The Truest Thing - Hart's Boardwalk

“You know why I’m here.” Devlin glared icily at me.

“I-I know why. Although”—I let out a shaky exhale as I tentatively moved to the sideboard, pretending I merely wanted to put my purse down on it—“I don’t know how you think this will help matters.” I turned my back to him and sweat rolled down my spine beneath my dress.

“She speaks.” Devlin snorted bitterly. “But she’s stupid enough to put her back to a loaded gun.”

Anger suffused me as I concealed my movements with my body and slowly opened the drawer. I winced as it made a slight grating sound.

“What are you doing? Turn around where I can see you.”

God, he was such a cliché.

As quickly as I could, I reached in, grabbed the gun, and whirled around, clasping it expertly before me, pointing it at Devlin’s chest.

He let out a chuckle of surprise but kept his gun trained on me. Lazily. With one hand raised. “You even hold that thing like you know how to shoot it.”

I did know how to shoot it.

I knew how to shoot extremely well.

“A lady has to know how to protect herself,” I replied. “Now, Mr. Devlin, I think it might be best if you leave before you make things any worse for yourself.”

Fury flared in his eyes. “You don’t get it. The feds took over the case against me. They froze all my assets. My attorney abandoned me. I’m fucked.” He waved the gun dangerously, but I refused to flinch. I was ready to shoot if I needed to, even though the thought made me sick to my stomach.

“Mr. Devlin, stop waving the gun around or I will shoot you.”

He gave a bark of laughter. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” Ian shook his head, despair leaching the anger from his face. “It’s over. Betrayed by my own fucking blood. Do you know what that feels like?” His eyes turned worryingly blank. “I want to hurt him like he hurt me.” His finger flexed on the trigger and mine twitched in retaliation.

The front door opened. I gasped at the sight of Cooper letting himself into the house. He saw me and my gun and hesitated. “Emery?”

I shook my head at him. “Get out, Cooper.”

“Cooper!” Ian yelled viciously. “Get the fuck out of here or I will fucking shoot her!”

To my despair, Cooper threw back his shoulders, his face mottled with anger, and he strode into view, stopping at the sight of Ian holding the gun pointed at me. “You know, until this point, you’ve been a vicious bastard, but you’ve never been this dumb.”

Ian sneered at him. “I’ve got nothing left to lose. I’m going away for a long time, boy. I might as well do something that my son will never forget.”

“Jack doesn’t care about Emery,” Cooper said.

I tried not to flinch, wondering if he knew something I didn’t.

“All you’ll do is hurt an innocent woman. For nothing.”

“What would you know about Jack?” Ian huffed, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. “He wants this one. I’ve got the photographic evidence.” He waved the gun at me. “Did you know she’s a billionaire? My son is playing the long game with her. He’s more like me than he wants to let on.”

My heart rejected Ian’s insinuation that Jack was only after my money.

But that little niggle of insecurity that would always be there made itself known.

“Bullshit.” Cooper threw me a look. “Bullshit,” he assured me.

And then the front door was thrown open again and Jack ran in, skidding to a halt beside Cooper who held up a hand to ward him off. Jack’s clothes were askew, his hair disheveled, his skin damp with perspiration. His eyes moved between me and his father. He looked frantic.

“Don’t do this,” he spat at Ian.

Ian grinned.

And then, like people were wont to do, he underestimated me.

He swung the gun toward Jack. “Now I can’t decide who I want to shoot more.”

I narrowed my eyes, aimed at his hand that held the gun, and pulled the trigger.

Ian’s roar of agony filled my home as he dropped his gun and fell to his knees, clutching his wounded hand.

I lowered my Glock, engaging the safety, and watched as Cooper kicked Ian’s gun out of the way. He then pulled out his phone to call the police.

Jack was in my face, his grip tight on my biceps as he hauled me against him. I let him hold me for a few seconds before he pulled back to study me. “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes roaming my body, as if searching for injury.

I nodded. I was a little in shock. My dress was soaked with sweat. But I was okay.

“Where did you learn to shoot like that?” Cooper asked as he stood guard over Ian who moaned like a wounded animal at his feet.