Page 77 of Sully

“Get down!” I pleaded even as Sully dropped to a knee.

But not to get down.

To remove something from his ankle.

I hadn’t even seen him strap on a holster, let alone slip a gun inside of it, but there it was.

But then it was in his hand.

“Get inside, Bonnie,” he demanded, starting to stand.

The SUV roared to life again.

But it was drowned out by another bang.

And another.

And, finally, one that had Sully’s body jolting, then falling to the ground.

But not before I saw the blood blooming through his light yellow Hawaiian shirt.

“No!” I screamed.

Normally, my instinct would have been to run, to seek cover, to hide until the trouble passed.

I was not, by anyone’s definition of the word, brave.

Except, in the past, the man I was beginning to think I was falling for wasn’t lying on the ground, bleeding.

Tires squealed, and I was vaguely aware of blackness in my periphery.

It wasn’t until I was on the ground leaning over Sully, my hands pressing into his shoulder, that I realized the blackness was actually the SUV pulling up beside us, blocking us, guarding us.

“Get inside,” Sully said, breathing heavy, his handsome face twisted in pain.

“No. No, you’re shot.”

“Just a little bee sting.”

“It’s bleeding a lot for a bee sting,” I said, sniffling, willing the stupid, pointless tears to stay in my eyes.

“Bonnie, help me get him in the car,” Valen said.

Looking up, I saw he’d thrown open the door after climbing through the car.

“Cars aren’t bulletproof,” I objected.

“This one damn near is,” Valen told me, hopping out.

“I can get up,” Sully said when Valen tried to reach for him, jostling his shoulder. “Get Bonnie in first.”

“No, I—“ I started, trying to keep putting pressure on Sully’s shoulder.

But Valen was grabbing me, yanking me up and off my feet, then all but shoving me into the backseat. “Get on the floor,” he demanded, turning toward Sully.

“Baby, get down,” Sully said, already on his feet. “Please.”

The pained ‘please’ was what did it.

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