Page 216 of Perfect Pitch

He gets the gun away from her grip and pistol-whips her instead of shooting her. “That baby was a fucking abomination. It deserved to die.”

I don’t give him the chance to speak again.

The discharge of my weapon echoes in the room as I render my brother’s arm useless. The gun goes flying. Blood squirts from an artery as the bullet tears through Trevor’s shoulder. Dispassionately, I hear him whimper, “Help me, Mitch,” but I step over him, my intent clear.

Austyn’s curled into a ball, shaking. I squat down and brush my fingers along her bare arm.

She comes up swinging.

Just as her fist is about to connect with my cheekbone, I catch her wrist tattooed with the song she wrote for our child. Hoarsely, I say, “You are my one and only, Austyn. Always.”

Her lips tremble. I wait for her to turn me away. Who could blame her? In the time I’ve loved her, I’ve brought her more pain than the love could balance out.

That’s obviously not her opinion. I’m wholly unprepared for her to launch herself into my arms, toppling me over. “Je t’aime pour toujours.”

Even as my soul shudders with relief, I need to make certain. “Austyn, I’m always going to remind you of...”

She lets out a frightened scream that’s perfectly pitched.

Somehow, Trevor’s managed to pull himself into a sitting position. In his non-dominant hand, he has another gun. He sneers, “Wasn’t it you who taught me to be prepared, brother?”

He fires a warning shot over our heads, grinning maniacally, despite the blood still gushing down his other arm. Knowing we don’t have long to wait before he passes out, I shove Austyn behind me hoping we have enough time to wait it out.

Just as I’m about to risk reaching for my comms unit, I hear the click of another gun chamber. That’s when a gruff voice hisses, “Drop your weapon.”

Considering the butt of the rifle is nudging my brother’s temple, he immediately complies. My uncle calmly asks, “Mitch?”

I leave Austyn long enough to yank the gun away from Trevor and level it at my brother. “How did you get in?” I ask my uncle.

Charlie’s eyes drift to my ear briefly. “No one gets away with hurting Austyn.”

“I love you too, Charlie,” Austyn declares.

Warmth spreads through me as she says that while curling against my back. Charlie jerks his chin up and asks, “Is your earpiece on transmit?”

I touch the earbud and announce, “Now it is. Rachel, you there? We’re secured. Austyn’s safe with an assist from Charlie.”

“Thank God,” she breathes in my ear before I hear the ops room go insane. I wait for it to calm a minute before asking Charlie, “What do you need?”

His bushy brows lower so much that they form a singular line over his eyes. “Well, I kinda need Colby and Keene down at the station. I might have knocked out a few of New York’s finest to get to you.”

Keene, who I didn’t know was in the ops center, unexpectedly snarls, “He might have or did, Clifton?”

“Judging by the fact he’s holding a gun on my brother and Austyn’s safe, I’d say did, Keene.”

Keene mumbles something which sounds like, “Doesn’t work here and still he’s a pain in my ass.”

“He saved us. Trevor had a clinch piece.”

“Tell him we’ll meet him there in an hour,” Keene announces.

That’s when Paige grabs control of a headset. “Mitch? You both are safe?”

“She’s fine, Paige.” Austyn presses closer to my shoulder at my words so she can hear her mother’s voice.

Shakily, she speaks into the microphone, “I’m okay, Mama. I’m perfect.”

Beckett has to respond because Paige is too busy crying, “Yeah, kid. You sure as hell are.”

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