Page 4 of Shea's Hero

And then I spot something in his hand, shining dully beneath the streetlamp.

My body tenses.

This is bad.

“Get inside,” I hiss at Jade. Yanking her up from her seat, I start pulling her towards the entrance to the pub.“Run.”

A second man joins the first. He’s dressed the same. And I’ve seen enough guns to recognize what he’s holding.

Jade clutches my hand.“Shea.”Her voice shakes. “What do they want?”

It feels like everything is moving in slow motion.

Jade and I are maybe twenty feet from the entrance. But it looks more like twenty miles.

The two men aren’t just running, they’re sprinting. Across the grass, the sidewalk, and now—oh, shit—they’re leaping over the little railing around the patio.

“Run!” I’m pulling Jade, but she’s frozen. Her legs won’t move. A glance at her face tells me all I need to know.

After what she’s been through, of course this would send her right into a flashback.

I yell at Elle, “Grab Jade! Get inside!” And I push Jade in Elle’s direction.

“Move!” one of the men snaps at the other. “Before they get inside!”

No.

Not my best friend. Mypregnantbest friend. My brother’s wife.

“Jade!” I shout. “Run!”

She starts to jog, but it’s not fast enough.

A glance over my shoulder finds the men terrifyingly close.So close.

It would only take seconds for them to grab Jade. Or me. And they’d be gone before any of the guys could even get outside.

Shit.

No.I will not let this happen. Jade and Niall have been through enough.

Think.

Footsteps pound towards us.

They’re too close. There’s no time.

Forcing down the choking fear, I ignore the instinct to run.

Instead, I turn to fight.

Stepping in front of Jade, I grab the chair I was sitting in and swing it with all my strength. At the same time, I shout, “Jade! Your earring!”

The chair slams into the first man approaching us, hitting him square in the chest.

Behind me, Jade whispers, “I pressed it.”

Elle comes running over, shouting, “Stop it! Get away!”

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