Mine to Protect (Mine 6)

A gun pressed to her cheek. “Stop your damn screaming.” Her gaze jumped to the man who held that gun. Even before she saw his face, she knew who he was. His voice had clicked. He had clicked.

Roy was holding his gun on her. Roy was glaring at her. And Roy…

“I can kill you here, but I need you alive—if I’m going to get her, then I need you alive.” He grunted. “Plus, there’s talk of a freaking bonus…I like bonuses.” He hauled Zoe to her feet, but kept the gun shoved against her cheek. “So play nicely, and I won’t let this bullet blast through your pretty face right here and now.”

Her gaze darted frantically around the burning building. The second floor was a wreck. Flames were rushing everywhere. Soon the bottom floor would be engulfed, too. She needed to get Victor out. He’s not dead. He’s not. The smoke was thickening around her, and her lungs hurt even as her eyes burned.

“Come on.” Roy wrenched her toward the door.

No, no, if she left, Victor would die. Zoe couldn’t let that happen.

She also didn’t want a bullet blasting through her cheekbone. Roy hauled her toward the door. Another cop gone bad. Two million dollars could do that, though. Two million dollars could make a good man lose his soul.

Roy eased his grip on her when he went to open the front door. He had to be careful because the handle had to be freaking hot. He moved the gun away from her face. A few inches, that was all she needed. A few…

She slammed her elbow back into him, then she whirled around to face him. She kicked the gun out of his hand, then, for good measure, she kicked the bastard right in the face.

Blood flew from his nose.

That’s right, asshole. This showgirl’s legs aren’t just for dancing. Hope you liked that freaking high kick.

Roy let out a guttural roar, but she was already rushing past him, going back into the flames and racing toward Victor. There were two boards on top of him. One of the boards had just started to burn. She shoved both boards out of the way, ignoring the quick flash of pain in her hands. “Victor!” Zoe grabbed his shirt front and dragged him away from the wall. There were too many flames there.

She inched to safety slowly with him. The guy was solid muscle. A dead weight. Not dead. He’s not dead. I can see his chest moving. He’s all right.

Victor let out a long, low groan.

“It’s okay,” Zoe said, coughing on the smoke. “We’re getting out.”

“No, he’s not.” Roy’s voice came from right behind her. His arms locked around her waist and he jerked her back. Then he lifted up his hand—he had another gun there, a smaller one. A back-up gun? Don’t cops always carry back-ups on them? And he aimed that gun down at Victor’s body. “He’s dying right here.”

“No!” The cry was torn from her. “I won’t fight. I’ll go with you, I swear. Just…don’t shoot!” Because Victor wasn’t trapped now. He was alive. He could get out. There was hope…

As long as he doesn’t have a bullet in his chest.

The roof gave a long groan. Her gaze shot up. She saw only flames…so much fire.

“It’s going to collapse! Shit, let’s go!” Roy yelled.

He yanked her back and Zoe knew he was going to shoot. Because Roy was still aiming at Victor. That bastard was going to kill Victor!

“No!” She threw her whole body against him. The bullet went wide, missing Victor. Missing him.

She and Roy were on the floor. He had his gun pointed at her now.

“You are such a fucking bitch,” he swore. “No wonder he wants you dead.”

She smiled at him. “Maybe…but you’re about to die, too.”

The roof wasn’t just groaning any longer. It seemed to be screaming. Fire rained down on them. Down, down…

Before the flames could hit them, Roy slammed his gun into the side of her head.

***

“You weigh…a freaking ton.”

Victor’s eyes opened at the low, grunting voice. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust his gaze to the darkness around him.

Darkness…

Flames?

“What the hell?” Victor lurched upright and found himself sitting on the pavement just outside of what looked like a freaking inferno.

“For the record,” Cain muttered as he dropped down beside Victor, his breath heaving out. “I just saved your ass. That means you’ll owe me. Big. And I will want payback.”

Victor’s gaze was on the burning building, not that cop asshole. A building he’d been inside…with Zoe. They’d been on the lower floor. An explosion had sent him hurtling across the room and—

Victor leapt to his feet and started running toward the flames.

“Stop that!” Cain shouted. “Stop that shit!” He tackled Victor.

They went down hard, rolling across the pavement. When the cop tried to hold Victor down, he drove his fist right at Cain’s jaw. Cain flew back.

“Zoe is in there!” Victor bellowed when Cain tried to come at him again. “Get the fuck out of my way!”

“She’s not!” Cain shook his head. “Listen to me. Listen! She’s not in there! I saw Roy carrying her out. She’s gone.”

/>   Gone? He swiped the dripping blood from his eyes even as he felt a dull throbbing near the top of his forehead. “What the hell do you mean?”

“I mean…” Cain gestured toward the fire. “Your lady isn’t dead in there, okay? So calm down. She’s alive.” His hands fell and his face turned pensive. “Or she was…I think she was.”

Victor grabbed him and shook the guy as hard as he could.

“He was carrying her out! Jesus! Stop! Or I will head butt you in your already bleeding head!”

Victor stopped, but only so he could glare at Cain. “You saw her being taken…and you didn’t save her?” He wanted to rip the cop apart.

“I was busy dragging your ass out of the fire, you ungrateful bastard.”

Victor shoved him away. “She was the priority! You save her!”

“Yeah, well, I’m getting she’s the big fucking deal in your life and all…”

Victor threw a punch at him.

Cain dodged it, barely. “Would you stop that shit? I woke up, dragged my ass out from the pile of debris and fire, and I saw her trying to save you.”

Victor stilled.

“She was dragging you. Doing her best to get you out of that place. Roy came up behind her. I was yelling but the flames were so loud neither one of them heard me.”

The flames were a roar right then.

“I thought he was going to help her.” Cain gave a grim shake of his head. “Then he grabbed her and he aimed his gun at you.”

“He didn’t shoot me,” Victor said. His body ached, he had some burns, but no bullet holes.

“Because she made the bullet go wide. I was trying to find a way through the flames to help her, but then Roy slammed his gun into the side of her head.”

Even though the fire was raging, Victor suddenly felt ice cold. “He’s a dead man.”

“He carried her out. I fought the flames and got you out.” Cain turned around, glancing down the empty street. “He had split ass by the time I got out here. He took her. The guy betrayed us all. He was supposed to be on my team.”

“I know that feeling.” Victor pulled out his phone, but the thing had melted. “The bounty on her head is two million. Are you really that shocked that Roy would flip for that much money?”