Page 791 of The Tempted

I love it when she lets me mess her all up.

Twenty minutes later, I turned the truck onto the street of the Dog Pound. Adrianna was still trying to fix herself, giving up on smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress she concentrated on her hair.

“You look beautiful,” I tell her as I pull up to the gate.

She screams as a reply to my compliment, stopping my heart as I slam my foot against the break. Turning to face her, my gaze travels out the window in the direction she stares at in horror. The glass security booth that mimics a parking attendant’s booth is splattered with blood.

“Don’t move,” I shout, opening the console. I pull out my revolver, knock back the safety and jump out of the car. The arm that lifts to let cars through is hanging off by the hinge and is riddled with bullet holes. I walk alongside the truck, with my weapon drawn and stand in front of the window Adrianna is still staring out.

“Get down,” I whisper harshly, waiting for her to do so before I take a few steps closer to the glass booth and enter it. The body inside the booth is slumped over. Forcefully I push his chest back so he leans against the chair and I can inspect who it is.

“Shit,” I hiss, wiping his blood down the front of my shirt as I peer into Mack’s lifeless eyes.

“Anthony,” Adrianna cries, causing me to turn around and watch as she points straight ahead. I avert my eyes in the direction she’s pointing and I see an unfamiliar man walking toward the clubhouse. His arms are extended at his sides and his feet shuffle with every step he took, appearing as if there were cinderblocks weighing down his feet.

I race out of the booth and hurry to the car.

“Anthony, Nikki and Mike are in there,” Adrianna shouts.

Fuck. I kept my hand firmly on the shifter and contemplate my next move, my eyes never wavering from the man making his way toward the clubhouse. My first instinct is to drive my truck over the fucking guy who killed one of Jack’s men but I had my wife next to me and this wasn’t some Bonnie and Clyde bullshit.

I narrow my eyes, looking for weapons and notice the vest wrapped tightly around his body.

“Anthony!” She shouts.

I ignored her as I continue to concentrate on the vest. Little red and blue threads wrap around his torso and his back connecting to something on his chest. I shift the car into drive and roll toward the clubhouse to get a closer look when Adrianna grabs my arm.

“Are you listening to me? We need to get Nikki and Mike out of there,” she orders, desperately.

I run my fingers through my hair, glancing at the gun on my lap before lifting my eyes back to my wife’s.

“There’s a gun under your seat. The clip is in the glove box,” I instruct, turning my attention back to the man who stands in front of the door. “You stay behind me and do as I say, you hear me Adrianna? I’m not kidding this time. I tell you to stay put, stay fucking put.”

“And if someone holds a gun to your head?”

“Shoot the motherfucker like you shot Rico,” I say, slamming my foot against the gas as the man pulls open the front door of the Dog Pound and disappears inside.

I turn to face her, watch as she pulls back the safety and stare at the door.

“Hey,” I say, reaching over the console to squeeze her knee. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replies, turning her gaze to me.

I lean over the console and kiss her quickly. I didn’t pull away, and neither did she but the kiss ended as we were thrown from the car and the Dog Pound exploded.

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