Page 3 of Bombshell

Canyon pulled me around to the front of him, and my heart slammed frantically against my chest. Tears filled my eyes, and I began to silently repent for my sins. There were more than I’d realized when I got started. I had a list of things to ask God to forgive me for. Starting with lying to my momma about who I was dating.

“Dolly?” the other man said.

My eyes snapped up at the sound of my name, and although the waterfall about to unleash from my eye sockets was making it hard to see clearly, I recognized him. It had been years. Six years, four months, and fifteen days, to be exact, but I was ashamed I still knew that. I had tried to stop keeping up with it when I started dating Canyon, but that was easier said than done. It was a habit. I liked numbers, and I often kept count of days when attached to things I liked. A long time ago, that had been Micah Abe.

“Micah,” I choked out in disbelief.

That was why I had known his voice. Of course I would recognize it. How could I not? When I was younger, he had been my sole obsession. Not that he cared.

Canyon’s arm came around me and pulled me back against his chest. “How do you know Dolly?” he demanded.

The possessive way he’d said my name would have made me giddy if there wasn’t a good chance I was going to be shot. Intentionally or not.

Micah ran a hand over his face and groaned in frustration. As if I was in his way and not terrified out of my mind. Why was it again that I had harbored a crush on this man for most of my life? Oh yeah. Because he was ridiculously beautiful, and once, a long time ago, he had stood up for me when some guys were making fun of me at school.

“Let her go, Canyon, or I’m letting Gage put you down before I get what I came for,” Micah told him.

I swung my eyes to the other man, not liking the idea of someone pointing a gun in this direction. If I wasn’t plumb scared to death, I would have laughed. The man was smirking, and his eyes seemed to dance with merriment. He looked like a model. The kind you saw on a billboard in Times Square.

“It’s okay,” he said to me. “I don’t miss.” Then, he winked.

Canyon’s fingers dug into my flesh as he held on to me. I whimpered in pain and turned my gaze up to him pleadingly. It felt as if his nails were breaking my skin.

“Did you set me up?” he snarled, glaring down at me.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. What did you say when the man you thought you were in love with accused you of something like this? I started to shake my head.

“Dolly isn’t involved in this, but she’s going to be splattered with your fucking blood in seconds if you don’t let her go,” Micah warned him.

“Maybe sooner. I have a twitch in my finger,” the man named Gage said, then chuckled as if he’d told a joke.

“Did you lie to me? Was this sweet, innocent shit an act?” Canyon asked me incredulously.

There were many things I should be thinking right now. Like how to survive this. But my cheeks heated from the words he’d just shared with a room full of men…and Micah.

“I didn’t,” I managed to say.

“Last warning,” Micah said.

Canyon’s gaze was searching, as if he was looking for the answer. He wanted to believe me, but there was doubt. Uncertainty. Even hurt in his eyes. When he shoved me away from him, I stumbled backward and caught myself by grabbing on to a table.

“You’ve got ten days,” Micah told him as he walked over to me and held out his hand for me to take.

I stared down at it, then up at him. Was he serious? He wanted me to just walk out of here with him?

But what other choice did I really have?

“Come on, Dolly,” he urged, and the gentleness in his eyes was what had me slipping my hand into his.

He pulled me to him and wrapped an arm around me before turning and heading toward the door. I started to look back.

“Don’t,” he warned me. “If he reacts, Gage will kill him.”

I nodded and let him lead me away. I felt numb as the door closed behind us and we stepped into the abnormally cool spring evening for Florida.

What had just happened?

“I’m gonna guess Pepper doesn’t know you’ve been dating him,” Micah said, and I lifted my gaze up to meet the magnetic blue eyes I had once compared to the color of a raindrop.