Temptation in Shadows by Gena Showalter Page B
Authors: Gena Showalter
Jackets to conceal their weapons, just like the ones who’d waited for Gabby that night at her apartment?
“Sean?” Rowan said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find you,” he replied, and hung up the phone. His heart drummed in his chest as he exited the car. He palmed his SIG. A gunfight would bring news stations and witnesses, and he didn’t want that. He hadn’t had time to rig the silencer, so if he fired, he’d have to leave the scene quickly.
The men stopped in front of Gabby’s door, looked at each other, their expressions equally determined, then looked around. Sean ducked under an awning, out of sight. There were a few shadows present and he willed them around his body before surging forward again.
The men must have thought the gray cloud was odd, though, because both stared over at him, brows puckered in confusion. Confusion they soon shook off to concentrate on Gabby’s door. Human minds simply couldn’t process what they didn’t understand.
One man gripped the knob. Sean increased hisspeed, sweat already beading on his skin. Both men withdrew weapons, and
they
had silencers.
Shit! Damn!
They planned to kill her.
He wasn’t in range yet; frustrated, helpless, angry, he picked up speed. Only two ways he could have been found. One, his call to Rowan last night had been traced and the bad guys had been in the area. That didn’t explain how the goons had known what room Sean was using, though. Or two, he’d been pegged with a tracker he didn’t know about. If that was the case, why hadn’t the room been invaded last night?
Too many questions,
Sean thought.
Almost . . . there . . . almost . . .
Sean had crawled out the bathroom window to exit the room, leaving the buckle he’d rigged around the knob in place. He hoped the jingle of that buckle had woken Gabby and sent her into hiding. He hoped she wouldn’t assume it was him.
Both men frowned when the door didn’t automatically open to their ministrations. The one with his hand on the knob backed up, aimed his gun, and fired. There was a slight
whiz,
followed by an equally slight
pop.
So much for finesse.
Sean, finally within striking distance, raised his own gun and fired. There was a loud bang. A grunt. Contact. The man collapsed onto the ground, a new hole in his head. A kill shot.
Sean wasn’t in the mood to play.
The other man had already stormed into the room, out of sight. Cursing under his breath, Sean grabbed the fallen man’s weapon without pausing and ditched his own. He heard the clang of something hard slamming into bone, a grunt, then saw wood splinters flying in every direction.
There was Gabby, wrapped in a sheet, standing behind the door. She held the remnants of the tabletop that had once been pushed into the far corner. How she’d found the strength to lift it Sean didn’t know. Adrenaline did strange things, he supposed.
The man stumbled to the side, dizzy but not subdued. He raised his gun just as Sean raised his.
“Duck!” he shouted to Gabby as he squeezed the trigger.
She obeyed without hesitation, and he fired. There was a muffled
pop, whiz;
then the man was screaming in pain, his gun blown from his fingers, his hand a bloody stump.
Sean stood in place, panting, fear and fury like a fire in his veins. So close. So close to losing her. There was a bullet hole in the wall, exactly where she’d been standing. If she hadn’t ducked as quickly as she had . . .
“I’m sorry I took so long,” he managed to say. “Are you hurt?”
“No. You?”
“I’m fine.”
She lumbered to her feet, swayed. Her skin was pale, the few freckles she possessed stark. Her hand trembled as she smoothed the hair from her brow. “He . . . he tried to kill me,” she said.
“Yeah.” Had that been the man’s purpose from the beginning, though? Perhaps he’d simply reacted to the threat Gabby had represented. Maybe they’d only meant to scare her into submission. Truly, there was no reason to kill her and every
“Sean?” Rowan said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find you,” he replied, and hung up the phone. His heart drummed in his chest as he exited the car. He palmed his SIG. A gunfight would bring news stations and witnesses, and he didn’t want that. He hadn’t had time to rig the silencer, so if he fired, he’d have to leave the scene quickly.
The men stopped in front of Gabby’s door, looked at each other, their expressions equally determined, then looked around. Sean ducked under an awning, out of sight. There were a few shadows present and he willed them around his body before surging forward again.
The men must have thought the gray cloud was odd, though, because both stared over at him, brows puckered in confusion. Confusion they soon shook off to concentrate on Gabby’s door. Human minds simply couldn’t process what they didn’t understand.
One man gripped the knob. Sean increased hisspeed, sweat already beading on his skin. Both men withdrew weapons, and
they
had silencers.
Shit! Damn!
They planned to kill her.
He wasn’t in range yet; frustrated, helpless, angry, he picked up speed. Only two ways he could have been found. One, his call to Rowan last night had been traced and the bad guys had been in the area. That didn’t explain how the goons had known what room Sean was using, though. Or two, he’d been pegged with a tracker he didn’t know about. If that was the case, why hadn’t the room been invaded last night?
Too many questions,
Sean thought.
Almost . . . there . . . almost . . .
Sean had crawled out the bathroom window to exit the room, leaving the buckle he’d rigged around the knob in place. He hoped the jingle of that buckle had woken Gabby and sent her into hiding. He hoped she wouldn’t assume it was him.
Both men frowned when the door didn’t automatically open to their ministrations. The one with his hand on the knob backed up, aimed his gun, and fired. There was a slight
whiz,
followed by an equally slight
pop.
So much for finesse.
Sean, finally within striking distance, raised his own gun and fired. There was a loud bang. A grunt. Contact. The man collapsed onto the ground, a new hole in his head. A kill shot.
Sean wasn’t in the mood to play.
The other man had already stormed into the room, out of sight. Cursing under his breath, Sean grabbed the fallen man’s weapon without pausing and ditched his own. He heard the clang of something hard slamming into bone, a grunt, then saw wood splinters flying in every direction.
There was Gabby, wrapped in a sheet, standing behind the door. She held the remnants of the tabletop that had once been pushed into the far corner. How she’d found the strength to lift it Sean didn’t know. Adrenaline did strange things, he supposed.
The man stumbled to the side, dizzy but not subdued. He raised his gun just as Sean raised his.
“Duck!” he shouted to Gabby as he squeezed the trigger.
She obeyed without hesitation, and he fired. There was a muffled
pop, whiz;
then the man was screaming in pain, his gun blown from his fingers, his hand a bloody stump.
Sean stood in place, panting, fear and fury like a fire in his veins. So close. So close to losing her. There was a bullet hole in the wall, exactly where she’d been standing. If she hadn’t ducked as quickly as she had . . .
“I’m sorry I took so long,” he managed to say. “Are you hurt?”
“No. You?”
“I’m fine.”
She lumbered to her feet, swayed. Her skin was pale, the few freckles she possessed stark. Her hand trembled as she smoothed the hair from her brow. “He . . . he tried to kill me,” she said.
“Yeah.” Had that been the man’s purpose from the beginning, though? Perhaps he’d simply reacted to the threat Gabby had represented. Maybe they’d only meant to scare her into submission. Truly, there was no reason to kill her and every