Page 86 of Tango
Minutes tick by as Alice frantically works, and then—an explosion rattles the windows. My heart pounds. Yes. Thank You, Lord!
“What was that?” Darren demands.
I grin. “A family reunion.”
His cheeks redden as anger replaces the arrogant expression on his face. “You keep working,” he orders Alice then turns toward Ramiro. “Leave him to bleed out if necessary. Watch her, and make sure she does what I need her to do. The rest of you, with me.” Darren rushes toward the exit while Ramiro leaves me and withdraws his weapon.
He moves in right behind Alice, the gun in his hand.
As soon as he’s close enough, Alice spins and slams her forearm into his, knocking the gun to the ground.
“You stupid, stupid woman!” he yells as he reaches for her. She brings her leg up and kicks him between the legs. Ramiro falls forward as Alice dives for the gun.
I crawl toward her, unable to stay where I am and watch but unable to do much, either, given I’ve lost the use of my legs and most of the feeling in my body. Breathing is a struggle, but I have to get to her.
Ramiro grips her leg and pulls her forward. She falls, forehead hitting the ground. But she twists in his hold and slams her booted foot into his face. Bone crunches, and he falls still.
Alice gets the gun and holds it up at him, her hand shaking. When he remains still, she sprints over toward where I’ve fallen, unable to move any farther.
“You need to hang on, okay?” Tears in her eyes, she applies pressure to the wounds on my stomach. There’s no telling how much damage the bullet did, but even if it was a through-and-through, the blood loss is so substantial; I don’t see myself getting out of this alive.
“I need you to know that I?—”
“No, Tucker Hunt. You keep those final words to yourself.”
I smirk. “How did you know they were going to be final?” Every single word is labored, every one taking more energy than I have.
“Because I’ve seen enough movies.” She sits down, weapon at her side, and cradles my head in her lap as she applies pressure with her hands. “You better not die on me.”
“Make sure Dylan is okay.”
“You’ll make sure he’s okay,” she replies, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t want to know what it’s like to go back to a life without you in it.”
Spots invade my vision, and what little feeling I still have in my body fades. “I—” But before I can finish, speaking becomes impossible, and the world fades away.
Chapter 30
Alice
“Tucker? Tucker!” I scream his name, shaking him with one hand while I continue to apply pressure with the other. “No, no. You cannot die. God, please don’t take him!” Tears stream down my face. “Please bring him back to me,” I cry, cradling the man I’ve fallen helplessly in love with.
The door opens, so I frantically grab the gun and aim it straight ahead as I cling to Tucker’s limp body.
“Tucker?” A frantic voice calls out. Dylan.
“Over here!” I scream, dropping the gun. It clatters to the ground. But with the brothers here, I don’t need it.
Dylan comes into view, and his expression breaks. “No.” He sprints toward me and falls to his knees. Tango and Delta are right behind him, both dogs panting. Tango whimpers and sniffs Tucker’s hair. It breaks my heart into even more pieces.
He presses his fingers to Tucker’s neck.
“I tried, Dylan. I— Please tell me he’s okay.”
Bradyn and Elliot come into view, Nova, Bravo, and Echo with them. Their broken expressions are impossible for me to read. Because they can’t be thinking what they’re thinking right now.
He can’t be gone.
I cling to Tucker as Dylan looks over at them. “No pulse.”
