‘It’s all going to be fine baby, you’ll see, we’ll be back with Marcy and Alfie in no time’ he soothes.
All I can do is sit back as my team mate works on the woman, pressing dressings to the bullet wound in her back to staunch the flow of blood until we hear the wail of an ambulance siren.
Handing over to the paramedics, Kent rattles off everything they need to know as I stand beside Howard and watch his wife being placed on a stretcher and wheeled from the room.
‘Howard’ I start as he takes a step to follow the medical personnel.
‘Don’t’ the man snaps at me, not turning to face me, ‘don’t say anything. I paid you to keep me and my family and friends safe, paid you handsomely at that, and you failed.’
He turns toward me finally, grief and anger consuming him as he takes a step toward me, ‘if she dies, I will make sure that you and your father pay’ he spits.
‘Howard . ‘ I try to placate him, reaching out to grab his shoulder. The man shakes me off aggressively, snarling at me before turning on his heel and storming out of the room, leaving his party attendees to be dealt with by my staff and our local police department.
Hours later and the final guests have been questioned and released, all statements taken and I’m ready to go home and drown myself in a bottle of scotch.
‘Boss’ Zara appears at my elbow, the stunning silver ball gown she’s wearing that accentuates her Mediterranean skin tone, is ripped across the shoulder and held together with a safety pin.
‘Nice tackle’ I sigh gruffly, ‘you took that guy down like a sack of shit.’
Zara nods, not smiling, and I groan loudly, ‘what?’ I demand.
‘The shooter, he’s already singing boss’ she replies tiredly, ‘he’s just a hired gun and not a well paid one at that. This was a sloppy attempt and I wonder if it was just a shot at LeGrange or . . . ‘
I glance at her, frowning, ‘you think this was a test of us?’ I ask quickly.
Zara shrugs, ‘I don’t know boss, I could be wrong, but with a target like LeGrange? Everyone knows his detail, you wouldn’t send a damn amateur in to take him out.’
I growl angrily, ‘how the f*ck did he get in here?’ I demand, ‘we covered every exit and searched every person who came in.’
‘We found it’ Lincoln says as he walks up to us, pulling a the bow tie around his neck to loosen it. ‘Asshole paid off one of the kitchen staff who unbolted an air vent that leads to outside. All the bastard had to do was unscrew the plate and climb through, brought him right out in the men’s toilets.’
‘Motherf*cker’ I shout, wishing I had something to throw, this is on me, it’s all on me, I didn’t do my due diligence and my charge’s wife was hit, F*CK!
Tessa’s POV
I awake with a jolt, the blackness around me tells me that it’s still the middle of the night but I have no idea what disturbed me. Tilting my head, I strain to listen, to hear whatever it was that broke through my sleep.
Outside, I can hear trees rustling in the wind, and around me are the general creaks of an old house. Frowning, I curl onto my side, pulling my pillow down slightly so I can get comfortable, my eyes drooping as I will my body to relax.
Sinking deeper into the mattress, I sigh gently as the claws of sleep pull me under again.
A low groan has my eyes snap open again, and I sit up, listening hard until I hear it again. The noise is coming from the room next to mine, the room that Caleb sleeps in. Crawling up the bed, I press my ear to the wall as soft whimpers echo through the barrier.
‘No!’ Caleb calls out, ‘no! get back!’
My palms are flat against the wall as I listen, it sounds like Caleb is talking to someone, but there are no other voices.
‘Get down!’ he suddenly yells loudly, making me jump, ‘Asher! Asher!’
Clambering off my bed, I rush to my bedroom door, throwing it open and tiptoeing down the corridor to Caleb’s door. Standing outside, I can now hear the panic in his voice, real fear that claws at my heart.
I lift my hand and rap against the wood with my knuckles.
‘Caleb?’ I call out softly, ‘are you OK?’
‘No No No! get out of there! There are too many!’ he’s yelling and I’m sure he’s thrashing around from the sounds inside.
I bounce on my toes, indecision gnawing at me, we had a good moment over dinner, but that doesn’t mean he’d be happy with me barging in his room.
I’m just about to turn back to my own room when a wail of despair rents through the air, the sound of a wounded animal that has me grabbing the door handle and throwing open the door.
Inside, Caleb is flailing on the bed, the sheets wrapped tightly around one of his legs as he yells in anguish.
‘No Spencer, get back! That’s an order! Get Back!’ he screams, gripping at the bed as his body shakes.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.