Page 97 of Deadly Attraction
His long, brown hair fell forward in that messy Hollywood-bad-boy style and his chocolate brown eyes did a slow perusal of her nearly naked self. “Miss me? I sure missed you.”
Gun.
She’d left it on the counter while taking off her wet clothes.
Moving backward, her feet slipped and tangled, her elbow crashing into the door frame, knocking her off balance as panic swept through her. The door banged backwards into the wall.
Dropping the towel, she scrambled for the sink and the shiny metal lying on it.
Her hand slapped at the gun, catching the butt. It spun and tumbled to the floor.
She fell to her knees, grabbing it with both hands and flicking off the safety. Raising it to point at the man defiling her panties, her bedroom, with his very presence, she tried to firm her shaking grasp.
He smirked at her attempt to protect herself, his eyes letting her know he wasn’t scared of her gun. Wasn’t scared ofher. He had everything under control.
“What are you doing here?” she gasped, still working on keeping the barrel from shaking.
“I came for you.” His tone suggested it was a stupid question.
It probablywasan inane thing to ask. She’d known since the moment Mitch had shown up on her doorstep that Chris might indeed be for real in his hunt for her. “Why?”
“You ruined my life.” He pushed off the bed and stood. “Thought I’d repay the favor.”
Emma stood too, slowly rising from her knees and keeping the gun on him. “Your men killed a police officer and nearly killed an innocent girl. They burned down my horse barn. They shot up my house! But you know what? It ends here. You and I? We’re done.”
Chris gave her an odd look. “I could have ordered my lieutenants to kill you, Dr. Collins.”
Lieutenants? “So we’re playing this game, huh? I’m a cyborg and you’re The Chosen One?”
“I don’t know why you believe this is a game.”
Heart pounding, she licked her lips, trying to decide where exactly to shoot him. Leg? Chest? Should she wound him or shoot to kill?
She wasn’t a killer, but she was damned tired of living in fear from this man. “So why didn’t you order your lieutenants to kill me, Chris? You and I both know you don’t have the guts to kill me yourself.”
“Who’s Chris?” He snickered, but she saw the slight twitch at the corner of his left eye. Her words had hit home even though the narcissist in him hid it well. “You know who I am and why I’m here. Iamgoing to kill you, Dr. Collins, and lead The Resistance to freedom.”
“Good luck with that, Chris.” She gave him a smile that she hoped conveyed she was really the one in control here because she knew the truth. “You know what you are underneath your fame and manipulation? Nothing but a scared little boy who never felt loved. It doesn’t matter if you’re really Chris or you’re Tom. Bottom line is, you’re nothing but a pussy, afraid to act like a man.”
It had worked on the other men, she thought it might be worth a try on him.
He went totally still. Not even the tick near his eye moved. “You really think I don’t have the guts to kill you, bitch?”
She cocked the gun. He had to know she’d defended herself before against one of his fans, but maybe he needed reminding. “You really think this is the first time I’ve ever shot someone?”
His gaze flickered to the gun and back to meet her eyes. That same smirk crossed his lips, his body no longer tense. “Guess it comes down to who has the most to win or lose, doesn’t it?”
She would only have one chance. One shot. If she didn’t make it count, he’d be on her in a second. No telling what he might do.
And not just to her.
Mitch and the others were still down by the gate. While she hadn’t seen anyone else, she knew Linda had to be around somewhere, maybe more of the Resistance fighters.
No one was taking anything else from her. She wouldn’t let them hurt Mitch, or Will, and not her horses or her dogs or her ranch either. Chris Goodsman had already taken so much from her.
“No, Chris,” she said, her hands finally steadying. “What it comes down to is who has the biggest set of balls. And that, you arrogant asshole, would be me.”
She fired—click, click, click.
