Three hundred yards. Two. There.
Thad Hill has definitely paid a return visit, the son-of-a-bitch. I should have followed up and made sure that Hill’s superiors knew exactly what their deputy was up to, but I didn’t. Sarah Jo clearly hadn’t wanted the attention that kind of complaint would get, and I’d gone along with her wishes. I won’t make that mistake again. Safety first, feelings second.
Thad wrestles with Sarah Jo, trying to open his car door and keep her under control. She’s putting up one hell of a fight, making Thad’s job as difficult as possible. It’s probably weird that I want to be the only one she gives a hard time. The only one who’s special. The worry and anger erases that strange feeling.
Fortunately, I have a ready-made target for my aggression. I launch myself at Thad, fists flying. He doesn’t see me coming, which is also satisfying. Sarah Jo has him distracted, which just goes to show that she and I make a good team. If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to convince her to pick my side permanently when all this is over. My fist connects with Thad’s jaw, snapping his head back with a satisfying crack.
Unfortunately, I don’t knock his head off his neck. He drops Sarah Jo—a plus, because she promptly scrambles out of reach. The downside is that this frees up Thad’s hands to pull his gun. Guns always make things messy.
We’ve got five feet between us, and Thad has the gun’s business end pointing straight at my stomach. He’s too close to miss, and I like my insides exactly as God made them. I don’t need Thad redecorating or rearranging. He might not pull the trigger, but I can’t take the chance. If I go down, Thad will just go after Sarah Jo again. When she inches away from us, Thad pans the gun between us, so encouraging her to run away isn’t going to work, either.
“Let’s talk,” I suggest. Not that I think using my words is going to resolve this particular situation, but it will buy me some time to come up with a better plan.
“I’m voting I get in the car and take Sarah Jo with me.”
See? I don’t like that plan.
“I can’t let you do that.” I decide it’s probably best if I keep up my side of the conversation. Hopefully, Thad isn’t the kind of guy who can shoot, talk, and cover my girl at the same time. Keeping my hands relaxed on my thighs, I assess the situation. Sarah Jo is still too close to Thad. The best option is for me to go in hard and fast. I’m pretty sure I can kill him before his bullets do for me, but I’d rather keep this as my backup plan because it definitely means I don’t get a happily-ever-after with Sarah Jo.
“I don’t see how you’re stopping me.” A mean smile cracks Hill’s face. “Seeing as how I have the gun and you don’t.”
He doesn’t get that if only one person walks away from this shit, it’s Sarah Jo. Sure, I’d rather be walking with her, but that’s not the only option I’m okay with. If I have to let her go and send her on ahead of me, she walks free. It’s that simple.
I’ve never learned how to give up. It’s been pointed out to me that a great many people would consider this to be a major character flaw. Fuck them. I’ve spent years fighting fires that are bigger, stronger, and more stubborn than me. And I’ve won. Even when I’ve had to temporarily step back and let the fire burn for a bit, the fire always, always goes out. Hill is simply a different kind of fire, and I’m going to shut him down, too.
I test the waters, easing my foot forward an inch. Hill shakes his head. “Uh-uh. Stay right where you are.”
Gotcha. If I roll, it has to be a fast rush. On the other hand, that’s definitely a Glock in Hill’s hand. That means there’s no safety standing between me and the first shot. If Hill has a full chamber, he’ll have multiple opportunities to hurt someone.
“No worries,” I say easily. Like we’re having a fucking picnic or we just ran out of cold beer.
“Sarah Jo—” Thad doesn’t take his eyes off me, which is too bad. “You get your ass in that car now. We’re out of here. You move again, hotshot, and I’ll drop you.”