Page 42 of Gilded Dreams

A blaze of white light fills the darkened kitchen and I turn it on the man.

“Oh my God!”

I stumble back and barely keep from dropping the phone and my gun.

“Mr. Mackay.”

Lips peel back in a grimace. “I told you I would keep you safe. Why did you have to go to that filthy place? All you needed was me.” He has a bottle of something with him and I immediately realize it’s gas. He starts flinging the flammable liquid all over the place.

My thudding heart rattles in my chest.

I try to piece together this man’s puzzle but I’m not connecting all the dots.

“What the hell are you talking about? You’re my driver? I’ve never shown interest in dating you. Never gave you any indication I even wanted to.”

“You left your phone in my car. I saw your dating profile. Who do you think you stood up, you stupid bitch? That’s when I knew you needed help.”

“Me? I’m not the one pouring gas all over a kitchen, you asshole!”

It all makes sense now.

“I’ve loved you since day one. I couldn’t let you meet anyone else. Why couldn’t you see that? Did I not get you food? Give you flowers?”

He stands and stumbles forward, but I duck around the kitchen island. “Stay the fuck away from me. You lay a finger on me; my men will kill you. Be warned.”

“You’re mine, bitch. It’s me or no one!” He lunges for me and I scream out in shock and fury when his fingers snag my necklace.

“Get the hell away from me. It was you who’s been scaring me? You attacked me? Hurt me? You don’t do that to people you say you love.” Venom pours from my words. “You should be in prison for what you’ve put me through.”

I don’t have time to try and talk him down from the mental ledge he’s perched on. I sprint toward the exit, but I’m forced back when a death grip tightens in my hair.

He throws me to the ground, and I crawl to the other side of the kitchen. Smoke fills the kitchen and I use it to my advantage. I stare around for my gun from where it clattered to the floor. Spotting it, I dive and snatch. Panic as much as disbelief fills me.

I raise the gun, aim down the barrel and pull the trigger. I don’t know if I hope to hit true or miss. My gut is in knots at both possibilities. I hear a grunt and make for the door again. This time I make it. I’ve never been so happy to be so damn cold.

The second my feet hit snow, all three men are right there. Soot covers their faces and hands. “He’s inside,” I shout over the wind. “I think I shot him.” Brogan and Atlas disappear into the smoke. Minutes later I can hear grunts and a body fly through the kitchen window. Atlas is out of the cabin first. Brogan on his heels. Mackay lunges to his feet and they go at it. Punchesfly. Left hooks and uppercuts. But Atlas has years of Spec Op training under his belt, weight, and height on his side. Brogan and Ryder stand back, letting Atlas take the lead.

The flake of a man doesn’t stand a chance. Bitter cold settles deep in my bones and I am shivering but I can’t look away. I can’t run to find warmth when my men are out here fighting to protect me.

Atlas drives him to the ground and pins his arms behind him. Flashing lights roar up our snow-covered trail. It’s not even a driveway, really.

Three men I don’t recognize hop out of police cruisers and haul my attacker to his feet. “I see you’ve been keeping busy.”

They exchange words and Atlas nods. He is covered in smudges of soot and bare chested, but he doesn’t seem affected by the cold. One of the men I don’t recognize hands him a heavy coat and passes a few more to Brogan and Ryder. Even one for me.

“Thank you.” I hurriedly take it and moan. I guess that’s country living. You have everything for survival with you or else.

Atlas joins us and takes me in his arms. Brogan and Ryder huddle in on opposite sides. I’m cocooned in their warmth. “God I think I’m going to cry,” I stutter. “But I’m afraid my tears will freeze.”

Atlas tucks me beneath his chin, snow coming down in torrents around us. “Grant says we can use one of their cabins down by the lake for the night.”

“Grant?”

Atlas nods. “He and his brothers-in-arms share a wife a mile down the road. We have a lot to talk about, but the short versionis we’ve been working with them to renovate their lodge cabins for a while now. They are also friends with Justice. You’ll love Mercy, their wife.”

High flames lick up the backside of the cabin and the ashes collide with snow. My heart breaks for the loss of such a beautiful night and location.

“Why the tears, butterfly?”

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