Shiver (Unbreakable Bonds 1)

It was hard to hear him over the screams. It took everything Lucas had not to flip them, so he protected Andrei. He worked his head around so he could see under the couch and found Geoffrey flat on his back. Alarm filled him and at first, he was sure the little guy had been shot. But he started wiggling and it was obvious the bouncer was holding him down.

The shooting stopped, the screams dwindled to mostly cries as the DJ finally turned off the damned music. “I think they got them,” Lucas said. “You can let me up.”

Andrei rolled off him, but kept one hand on the nape of his neck as he looked around. “Okay, it’s safe.” He let go and stood.

Lucas scrambled to his feet and got his first look. Two of his bouncers held one of the gunmen on the ground while the other two were busy helping people out. The fifth—the one who’d been on top of Geoffrey—had placed himself between Lucas and the rest of the crowd. Right next to Andrei. Lucas moved around them, feeling the heat of Andrei keeping close, as he stepped around overturned tables. Broken glass crunched under his feet. Liquor dripped down what was left of the shattered mirror behind the bar. Several couches had been flipped to use as barricades. Blood soaked into one and Lucas stopped to stare, his heart pounding. Snow already knelt on the other side of that couch, barking out orders to the people gawking around them.

Lucas touched the bouncer’s arm. “We should keep the rest of the people here. The police will want to question every eye witness.”

The guy nodded and hurried ahead.

There was a piercing ring in Lucas’s ears as he tried to take everything in. He walked to where the bouncers held the gunman on the floor and arrived just as the police did. He squatted next to the guy, took in the blank stare. The man knew he’d been beaten. There was no getting out of this one. “Who sent you?” Lucas grabbed his face just as a cop placed his hand on Lucas’s shoulder.

The gunman only stared straight ahead, he didn’t acknowledge anyone around him.

A cop touched Lucas’s shoulder. “We’ll get it out of him.”

“There was another shooter,” one of the bouncers said. “He got away.”

Lucas blinked, bringing the man into focus, noticing that he had blood on his right shoulder. “There’s a doctor helping others back there.” He pointed to where he’d left Snow. “Go see him and let the cops handle this guy.” He made sure to look at both the men who worked for him. “You did well. Went above and beyond. I won’t forget that.”

The injured one nodded and they stood as the police took the gunman into custody.

As the horror of the moment threatened to overwhelm him, Lucas crushed his fist around his emotions and jumped into the fray. With a sharp voice, he directed his employees in caring for the customers while others helped organize areas where the police could start taking statements in an orderly manner so that people could leave as soon as possible. By sheer force of will, he bent the chaos under his control.

But there was no getting around one fact. He’d have to close the club until an investigation was finished, but it wouldn’t matter. Gaile had seen its last night. The kind of crowd that would brave the nightclub after a shootout wasn’t the type he was interested in serving. The thought of Gaile not being around cut deep. He’d designed the place for Snow. But then, after tonight, he knew his friend would never want to set foot in it again.

Lucas turned and his gaze locked with Andrei’s. The concern in those dark eyes seeped in to help negate the numb horror freezing his heart. He stepped closer to the bodyguard and wondered if Andrei realized he’d been rubbing his palm up and down Lucas’s back the entire time they’d stood there as Lucas surveyed the damage.

Three hours passed before Lucas and Andrei were able to leave the remains of Gaile. He’d answered questions, but there hadn’t been much information that he could provide. The men hadn’t made any demands, hadn’t said anything, before they opened fire. Lucas had overhead from one cop that most of the shots had been fired at the ceiling rather than into the crowd, but it was cold comfort for the woman who Snow had desperately worked on until the ambulance finally arrived. He didn’t get a chance to talk to Snow, but he knew it hadn’t been good considering the drawn expression on the doctor’s face.

A block over from the nightclub, Lucas and Andrei walked into the parking garage where Andrei had parked. As they drew near the gleaming black Mercedes, Lucas swore loudly, his pace quickening. Andrei tried to grab his arm to slow him, but he threw off the bodyguard’s hand. Something was sticking out of the front hood of the car.