Page 109 of When He Protects

“You should’ve been in the car with your parents. Every freaking one of you should have been wiped out!” Spittle flew from his mouth. He heaved out a shuddering breath. “Your grandfather couldn’t handle the shit that had gone down. Said he’d never meant for things to go so far. That I was just supposed tothreatenhis son. Didn’t the bastard get that the time for threats had long passed? It was a time for action. But your grandfather couldn’t live with himself after the funeral. The weak prick put a gun in his own mouth.”

Tyler had known that his grandfather took his own life. He’d thought the suicide was due to grief not to—not to—Killing my father. My mother. Ordering the hits on their lives.Tyler started to squeeze the?—

“Tyler!”

Esme’s voice. His Esme.

“Tyler, a sheriff’s car just pulled up! It’s Clay!”

Thaddeus laughed. “I lied to you about Grayson. Clay is the one who tipped me off. I was already in the area, and it was so easy to get here when he gave me your location. He was texting me GPS coordinates for the Jeep you stole—he did that the entire time you were supposedly running to safety. I was on your trail, every moment. He even called me a bit ago to let me know that he’d be coming to seal the deal here with me.”

Clay.

“Here’s something else for you to spin around in that head if yours. If you kill me, Grayson is a dead man.” Again, Thaddeus just pressed his head to the gun, as if daring Tyler to shoot. “He didn’t reveal jack shit to me. Not even after the torture. He’s still alive. For the moment. But if I go out, if you pull that trigger, you may as well be killing Grayson yourself!”

“Clay is coming toward the door. Oh, no! He saw the bullet hole in the window. What do I do?”Esme’s frantic voice.

“Answer the door,” Thaddeus directed her. “Invite him to join the party.”

But they didn’t need to invite him to the party. Because the door was suddenly flying open. Clay had kicked it in. The motel had walls and doors that were way too thin and weak. Clay burst in—gun up—but he staggered to a stop when he saw Tyler with his weapon pressed against Thaddeus’s temple.

“What in the hell is happening here?” Clay bellowed.

“Behind you!” Thaddeus yelled. “She’s hiding?—”

Esme had already launched her body at Clay. But he spun, and his weapon stopped her cold. “This is where it ends for you,” Clay told her, voice flat. “Sorry, but there’s a lot of money sitting on that pretty head.”

“No!” Tyler yelled. He lifted his weapon away from Thaddeus. Instantly, the Fed was on his feet. “Don’t shoot her,don’t!”

Clay kept his attention on Esme, but he told Tyler, “Drop your weapon.”

Tyler dropped his weapon. No hesitation. Not when Esme’s life was on the line.

“Now walk out of here.” Clay cast him a quick glance. “Don’t look back. I made a deal, man. You’ll get to go free. I just have to take care of her.”

The fuck that was happening.

“Walk out,” Clay urged again. His gaze pleaded with Tyler to follow his order. “Thaddeus and I will handle Esme.”

Tyler’s gaze swung to land on Esme’s face.

“You’re my friend,” Clay said. “Killing you was never part of the deal. You get to go free.It’s just her.”

Did Esme still have her gun? Tyler thought that she did. Her right hand was hidden behind her jeans.

“Go,” Esme told Tyler. She even sent him a smile. “Don’t look back, Tyler. Promise me that you won’t.”

“You don’t leave the ones you love behind,” he reminded her. Then his gaze slid back to Clay.

“Walk out!”Spittle flew from Clay’s mouth.

Tyler didn’t move.

“What in the hell is going on over here?” A disgruntled male voice. One that might have been a little drunk. “Youassholes need to keep the volume down!” A man in a stained, white shirt lumbered toward the open motel room door. “I’m trying to—” His eyes widened as he took in the scene that waited for him. “Fuck!” He turned and ran.

“Stop him!” Thaddeus blasted. “Dammit, Clay, you are screwing up everything! You didn’t even destroy the damn drive.Tylersaw it. He isn’t leaving! He’sdying!”

Tyler cut a glance behind him at the Fed.

---