Page 31 of Hacker Christmas

“Put the gun down. We can talk about this. If it’s money you need, I will give it to you.” He swung his head in my direction.

“Fuck off. You had your chance. Now, I’m going to take something you love away. Why did you have to quit? You ruined everything.”

“Stop this before someone dies and you go to prison for life. The detective might live, but we need to get him help.”

Brock’s voice came over the comm to let us know the police and an ambulance were five minutes out.

“Listen to Aaron,” Brock said. “Set the gun down and wait for the police.”

“I’m not stupid,” Harry said. “The police are already on the way. I won’t go to jail again.” He swung the gun in my direction. “Everything is about Aaron, it’s time he learns he doesn’t always get his way.”

Daisy used that moment to spring into action. When Harry pointed the gun at me, she brought her elbow down into his gut. I hadn’t noticed Asher make his way over to the side of the bed, but he grabbed Daisy, swung her to the ground, and covered her.

“Fuck you!” Harry screamed, as he pointed the gun at Daisy and pulled the trigger.

Antonio launched his body at Harry. Harry let out a grunt as Antonio hit him with force.

I rushed to Asher and Daisy and felt helpless as the blood ran from my brother’s side. Daisy moved over. “Help him,” she said. I pressed my hands to the side of my brother’s chest.

Asher’s eyes fluttered open as I held pressure on his wound. “Come on, Asher. Stay with me. The ambulance is two minutes out.”

Harry kept yelling in the background as Antonio subdued him. I didn’t see what Antonio did, but I could hear the grunts as he landed a few punches into Harry’s side. I wanted to kick the shit out of him, but my hands were busy applying pressure to my brother’s wound. Daisy put Asher’s head in her lap and whispered to him, telling him he needed to stay strong, or CJ, Asher’s fiancée, would be mad.

“Brock, how far out is the ambulance?” I yelled as Asher’s eyes kept closing. “He’s losing blood fast.”

“Aaron, tell CJ I will be okay,” Asher said urgently. “He’ll worry.”

“Don’t worry about anything except staying alive.”

I didn’t know if he heard me before his eyes shut and his breathing became labored. Luckily, the EMTs rushed through the door.

16

Daisy

Ishot straight up in bed. I glanced around the room and let out a breath, my heart pounding out of my chest. I’d dreamt I was in Al’s dungeon.

“What’s wrong?” Neal pulled me into his arms, and Aaron slowly sat up next to me. We hadn’t arrived back to the cabin until around midnight, and then I’d sat up with Jessica and Bridget while the men went to the hospital. Asher was going to be okay. The bullet missed major organs, and they planned to release him that morning.

“Sorry.” I tried to calm my nerves. “I dreamt I was back in Al’s house.” Neal’s arms tightened around me.

“No one will ever take you away from us again. When we get back, I’m going to put a GPS device in your arm. I don’t care if you think I’m crazy. I never want to go through not knowing where you are again.”

“I would like that.” I had nothing to hide, and Aaron and Neal wouldn’t abuse the tracker. Being kidnapped three times in my life was enough.

I screamed again as the door thrust open. Bridget gazed around the room, her face going from excited to irritated at finding us awake in bed.

“Go away, Bridget!” I said as Neal tried to hide beneath the covers. Dang.

She tapped her green, bell-accessorized slippers on the floor. She was wearing elf PJs and elf ears. “Not a chance. Ant and Alonzo woke up an hour ago,” Bridget said. “It’s Christmas morning, and I want to open my presents.” A mischievous smile crossed her face as she continued to tap her shoe on the floor.

“Can’t we sleep for another hour? We were all up late,” Neal pointed out.

“My son doesn’t seem to understand that we were up late, and I want to open my presents. Jessica has breakfast on the table, and if you plan on eating, you’d better hurry before the men downstairs eat all the food.” Those were her parting words before she turned on her heel and exited the bedroom.

“What time is it? I feel like we just went to bed.”

I pulled myself out of Neal’s arms and rolled over to Aaron. “You’re the one who loves Christmas. Don’t you want to watch your nephew open the gifts we bought him?” I had found every noisy gift possible for Alonzo, and I couldn’t wait to watch him make a racket. I had done the same thing for Ant.

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