But instead of a bullet, I was knocked over to one side, landing on the furry rug with a whoof. And at the same time, a dark figure tackled Miss Lane, struggling for a moment before wrenching the gun from her hands and forcing the woman face down on the rug.
I lay there, stunned and breathless, unable to move for a moment. But slowly, my eyes focused because it was Luke on me. My big, dark lover had come to save the day, and at this moment, all two hundred pounds were draped on me, pressing me into the carpet, shielding me from any bullets.
“You got her?” came his heavy grunt.
My eyes rolled wildly. What was going on?
But the man who’d tackled Miss Lane sat up now, snapping cuffs around her wrists with one hand while pushing her face into the carpet.
“Got her,” he grunted. “She’s not going anywhere. You guys okay?”
And with that, Luke moved off me. Oh god, it’d felt so good to have him here, that wide chest pressed against my back, the heavy thighs plastered to mine, the assurance of his masculinity, that confidence radiating from his big form. I sat up dazed, looking around as my mom ran over, bursting into tears while throwing her arms around my shoulders.
“Baby!” she sobbed, her voice muffled in my hair. “I thought you were going to die! My baby girl!” she whimpered.
I hugged my mom back, still unable to process what had happened. Had Miss Lane just threatened to kill me? And Luke was here now, my savior during our time of need?
But it was true because the alpha male got to his feet, glowering before hocking a loogie and spitting on Miss Lane. It wasn’t pretty, the glob of saliva oozing in her hair, disgusting and wet. But Luke has never been a nice guy, and if someone threatens his property, he’s all over it. His foot literally raised, ready to kick her in the face, but something made him hold back.
“Tell Kitty,” he rasped, eyes blazing at Miss Lane. “Tell Kitty what you did.”
The older woman was sobbing into the rug now, face down, hands grabbing at her hair.
“Mwmwmwm!” was all we could hear.
But Luke’s bodyguard grabbed Miss Lane’s hair and yanked her head up so that we could see her face.
“Mwmwmwm!” she wailed, a blubbering mess. “Mwmwwm!”
Mr. Lyons wasn’t having it. He seized the gun that had been lying discarded on the rug and pointed it at Miss Lane. The Friday Night Special looked almost comical in his hands, so small in that huge fist. But still, it was deadly and the look in his eyes even scarier.
“Tell her,” he rasped once more. “Don’t make me say it again.”
And Miss Lane opened her mouth then, revealing broken, jagged teeth and a mouthful of blood.
“I love you Luke!” she wailed. “I love you soooo much!” It was like a scene from a horror movie where a zombie rises from the dead, red liquid dripping from its mouth.
Luke shook his head in rage, this time stepping near to push the gun against her temple.
“Tell her,” he threatened. “Tell her what you’ve done.”
And with that, Miss Lane caved. The words came out in a babble, a rush that I almost couldn’t understand. But the main part was clear.
“I set you up!” she screamed at me while looking at Luke. “I set that slut up! She wasn’t worth it! She’s not good enough for you, only I’m good enough for you!”
Luke’s finger pressed menacingly on the trigger.
“What did you do?” he rasped. “What exactly did you do?”
“I had sex with a man in your spare bedroom!” she screamed. “All those bedrooms for banging different girls! I hate them! I hate you!” she shrieked.
Luke cocked the gun this time, the barrel pressed tight to her temple.
“What else?” he ground out, the look on his face ferocious. “What else?”
“I waited until Kitty was in your apartment, and then had sex with a man inside! So she could hear what a disgusting, trashy manwhore you are!” Miss Lane screamed. “It’s not fair, it’s not fair! You want me, you need me!” she shrieked to the heavens. “I’m the only one who can make you happy Luke Lyons, mark my words!”
I stared wide-eyed at the scene before me. Because was it true? Had Miss Lane set the whole thing up? She’d known I was going over to Luke’s apartment that night, so she’d had sex with a man in the red bedroom, to trick me into thinking that it was Luke himself? It was so twisted. Who would do something like that?
But the answer was right in front of me because at this point, Miss Lane began thrashing wildly on the ground, skinny limbs flailing, literally frothing at the mouth.
“I’m the only person who can make you happy!” she screamed through the spittle, banging her face against the ground, blood flowing from her nose and mouth. “Only me!”