Page 91 of Marked for Obsession

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Five minutes earlier…

The gunin her hand felt heavier than it should as Poppy paced the tiled floor of Jax’s private bathroom. Shehatedthat he was out there right now without any sort of backup.

Please, God. Please, please, please keep him safe.

She slid back the weapon’s metal rack and checked that the chamber was full. It was the third time she’d done so, but she had to do something to try to ease the nervous energy threatening to shake her to the core.

The sound of wood crashing and splintering came from somewhere downstairs. Poppy froze, her heart flying into her throat when she realized what it was.

They’re here.

Terrified for Jax, she started for the bathroom door but stopped just shy of grabbing the metal knob. His parting words filled her scattered thoughts.

You’ve trusted me this far. Don’t stop now.

She did trust Jax. With her life and, amazingly, with her heart. Though they’d only known each other a short while, Poppy knew she’d never felt as deeply for someone as she did him.

With the exception of why they’d been holed up here, these past few days had been nothing short of amazing. She’d gotten to know him—reallyknow him—and the more he revealed, the harder she fell.

Despite never having been in love before, she was certain she was in it now. Like completely submerged, no chance of ever breaking the surface, never wanting to come up for air in love.

And the man she loved was downstairs this very minute, risking his life to save hers.

Several loud pops reached her ears, making every muscle in her body tense up, all at once. Luckily her dad had taught her about trigger discipline years before, so she knew better than to have her finger on the trigger of a gun unless or until she was ready to shoot.

More shots rang out. With no other choice but to stand there and listen, Poppy tried like hell not to envision the worst while she worked to control her breathing.

If anyone comes through it but me, shoot them.

She glanced down at the weapon held tightly in her trembling hand and wondered if she’d actually be able to do it.

Shooting at a blacked-out car as it raced down the highway was one thing. Putting a bullet into a man at point-blank range…

That was something else entirely.

You’ve got this, Pop. You can do this.

Poppy thought about the Florence Nightingale Pledge, an oath she and her fellow nursing students had recited during their graduation ceremony came back to her in full force.

In it, Poppy spoke of purity and faith. A vow to maintain and elevate the standard of her profession, devoting herself to the welfare of others and those committed to her care.

While it didn’t include the words ‘do no harm’, they’d always been there at the forefront of her mind. But these men…they weren’t patients in search of care. They’d come here to do one thing, and one thing only.

To kill us.

And that was simply unacceptable.

The trembling in Poppy’s hand steadied. Her breaths, while still deeper and harder than normal, became even. Keeping herself positioned between the bathtub and the door, she gave herself what she hoped was enough room to be able to dive out of the way if it came to that.

And if it didn’t, if she had no choice but to use deadly force to save her own life, so be it. Because she had too damn much to live for to give up now.

Heavy footfalls sounded as someone began running up the stairs. Her first thought was of Jax, but when the gunfire continued below, she knew in her heart the person coming for her wasn’t him.

Poppy widened her stance, her right foot positioned a step behind her left. Adrenaline and fear raced through her system, but she fought against them, forcing herself to keep a clear head.

With the gun held firmly in front of her, she drew a calming breath in through her nose, releasing it slowly out of her barely parted lips.

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