Page 113 of Salvaged Hearts

My heart crashed as I saw the hold of his fist and the glint of metal in the floodlights.

Alice was screaming for Captain now, my mind rioting along with her as I pushed her toward the house. “Run, baby! Get inside!”

I raised my firearm, taking aim as the coward hit him again. With a pained whine, Cap fell to the earth this time.

Two consecutive gunshots cleaved the night.

23

I Think What Your Hulking Friend Meant Was Justice

GREYSON

A lethal kind of calm anchored me into the floor when I closed the door behind the last police officer. Only Detective Rivera remained, alongside Jax. A few of ourThunderstrikebuddies were on their way over now that the chaos died down. Thankfully, Ollie and the kids were out at the cinema, but I’d sent both my team and city brass through to sweep his property, as well as Emmaline’s, though she was two states away.

It wasn’t the first time I took a life. Just the first on United States soil.

I had a sinking suspicion it wouldn’t be the last.

Though I felt him wander up, I still flinched when Jax set his hand on my shoulder. “You alright, Pinman?”

“They put hands onmy wife,” I ground out.

“She’s alright,” Luke reassured from where he hovered, leaning against the archway to the living room. But they hadn’t just laid hands on her. The whole ploy had been for Alice. Targeting Alice. At least according to a candid photo of her atDeLuca’s—the one they’d pinned to the front door with a blade through her throat, splitting the wood beneath. Wehadn’t bothered to bring that bit to her attention. Seemed an unnecessary burden.

“There will be time for retribution later,” Jax promised.

“Justice,” Luke corrected. “I think what your hulking friend meant was justice.”

“Same thing,” Jax insisted. “We’re in touch with MARSOC and FBI, Grey. The team has prepped everything we have on the Gilberts, and that’s at least a start. They’re inside our borders. They’ve got to deal with this.”

“We have a hole in our security,” I growled. I didn’t want to talk about internal terrorism defense for the nation. I wanted to spill the blood of any motherfucker who thought they’d come upmy beachto takemy girlright out from under my nose. They’d come out of the goddamned water—likeSeals.

“I know,” Jax said gruffly. “We’ll find it. The guys are on their way.”

“You hear from the vet yet?” The sound of Luke’s footsteps had me turning.

I didn’t want to be touched.

Not by anyone but Alice.

Alice, who they’d bruised and shaken but was respectively okay.

Alice, who’d seen two men killed tonight. Who’d seenmekill a man tonight. Jax had dropped the other after the bastard successfully gashed open his side. EMTs had stitched him up, but he refused to leave Hart House to go to the hospital.

If I were Wyatt Earp, Jackson Reynolds would be my Doc. He wasn’t going anywhere. Certainly wouldn’t be leaving our side unless we exterminated every spider in that web. Ride or die took on a very different meaning in our world. But…a threat against my woman and my best friend in doggy ICU made this a code red.

The detective seemed to sense my need for space because he wisely kept his, instead stuffing his hands in his pockets as he assessed me.

“Cap’s in surgery,” Jax explained when the silence stretched. “She’ll call us when we know more.”

“He did good,” I said lamely, my throat tight as I stared at the floor, trying to pace my breathing. “Went right for her.”

“He’s a good boy. He’ll be alright, Hart,” Luke said with a lot more confidence than I felt. The fucker I’d shot had stabbed my Shepard six times.Sixblunt knife wounds. But Cap saved her. Wouldn’t let up until he had to. Bought me time to catch up. “You should go check on your girl. Medics okayed her, but she wouldn’t let us call her siblings—didn’t want them here for this.”

Alone. My Alice was sitting all alone.

The shake had only left my hands once the adrenaline trickled out of my system, replaced with a deluge of questions and a long string of law enforcement. Lucky for me, our night vision cameras had caught the conflict and triggered the alarms. Pretty irrefutable evidence we’d done what we had to do. Between that and Captain’s injuries, we had Emerald Bay’s finest planted firmly on our side. Their investigation would be focused on identifying the assailants and looking into their motives.

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