daniel. She had to—

They were now in front of the bar in Wicked. Ethan was there. Tied to a chair. Thick ropes were around his chest, his arms, and his legs. A gag had been shoved over his mouth and tied in place. Ethan’s head sagged forward, but she could see the blood sliding down his cheeks. He appeared to have been slashed across the face—one deep slash slid across his left cheek and one streaked across his right.

Blood also soaked his shirt. Stabbed. From the look of things, he’d been stabbed again and again…

A table had overturned next to him, and she remembered the crash she’d heard when she and Chance had been outside Wicked, when Daniel had been feeding them that line of bull about Ethan wrecking the place in a fury. Now she realized that Ethan must have managed to push over that table. He’d probably been trying to alert them, to get help—

It’s too late for help now.

A low whimper slipped from her because of the obvious abuse Ethan had endured.

“Not so handsome anymore, is he?” Daniel asked. “Not the fucking perfect son anymore.”

Ethan’s head tipped back. He stared at Gwen with dawning horror in his eyes. He twisted in his bonds.

“Before I kill you…” Now Gwen realized that Daniel was speaking to Ethan, not her. “I thought you’d like to see Gwen once more. You know…to tell her good-bye.”

Ethan’s eyes were frantic.

“After that, I’m going to kill her.” Daniel laughed. A truly chilling sound. “I’ll kill her, then you…big brother.”

Gwen shook her head. Had he just said…brother?

***

Chance grabbed the gun. His fingers were soaked with blood so the gun nearly slipped away, but he just tightened his hold on it. He rose slowly, fighting the pain and the nausea that rolled through him. One bullet was in his back. One in his gut.

The bastard should have killed him. Because only death would have stopped Chance.

I’m coming for you, Gwen. One step. Two. He pushed the pain back. Focused on her. He reached out for the door.

Locked.

Like that would slow him down.

He pointed that gun and fired. The lock didn’t give so he fired again. If he had to, he’d claw down that door because he was getting inside. Chance was getting to Gwen.

I love you.

He’d heard those words from her. Seen the love in her eyes. Chance would kill the fool who’d threatened her. Kill him.

The lock gave way and Chance shoved open the door.

***

At the thunder of gunfire, Daniel spun around. “What in the hell?” His hold eased on Gwen as he surged toward the dying blast.

That moment of confusion was just what Gwen needed. She tore free of him and raced toward the nearest chair.

“No!” Daniel lunged after her. “Stop!”

Gwen threw a chair at him even as he fired. She felt the burn of the bullet graze over her arm. She grabbed for another chair. She lifted it—

His gun was aimed at her again. Pointing at her heart.

“Devlin is coming,” she said, her words rushing out quickly as she kept that chair up, her only weapon. “He was out back. He’s the one who—”

Daniel laughed. “The dark-haired one? Yeah, I already took him out.”

Gwen shook her head.

“I used my knife on him, so you wouldn’t hear the attack. Did it nice and fast. I left him in a pool of blood…”

Ethan muttered frantically behind his gag.

Daniel’s gaze flew toward him. “What? It’s your fault. It’s all your fault. You’re the one dear old Dad chose. He lived with you and your bitch of a mother, but you weren’t grateful. He turned his back on me and my mom, but you still hated him. You still—”

Gunfire. Thundering. Erupting. Slamming into Daniel and he jerked like a marionette on a string. He tried to turn toward the shooter, but Gwen slammed her chair into him. Daniel fell, and his gun slid across the floor. Gwen scrambled after it. She grabbed the weapon, fumbled, aimed it, and saw…

Chance stood just a few feet away. Bloody. Swaying a little. And with his weapon still up and pointed toward Daniel.

Gwen ran to Chance. She locked her arms around him and held on to him as tightly as she could. Tears were filling her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. Chance was alive. Strong. With her. He was—

Falling.

She couldn’t stop him. They both crashed to the floor. Frantic, she yelled, “Chance!”

There was so much blood. Too much. She looked behind him and saw that he’d left a trail of blood as he walked into the room.

“Can’t…feel legs now…” Chance whispered.

Her heart nearly stopped.

She grabbed his hand.

“Can’t…feel you…so cold…”

No. No! “Chance, please, please don’t do this. I love you!”

His lips lifted, in just the faintest smile. The smile that had stolen her heart so long ago. “Always…love you…do anything…for you…”

Gwen could hear the scream of sirens. The police were coming. Someone must have reported the shots. Police—and an ambulance? “Help is almost here. We’re both going to make it. We’ll be okay.”

Ethan was muttering, growling behind his gag, but she didn’t look at him. She couldn’t look away from Chance.

Even though his eyes were closing.

“No!” Gwen yelled. “You say you’ll do anything for me? Then don’t die! Don’t you dare die! You live with me. You live for me!”