Logan.
“You had what you needed. I had no right to come back in and screw up your life.”
He’d come back.
“So I stayed away.” His hand rose to his chest. Pressed over the scar that was a reminder of the battles he’d faced. “I did my job.”
* * *
SUSAN STARED UP into Gunner’s face. Not a handsome face. Too hard. Too rough. This wasn’t an easy man before her.
She let her head fall forward, so weary she could hardly stand it. “I never wanted things to be like this.”
His hands came up to her shoulders. “You’re safe.”
She wasn’t. “I grew up with nothing.” Nothing but the looks of pity others gave her. “I swore that one day I’d have everything.” But Aaron was dead. His daughter was still alive. The will gave Susan nothing.
Just what I’ve always had.
Unless Juliana died, Susan would just get scraps.
Now she had Guerrero out there, waiting in the shadows.
Her shoulders hunched as she leaned toward him. “This isn’t the way I wanted my story to end.”
“It’s not over,” he told her as his hands tightened around her shoulders. “You think I didn’t want to give in when they had me in that pit? Giving up is easy. Fighting to live is the hard part.”
Yes, it was, but... “I’m a fighter.” Always had been.
“Good, you should—” His words broke off, ending in a choked gurgle.
Susan didn’t look up at his face. Her eyes were on her hands—on the knife she’d just shoved into his stomach.
You should have searched me. Guerrero had been right. An injured woman could get past nearly any guard. Some men just had blind spots. I slipped right past yours, Gunner.
She twisted the knife. “I’m not going back to nothing.”
Another choked growl.
Susan looked up into his eyes. His hands had fallen from her. “Sorry, but this time, you need to give up. There’s no point in fighting.”
Because he wasn’t going to keep living.
He slumped over and hit the floor with a thud.
* * *
A FAINT THUD REACHED Juliana’s ears. She frowned and glanced back up the stairs.
“We can’t change the past. If I could, hell, yes, I would,” Logan said, “but we—”
Glass shattered. Logan jerked—and red bloomed on his shoulder.
Then he was leaping toward her. He threw his body against Juliana’s, and they fell to the floor, slamming down behind the couch.
She heard shouts. Screams. More gunshots.
It sounded as if an army was attacking.
With Guerrero, that might be exactly what was happening. They had guards outside, local cops who’d been assigned to protect the house and her. Surveillance was watching, and backup would come, but...
More gunfire.
She grabbed Logan’s arm. Felt the wet warmth of his blood. “Logan?”
He raised his head. Stared at her with an unreadable gaze.
“Guess he took the bait,” he said.
The words were cold.
“Stay here, and keep your head down.”
What? He was leaving?
She held him tighter. Logan winced, and her hand dropped. “You can’t go out there!”
“I’m a SEAL. That’s exactly where I need to go.”
Into the fight.
“You won’t be afraid anymore. We’ll get his men. I’ll make sure one stays alive, and we will track Guerrero.” Then he kissed her. A hard, fast press of his lips. “Stay down.”
And he was gone. Rushing away and his blood was on her hands.
Juliana crouched behind the thick couch, breath heaving in her chest. Then she heard the scream. Wild, desperate and coming from upstairs.
Susan.
The guards outside were already under attack. Susan couldn’t get caught in the crossfire. The woman had suffered enough.
Because of my father. Because she was close to us.
Juliana knew she had to help her. Keeping low, she rushed across the room and used the furniture for cover as best she could.
Her hand was on the banister when another round of gunfire erupted in the room.
Chapter Ten
They were outgunned.
Logan grabbed the injured cop who’d been slumped near the porch and pulled the guy back, giving him cover. He let out two fast shots as he fired back at the attackers, who just weren’t stopping.
A quick sweep counted ten men. Twelve.
The cops at the front door were both down. Gunner was in the house. He’ll be out soon. Gunner never could stay away from a gunfight.
Jasper was firing, attacking from the distant right side, back near the heavy gate—a gate that was currently busted open.
Blasted your way in.
Syd would be coming. The woman was always their eyes and ears. She’d be watching the video surveillance, sending backup and joining the fight herself.
The woman could be lethal.
Logan grabbed the cop’s hand and shoved it against the guy’s wound. “Keep pressure on it.” The uniform was as pale as death, shaking, but he’d be okay. Provided he didn’t take another bullet.
Logan ignored his own injury, barely feeling the pain. He didn’t have time for it then. These men—they weren’t getting into the house. They wouldn’t get to Juliana.
He eased away from the cop and began to stalk his prey. He’d been trained for up-close-and-personal kills. He could get close and the prey wouldn’t know it. Not until it was too late.
Jasper kept firing and distracting the attackers so that Logan would have time to sneak up on them.
Leave some alive. He wanted to take them down but would kill only if necessary. These men had to be brought in alive—we’ll make you turn.
No one would be pulling knives and taking the easy way out of this mess.
Logan wasn’t going to allow for easy.
He snuck up on one of the gunmen, grabbed his hand and broke the wrist. The man’s weapon flew to the ground but he tried to kick out at Logan.
Logan punched him in the throat. The man never even had time to scream. In seconds, he was on the ground, and he wasn’t going to be getting up anytime soon.
One down.
* * *
CHIPS OF WOOD FLEW from the banister as Juliana rushed up the stairs. That last bullet had come too close for any kind of comfort.
She jumped off the stairs and hurried down the hallway. Just a few more feet...
Juliana shoved open her father’s bedroom door. “Susan!”
Susan spun toward her, a knife in her hands.
Juliana shook her head, stunned. “What—”