Page 21 of The Billionaire's Knight

Gwen thought briefly of Jase and how she was falling in love with him. Then the searing pain shattered her focus until her every sense was drowned in throbbing agony.

* * * *

“Did you mother mention anyone else being here?” the playboy asked as they pulled up in front of Jase’s family home.

Jase had spoken briefly with his mother on the drive over. She’d just finished talking to his dad and bounced between her excitement that he was headed home and gushing over how much she liked Gwen. She’d laughed about the fun she and Julia were having with Gwen. She hadn’t mentioned anyone else being there with them.

“No.” Jase didn’t recognize the vehicle. Obviously, his mother had either let the person in or they’d had the gate code. Which meant he should have an idea of who belonged to the vehicle. He didn’t.

“Front door’s open,” Jagger stated as he parked the car.

“Something’s wrong,” Jase said as he pushed open the door.

“Wait,” Jagger yelled and somehow managed to pass Jase on his way to the house.

What Jase saw would haunt him for the rest of his life. Julia was on the floor in the entryway. She was bleeding from her head, and though his mind screamed at him that head wounds bled profusely, it seemed like a lot of blood to him. She wasn’t moving. Sybil stood farther in, something held loosely in her right hand while her left pointed a gun at his mother, who was edging her way toward another body on the floor. Gwen. She lay crumpled there, appearing unconscious though her body jerked repeatedly.

“Gwen!” Jase yelled.

“Drop the weapon!” Jagger yelled at the same time.

Sybil lurched around to face them, bringing the gun with her. Jagger fired while she was still in motion. Sybil dropped the gun with a cry, jerking her arm toward her chest and attempting to cradle it. She babbled the whole time. Something about a “she” who’d managed to ruin everything, but he wasn’t sure which she Sybil spoke of. His sister or the woman he was falling in love with.

Christ, he didn’t know which one to go to.

His mother made the choice for him, stopping briefly by Gwen to jerk something off her before running to Julia, phone already in hand as she called for help.

“Go to Gwen. She tasered her. She didn’t take her finger off the trigger the whole time, Jase.”

He’d never seen his mother look so terrified. He lunged for Gwen, going to his knees beside her, reaching out then pausing, afraid to touch her as her body continued to spasm. Taser. She’d been hit by a fucking taser. He could smell the burn on her skin. God, he didn’t want to chance hurting her worse, but he couldn’t not touch her. He eased her head onto his lap, brushing her hair out of her face and wiping it off. He wanted to rage like a bull. To rip Sybil apart limb-from-limb for what she’d done to the women in his life.

Gwen jerked, the hand he held contracting around his. She was trying to focus on him. Christ, the woman was strength personified.

“Gwen. Baby. I’m here. I’m here, honey. You’re going to be fine. Mom has help on the way. I need you to hang in there for me. I just found you, baby. Don’t you dare leave me.” He had to pause and swallow. He’d heard of cases where people had died from being hit with a taser. His mother’s words echoed in his head. She didn’t take her finger off the trigger the whole time, Jase. “That’s an order, Gwen. You’re going to be fine. We’ll take you to the hospital, get you checked over, and tomorrow, you’ll wake up at home in my bed. You’re mine now, baby. You’re the most important thing in the world to me.”

He swore he saw her lips move. He leaned lower until his ear practically kissed her lips.

“Not…thing…”

“No, baby,” he agreed as his mother called out to someone and more footsteps echoed around them. “You’re not a thing. You’re my everything. Everything, Gwen, and I’m never letting you go.”

Chapter Nine

Gwen spent three long, overbearing days in the hospital, which was overkill as far as she was concerned. Apparently, it was a big deal when that much voltage went through a human body for the length of time she’d endured. Thankfully, there didn’t appear to be any lasting effects. She’d been dismissed with doctor’s orders to return for a follow-up with her personal physician in a week.

Jase had been by her side the whole time, attentive to her every need. Half of them, he met before she’d even realized she had them. He’d been incredible, making her feel loved.

Everyone from Knight’s Watch had stopped in to check on her. Samira had stayed long enough that she and Jase appeared to be the best of friends now. Seth had brought her some books. Jagger and Levi had stopped by and filled her in on what she’d missed when she’d passed out. Sybil had been arrested. She’d murdered two people whose only faults had been befriending and trusting her. No one had realized the intense crush she had on Noah. Especially Noah.

Gwen had spent the last five days at Jase’s. She was well-rested, relaxed, and going stir crazy. Every morning she woke up clothed in cool, silk sheets, cuddled up to a hot, naked man. She definitely wasn’t complaining, but she was way overdue to return to work. And so was he. Especially since he was on the phone with Noah, going over business based on the side of the conversation she heard. She kissed Jase’s chest and waited for him to finish up.

“How’s Noah doing?” she asked once he hung up. Noah had been blaming himself for what had happened. Thankfully, Julia hadn’t been seriously injured either. The bullet had grazed Julia’s head, and blood loss had been the main concern.

“Still not understanding how Sybil thought he was in love with Julia. Blaming himself for whatever he might have done to give her that idea. I mean, he does love Julia, but like a sister. He’s always thought of her as a sister.”

Gwen believed him. She hadn’t picked up on anything between them either. “Sometimes, people blame someone else for not getting what they want. So when Noah wasn’t noticing her, yet he spoke to Julia, laughed with her over some shared joke, Sybil turned it into something romantic. She couldn’t have him because of Julia. It gave her a target.”

“How did I not see how unstable she was?” Jase demanded.

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