Colton's Secret Bodyguard

She was too far away for him to call out her name, so he followed her into the crowded area. Luckily, she stood out easily because of the color of her coat. Just as he got within shouting distance, someone else stepped in front of her. Rylan bit back a curse as he recognized Lucas Brewer.

Remaining in the background, Rylan watched as Bree chatted with Lucas for a few minutes. They were too far away for him to hear the conversation, but when the other man pointed to On the Rocks and mimed getting a drink, he was unable to stop his hands from clenching into fists. He relaxed when Bree shook her head and indicated Sushi Stop, the Japanese takeout place.

As she walked away from Lucas, Rylan’s cell phone buzzed. It was a call from Trey.

The sheriff didn’t bother with a greeting. “It’s not him.”

“What?” Rylan covered his free ear with one hand to block out some of the background noise.

“I didn’t get to Winnipeg. Before I left, I got a call telling me the guy they have there is not David Swanson.” Trey spoke each word clearly. “He paid someone to cross the border with his passport and get himself arrested—”

“Got to go.”

Rylan broke into a run. His heart faltered as he drew closer to Bree, his eyes drawn to her back. There, between her shoulder blades, was the bright red dot of a gun target. It stood out clearly, even on the vivid color of her jacket. He knew what that dot meant—someone had her in his gun sights. Wherever that red circle went, so would the bullet. As he watched, it moved up toward the base of her skull...

He didn’t have time to call out a warning. Closing the distance between them, he grabbed Bree from behind and pushed her to the ground. Her startled exclamation and Jekyll’s yelp coincided with the gunshot. Rylan’s right shoulder went numb, then pain seared through it as if he’d been stabbed with a red-hot poker. Warmth flooded down his arm. Staying upright wasn’t an option, and he toppled forward onto his face.

When he managed to turn his head, and he saw how much blood there was, he wanted to cry. Not with the pain—although that was bad—but because he could die right now, and he still hadn’t told Bree he loved her.

Chapter 18

Bree landed on her knees, twisting to her side to avoid crushing Jekyll. She turned her head in time to hear the shot and see Rylan standing over her. As his features contorted in pain, it was obvious what had happened. Rylan had risked his own life to save hers.

“No!” As she shouted the word, he toppled forward.

Bree crawled toward him, covering the distance between them on her hands and knees. Her progress was impeded by the panic that erupted around them. People were shouting and screaming, running in different directions or trying to find cover.

By the time she got to Rylan’s side, he was unconscious. What worried her most was the growing red puddle that was spreading out from beneath him.

“Help me, somebody.” She looked up at the circle of people that were gathering around them. “He’s losing too much blood.”

A man pushed through the crowd to kneel beside her. She recognized him as the security guard from On the Rocks.

“I need to apply pressure to the wound.” He glanced at her. “Give me your scarf.” Bree unwound it quickly from around her neck, and he folded it to make a pad. Holding it against Rylan’s shoulder, he pressed down hard on the injury. “Did anyone call 911?”

Half a dozen voices answered to confirm that they had.

“The sheriff and a few deputies are already here,” a woman said. “They broke into the apartment over the Yogurt Hut just after the shot was fired.”

Bree’s mind couldn’t fully take in what she was hearing. Her brother should be in Winnipeg. Trey knew someone would be in David’s apartment? Had he anticipated this shooting? Could he have stopped it?

She couldn’t think about any of that right now. Her priority was Rylan. The color had drained from his face, and he seemed to be barely breathing. She gripped his hand tightly, holding a shivering Jekyll to her chest with her other arm.

“Lucky. That’s what they call you, isn’t it?” Leaning over him, she whispered the words into his ear. “Be lucky again, Rylan. Do it for me this time.” She bit back a sob. “Do it for us.”