doors. Entering the house quietly, he listened for sounds of Holly or Nicole. He moved into the nearby living room, startling Gwen with his sudden appearance. The woman spun around and trained a gun on him.
“Where the fuck is she?” he asked, not mincing words as he strode toward the woman despite the gun.
“She’s upstairs in Preston’s room with Holly,” she said, taking a step back and finding herself blocked by the sofa. “But you can’t get to her.”
The weapon in Gwen’s trembling hand wavered, telling Nathan that she was all talk and no action or she would have shot him by now. She’d given him all the information he needed, and he didn’t have time to waste. Opting for the element of surprise, he grabbed the hand with the gun and twisted hard. She let out an agonized cry and released the weapon. Before she could recover, he spun her around and jammed her arm halfway up her back so she couldn’t move.
She whimpered in pain. “You’re hurting me!”
“Too fucking bad.” None too gently, he guided her into the entryway. Retrieving the handcuffs from his pocket, he snapped one silver bracelet around her wrist, looped the cuffs through a few of the iron-rod stair rails, and shackled her other hand so she couldn’t go anywhere.
She jerked against her restraints, her expression furious. “You can’t do this!” she wailed.
“I just did.” He took the stairs two at a time to the second landing. Remembering where Preston’s room was located from the tour he’d given them, he headed silently in that directly.
As he neared the closed double doors, he pulled out his gun. His heart beat fast and furious in his chest. Hearing muffled sounds coming from inside the bedroom, he pressed his ear to the door. He could make out screams and Sloane cursing-none of it good. Alarmed, he tried to turn the knob, but the doors were locked as tight as Fort Knox.
A sinking sense of despair nearly brought Nathan to his knees.
There was no busting down the steel doors.
And no saving Nicole.
Nicole refused to die. And she refused to let Sloane violate her. Despite Sloane’s brute force, she fought him off with every ounce of strength she had in her-and it was a surprising amount considering how exhausted she was. She kicked and screamed and bit whatever exposed flesh she could find. She caught his cheek between her teeth, and he howled in pain as she bit down so hard she drew blood.
He smacked her, subduing her for only a few seconds before she was clawing at him with her fingernails and using her knees to kick him where it counted. He swore, his voice a low, threatening growl that sent chills down her spine-and still she didn’t stop fighting for her life, because she had a whole lot to live for.
Somewhere in the room Holly was bawling and pleading for Sloane to please, please, stop.
Nicole felt the gun pressing against her side, and made a grab for it, but Sloane was faster. They struggled for the weapon, but he overpowered her and shoved the barrel of the gun into her stomach.
She kneed him in the groin, and he pulled the trigger. She gasped as a blinding, searing pain ripped through her side, stealing her breath from her lungs. Someone pounded on the door. She could have sworn she heard Nathan yelling her name. Then again, it could have been her mind playing tricks on her.
“Stupid bitch,” Sloane sneered. Still on top of her, he pressed the muzzle of the gun against her throat, and Nicole knew he was going to kill her with the next shot. “You’re just not worth the trouble.”
She closed her eyes, wishing she’d had the chance to tell Nathan she loved him. Because she did. With all her heart. And he’d never, ever know. The pain in her side was nothing compared with the ache in her heart.
She heard a loud, sickening
Holly knelt on the bed and shoved Sloane’s unconscious body off her. Her face was drenched with tears, her gaze devastated and contrite. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Nicole. He was going to kill you and I couldn’t let him.”
“What…” She sucked in a breath as a sharp burn began spreading through her, and her vision blurred. “… did you… do to him?”
“I hit him over the head with one of his bronze statues,” she said, and in that moment Nicole was so proud of the girl. “Oh, God, Nicole, you’re bleeding so much.”
Nicole touched her hand to her side and winced as she saw the slick red substance coating her fingers. The pain was nearly unbearable. She couldn’t move, and she wondered if she was going to die after all.
This time, there was no mistaking Nathan’s frantic voice, and she tried to stay focused. Just for a few more precious minutes. “Holly… unlock the door… and let him in.”
The sound of a gunshot going off behind the locked doors stopped Nathan’s heart. That distinct feeling of helplessness swamped him, and he continued his futile pounding on the door, hoping, praying, that she was okay.
Down below in the entryway he heard a loud commotion, and knew his backup had finally arrived-maybe too late.
Just as law enforcement came barreling down the hallway, the doors to the bedroom opened. The men charged inside, guns drawn, but as soon as they realized that Sloane was out cold and the threat had been defused, they reholstered their weapons, took Sloane into custody, and started securing the crime scene.
Holly stood off to the side, obviously in shock as one of the men made sure she was okay, while Nathan quickly made his way to Nicole where she was lying on the bed, a crimson pool of moisture staining the bedspread beneath her. There was so much blood, and while she was still alive, he had no idea the extent of her injuries.
“Get an ambulance here,” he yelled out.
“They’re already on their way,” someone called back.
He sat down beside Nicole and took her hand, careful not to jostle her body or cause her more pain. Her eyes were glassy, her breathing slow and shallow. His throat closed up on him, making it difficult for him to talk.
She smiled up at him, her lips as pale as her face. “Did they get him?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
“Yeah, we got him,” he said. “
“Good.” She moaned, and gasped for breath. “That’s all that matters.”
She closed her eyes, and then she passed out.
Chapter Twenty-one
Nicole woke up slowly, her head foggy and her midsection feeling as though she’d been in a boxing match. Her lashes fluttered open, and she stared at unfamiliar white walls and an IV hooked up to her arm. It took her a moment to remember that she’d been shot, and now she was obviously in the hospital after surgery.
She turned her head, and her heart softened in her chest when she saw Nathan sitting on a chair beside her bed, his dark head resting on the mattress by her hip as he slept. He was holding her hand, as if he was afraid of letting go of her. Afraid she’d leave him.
She wasn’t going anywhere, not without him. And she planned to let this amazing man know just how much he meant to her. Seeing her life flash before her eyes while a crazed man held a gun to her throat had a way of putting things into perspective. There was no denying that Nathan was the best thing to ever happen to her. She was just a little slow on the uptake when it came to facing her feelings, and believing in them.
Not anymore. She’d spent years avoiding a commitment, her fears crippling her ability to give any man her whole heart and fall in love. Or maybe it was just a matter of the
