Page 98 of Rami

Todd’s eyebrow quirked. “You going to give me a gun?”

Rami snorted. “Why? So you can shoot me in the back? No, you won’t get a gun. But you can wait by the door. Let them take you and maybe, just maybe, you can die knowing you tried to protect the woman you claim to love.”

Slowly, Todd nodded. Redness rimmed his eyes and he sniffed. “Yeah. Okay. I can do that.” He dropped the bag to the floor.

“Good. You man the door. I’ll stay out of sight and when they get here, I’ll start shooting.”

Todd took Rami’s spot near the window. Rami rounded the corner of the hallway and pressed his back to the wall. Pulling out his phone, he quickly checked his messages. August and Toth were on their way.

They’d better hurry the hell up.

Another message came through, this one from Ivy.

I love you.

Warmth trickled through him, removing the hatred and fury beneath his skin. On its heels came a torrent of protectiveness. He’d never let Ivy suffer another ounce of pain at the hands of these cocksuckers. This was personal, and the game ended now.

“They’re here,” Todd announced.

***

Gigi’s hand was damp and warm in Ivy’s. They sat shoulder to shoulder, crouched in the guest bedroom closet behind long garments. They’d almost hidden in the master bedroom, but that would’ve been a dead giveaway. Instead, Ivy had locked the master bedroom door, hoping it’d stall the men if they came looking. Then they’d darted off to the farthest guest room.

“I’m so sorry,” Gigi whispered. “This is all my fault. And my stupid ex-fiancé’s,” she spat.

Ivy squeezed Gigi’s fingers. “It’s not your fault. If they hadn’t taken me, they would’ve taken you. And I’m glad it was me. I couldn’t have handled it if it was you. And besides, I met Rami.” Moments before, she’d sent him a text. There was a chance he hadn’t seen it, and maybe they’d both die and he never would. But she had to get the words out there, had to hope that if he didn’t see the message, he at least felt her words.

I love you.

And god help her, she did. Maybe the words would float through the cosmos and enter his mind, a reminder that her heart was forever his. Whether he lived or died today, she’d never love another man.

Gigi gave a barely audible laugh, bringing Ivy back to precipice of where their lives dangled. “Yeah, I need to meet me one of those. Here I thought a geeky lawyer was the safest bet.”

“No kidding.”

Gigi’s head tilted to rest on Ivy’s shoulder. “If I die here today, at least I’m with you. We came into this world together and we’ll probably leave together. But I figure that’s the best way to go.”

“I’d prefer not to die today.”

Gigi’s body shook with another laugh. “Guess if I had someone like Rami who’d saved my life rather than endangered it, I’d feel the same. Todd’s going to die and I should feel bad about that, but... I’m just so angry. I hate him.” Her voice shook with venom. “Is it terrible to say that?”

Ivy closed her eyes for a beat. She wished she could take away her sister’s hurt or somehow hold Todd accountable without him dying. “I’d rather see him in prison paying for his crimes, but at the end of the day, we all get what we deserve.”

“I want to kill him myself,” Gigi confessed.

The blast of a gun made them both jump. Ivy clapped her free hand to her mouth, stifling the scream that almost flew out like a caged bird suddenly released.

Her chest rose and fell on erratic breaths. Her throat tightened and the ammonia taste of terror stuck to the inside of her mouth.

Had Rami survived? Was he hit and hurt now, alone and dying on the foyer floor? Tears stung her eyes.

The whisper of footsteps down the hall reached her ears.

Gigi’s grasp threatened to break Ivy’s fingers. “Someone’s coming.”

***

Rami exhaled a long, low breath. He pocketed his phone and let fury take hold of his senses again. He forced all images of Ivy upstairs, hiding and scared, from his mind. He couldn’t do this if he was worried about her. He had to act, not overthink.

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