Catching Teardrops (MAC Security 5)

There’s a second of silence where Lily looks at me, her eyes wide and shocked and I try to show her what she means to me in one final look. One final chance to tell her, “I love you,” and just as the words leave my mouth, I hear her terrified scream, piercing through me with so much force I stumble back.

LILY

“No!” I scream, jerking forward with so much force I knock my chair down. The wood splinters but it’s not enough to get me free. “No! Luke!” Tears stream down my face as I watch him stumble back, Kim’s shouts mixing in with mine as she tries to get free too, but nothing she does is working either.

We’re stuck, watching in horror as the sound of the gun goes off again, a bullet flying through the air and into Luke’s chest. One. Two. Three. Four. With each bullet he jerks back, his arm trying to lift the gun in his own hand to defend himself, but the shot to his arm is too much for him.

I see the pain on his face, the utter devastation as he looks at me, sorrow and sadness shining through his eyes as he collapses to the floor.

“Help!” I scream, but I don’t know why because no one can hear us here. We’re stuck and alone—nothing and no one to save us.

Dean slowly walks between me and Kim, turning his back on us as he stands over Luke, his gun still pointed at him.

“You cheated.” He tsks, shaking his head. “I kill cheaters.” He shrugs. “I was gonna play fair, but not after that. Now you all die… starting with you.”

I can’t stop the sob from breaking free as I watch Luke’s face drain, his body stilling, but the light still shines in his eyes even if it is only a flicker.

I jerk as hard as I can, needing to get to him. To protect him, to hold him.

A small sound gains my attention, and when I turn my head, I see Reid undoing Kim’s ropes. I’m about to shout out—to scream the place down m

ore than I already am—but when he shakes his head, I keep my lips sealed. Once Kim is free, he moves toward me and undoes my ropes.

I expect the rest of the guys to come in, and Reid must see it in my eyes because he shakes his head.

“They don’t know he’s here.”

My eyes widen as the ropes fall away.

“He was evil,” Luke croaks out, his voice nothing like it normally is as his gaze flickers over to me, his body seeming to relax when he sees I’m free. “He deserved to die.”

“No, he didn’t!” Dean screams, pulling at his hair.

“Run,” Reid whispers, pulling his gun out, but I shake my head. There’s no way I’m going anywhere but forward and to the only man I’ll ever love. Nothing will compare to the way I feel about him, nobody will ever have my heart and soul the way he does.

“Time’s up,” Reid growls, causing Dean to whip his head around.

I keep my gaze trained on Luke as he lifts his arm slowly, the sound of his gun firing blasting through the space as the bullet flies toward Dean.

His body jerks, but he turns around, shooting the rest of his clip into Luke’s body before Reid takes a shot at Dean’s head, his body slamming down onto the floor.

It all happens so quickly.

My legs are frozen, stuck to the ground, my limbs heavy, but I fight through it and make it five steps to Luke before I collapse. My knees smack off the floor, blood covering them as I move closer to him. I flutter my hands over his chest, not knowing where to press or where all the blood is coming from.

I push my hands down, hoping like hell I’m at least holding some of the blood inside his body.

“Darlin’,” he whispers, his voice as broken as he is. “There’s too much.”

“No,” I plead as I press down even harder, but the blood flows through my fingers too fast—a river breaking a dam. “You can’t leave, I can’t live without you.”

His hand reaches for my face, his touch so gentle—too gentle.

“I saved you.” He splutters, blood pouring from his mouth. “That’s all that matters.”

Reid comes to his knees on the other side of him, pulling stuff out of a bag and talking on his cell, but I don’t pay attention to him or Kim as she stands sobbing.

“It’s not.” I move my hands to his face, spreading blood over his cheeks as I grasp him tightly and press my forehead to his. “Please,” I beg. “Fight. Fight for me, you, us. Please… Just… don’t go.”