Page 56 of Lone Star Country Protector
“And I don’t know who this Johnny person is, but if he hates you, he’s doing just fine in my book.”
Now Blakely really was confused.
Why attack her if she wasn’t the real intended target? Had someone made a mistake? Ended up in her driveway when they were meant to be somewhere else? And now what? She could identify someone in a lineup, so she couldn’t be allowed to live?
No.That didn’t make any sense either.
“Look, you’re about to kill me anyway,” she started, wondering how much information she could get from Hoodie. “Why don’t you just tell me who is behind this? Why not let me know the name of the person who is having me killed? Don’t I deserve to know that much before I die?”
Hoodie issued a disgusted grunt.
Wrong tactic.
“Or don’t you believe you can get the job done, so you have to protect yourself?” Based on the fact he got really quiet, she realized she’d struck a nerve. Taunting him was risky, but the bigger risk was doing nothing and letting him carry out her murder. “Oh, you’re not authorized to say, are you? You’re just a pawn. The sacrifice should this whole thing go south. You’re the one who goes to jail when the law comes after you for my murder, and believe me, they will. I already have plenty of your DNA underneath my fingernails. My murder will be connected to you. Law enforcement will hunt you down like a hunter stalks a feral hog. You’re already in the database anyway. Your biometrics have been taken because you’ve already served time.”
His grip tightened around her. She was scoring direct hits. Now to keep it going but not push so far that she shoved him over the edge, and he snapped her neck in half. She had no doubt he was strong enough to do exactly that with his bare hands.
He was angry enough to crack.
Blakely took in a slow, deep breath. If she couldn’t overpower Hoodie physically, she had to win on a different level…the mental game.
“How do you plan to kill me anyway?” she continued.
“Boom!” he whispered as he walked her to the passenger door. “Get in.”
This was so not good.
Blakely did as instructed, as Hoodie pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and smiled. His hood was on and cinched around his face, revealing precious little of the details of his features.
He held up the cell as he backed away into the darkness.
Blakely glanced over at Jules. “I’m so sorry.”
* * *
Crouched low, like atiger about to strike, Dalton moved through the vehicles without making a sound. He overshot the bastard in the Hoodie who’d been carrying Blakely with one arm so he could come up from behind.
He also assessed the situation and determined there was a bomb either strapped to his sister or in her vehicle. Probably on Jules, if he had to guess.
One wrong move and two of the people he loved would goboom!
Dalton couldn’t lose anyone else.
So he bided his time as Hoodie backed away. The phone must be linked to the detonator. Again, he was guessing, butit appeared that Hoodie had to tap the screen. He wouldn’t do that until he was in the clear.
So Dalton waited.
A little closer.
Like a lion leaping toward a gazelle, Dalton dove at Hoodie, striking him from the side at the knees.
A crack sounded as the big man was knocked off-balance, and his cell flew out of his hand. Dalton flinched, half expecting the bomb to detonate. His moment of relief when it didn’t was short-lived as Hoodie landed hard on the pavement and immediately threw a punch. His fist connected with Dalton’s chin, causing his head to snap to the left.
The sound of car doors opening and closing broke through the ringing noise in his ears. Before Jules and Blakely could get to him, Hoodie pulled a gun and shoved the barrel on Dalton’s right temple.
Dalton muttered a string of curses.
The man was fast.
