Page 100 of Sweet, Sweet Jewel: A Sweet Treats Novel

“You just can’t give up, can you?”

Finn strode toward them, unconcerned by the fact that Kross was threatening her life. She started to sweat. What if Finn’s thirst for revenge made her expendable?

Her mind skittered for a solution.

“Don’t come any closer!” Kross shrieked. His spit flew over her shoulder like a cold rain. “I’ll kill her.”

“No, you won’t.”

Yes, he kind of will. Jewel gritted her teeth. This cockiness of Finn’s would become a problem for her. She could feel it.

“You want your family, your baby?” Finn said, moving even closer. “We found her.”

“What?” Jewel whispered. Her heartbeat thundered. So many emotions flitted through her chest she went numb.

Had they really found the baby she’d given away?

Finn kept staring at Kross. “Don’t you want to hold your child?”

“Yes.” Kross curled his finger around the trigger. “But I’ll do it on my own.” At the last second, he swung the gun around and shot it at Finn.

Jewel screamed when the bang echoed across the clearing, almost deafening her.

Someone grabbed her from behind and lowered her head, shielding her as they urged her to run. Jewel’s breath thickened and she glanced over her shoulder, almost stumbling in shock when she saw Joon Gi’s face hovering over hers.

“Joon?”

“Sh.” He placed a finger to his lips and pointed. Just up ahead, Jewel saw the outline of five figures waiting for her. One by one, her friends stepped out of the darkness and gathered her up in a tight hug.

“We were so worried,” Carrie moaned.

Jewel’s eyes bugged. “Sky?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t come?”

Benson and Sun Gi nodded welcomingly to her.

The sound of grunts rang across the clearing. Jewel spun and saw Kross and Finn fighting in the shadows. Finn was getting pummeled. Even from the distance, Jewel could see the blood staining his face and clothes.

Joon Gi exchanged looks with Benson and his brother. “Anybody up for a deadly fight?”

“I’m in.” Benson shoved his T-shirt sleeves up.

Sun Gi just strode ahead.

Jewel winced. “Guys, be careful.”

“They’ll be fine.” Joana lifted her chin. “Get ‘em, boys.”

34

Finn watched as Sun Gi went careening to the ground. The collective gasps of the women watching behind the trees rolled through the air like the hiss of the wind.

Finn dug his fingers into the dirt and struggled to rise. Blood was leaking past his temple to his cheek and some of it was getting into his eyes. Everywhere throbbed.

Hand-to-hand combat was Kross’s strength and in all his dreams of a showdown, he’d always imagined pointing a gun at Kross’s head and pulling the trigger. Very little fuss or pain.

That hadn’t worked out the way he’d planned. Kross had overpowered him and tossed the gun into the woods, leaving him with no defense and no plan B.

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