Page 110 of When He Protects

Thaddeus had Tyler’s gun in his hand. From this close, there was no way he’d miss when the bastard fired at him—and Tyler knew that Thaddeus was firing. He could see the deadly intent in the other man’s eyes.

Tyler wanted to tell Esme that he loved her. Wanted to tell her that he’d started to make dreams for them. For the first time in a very long while, he’d dreamed.

But that sonofabitch is about to fire at me.

“Don’t shoot Tyler! Don’t hurt him!” Clay yelled. “Tyler, fuck, hit the deck!”

Tyler dropped.

Guns blasted. Not silenced gunfire. Thunderous blasts. Immediately, his gaze went to Esme. Her eyes were wide and horrified, but she wasn’t hurt.

Clay…was.

Red bloomed on his stomach, darkening the brown of his sheriff’s uniform. He weaved and looked down at himself. “Shouldn’t it…hurt more?” Clay crashed onto the floor.

Tyler rolled and looked up. Red spilled from dead center on Thaddeus’s chest. He’d dropped the gun and had slapped both hands over the wound. Blood poured from between his fingers.

Tyler grabbed the gun and leapt to his feet. “You bastard!”

Thaddeus hit his knees.

“You killed my father?” Rage had the whole room turning a blood red. “My mom?Youwere behind the bombing in Paris? You did it all?”

“H-help…me.”

“Fucking helpyourself.”

Thaddeus crashed in front of him. Tyler whirled as his attention flew to Esme. “Esme!”

She had her hands on Clay’s chest. “I can’t stop it! Tyler, call for help! Tyler, please?—”

“He’s not calling anyone.”

Too slowly, Tyler’s head swung toward the open motel room door. Who the hell else was coming to the room? More backup for Thaddeus?

A man stood in the doorway. Big, wearing a mask on the lower portion of his face. His icy blue eyes glinted. “The dead can’t call.” Then the man fired the gun in his hand.

The impact of the bullet slammed into Tyler. It shoved him back, and he hit the wall near the bathroom. His head thudded hard into the wall, the same freaking spot on the back of his head where he’d been hit after the blast. His body began to slump. The room to dim. He saw Esme. She was screaming and lunging for him, but the man in the doorway wrapped his arm around her and hauled her up against him.

Then that bastard looked over at Tyler. He looked…

And he put the gun barrel over the mask—in the spot that would cover his lips.Shhh.

Esme broke away from the masked man.

Snarling, the masked man pointed the gun and fired.

Bam.It seemed like a hammer drove right into Tyler’s chest, right over his heart.

Esme was still screaming and fighting when the masked man hauled her out of the motel room

The gunfireand the screams maddened Kane. He’d been slamming his feet into the rear window of the patrol car, but the stupid thing wouldn’t break. His friends were inside the motel—they’d better not bedying—and he was trapped inside the cop car.

Kane lunged upright and peered out of the window just as some dick in black came running out with Esme locked in his arms. Esme was scratching and headbutting him and the prick wasn’t letting her go. “Esme!” Kane roared. “Esme!”

Her head whipped toward the patrol car. “Tyler!”Her desperate cry. Then she slammed her head back against her attacker.

He didn’t let her go.

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