Page 106 of Pleasure Island

It made me clumsy. Now I understood why heroines were always falling in horror movies. I tripped but righted myself before I went down. Finally, out of the water, I turned toward Liam.

He still had the weapon aimed at my attacker.

The big man was back on his feet and staring at Liam like I didn’t even exist. “You aren’t going to use that on me,” he said, his voice confident.

“Get down on your knees,” Liam said, not bothering to respond to the man’s comment.

I saw murder in Liam’s eyes though, and I knew he would use it.

Heart hammering in my throat, I stared between the two.

The man’s hand twitched, and he lunged.

Liam lowered the weapon a fraction, then there was another one of those muffledpopsounds.

A scream tore the night, furious and filled with pain, and I yelped as the man collapsed into the water. Covering my mouth with my hands, I gaped as he lay on his back, thrashing in the water.

“You mother-fucker! You shot my knee!”

“Hands on your head or the next bullet goes into your skull. And no, I won’t miss,” Liam said calmly. “Make me nervous, and I just might shoot you in the dick before I blow your brains out.”

A split second passed, and I could see the man weighing his options. Then he heaved out a sigh. A second later, he dangled another gun in front of him, holding it between two fingers.

“Throw it away,” Liam ordered.

He threw it, and I jumped as I heard it splash into the watery sand a few feet away.

I went to grab Liam. He let me, holding me with one arm while he kept the gun up and ready.

Over his shoulder, I saw lights. When the lights revealed a rush of bodies, I sagged. “It’s the security guys,” I whispered, dazed.

Still, Liam didn’t lower the weapon, not even once we were surrounded by security guards.

He didn’t lower it until the man on the ground was flipped onto his stomach and had his hands bound behind him. He cursed and screamed the whole way through.

I buried my face against Liam’s chest.

Finally, he slid his other arm around me. I felt the chill of the weapon through my wet dress and shivered.

“Mila,” he whispered.

Closing my eyes, I clung to him even tighter.