She stared down the barrel of the revolver past the steel to hard, unseeing eyes. Her heart jumped in her throat and lodged there, cutting off her breathing. Dizziness swept over her, she felt sick.
“Maybe, I should kill you,” Jennifer sneered. “Rid the world of whores and freaks like you.”
She swallowed hard, tamping down on her fear.
“No!” she cried out. Stop her!
DANGR moved at her ankle. Dragonfly.
Images swirled inside her head. Jennifer moved, sweeping the gun away from her, orange and red explosion, bullet striking Lucas. “No!”
She whirled. The smile Lucas gave her struck pain all the way to her bones. He offered reassurance as if he accepted fate. No, damn it! She would not lose Lucas! He would not die because of her. As he shifted, her hand dropped to his waist and hit something hard, metal. His Glock!
Her pulse quickened and she tightened the grip on the weapon. Blood pounded through her veins as she tugged the gun free, arced it up and over Lucas’s bent form, and aimed it at the bitch that had thrown her world into turmoil.
DANGR hit Jennifer’s hand and sent her gun flying.
“What the—”
Without hesitation, Gilly squeezed the trigger, and the bullet struck Jennifer’s shoulder. Jennifer screamed.
Gilly’s second shot hit her just below the collarbone and Jennifer stumbled back, her uninjured arm flailing in a windmill motion. Air whooshed out of her lungs as her ass hit the ground with a thud.
“You bitch!” Jennifer swore up a blue streak, clutched at her wounds, bright red blood oozing from under her fingers.
The Glock extended away from her body, she stalked up to the injured woman and pressed the tip of the weapon hard against Jennifer’s temple. “Don’t move.”
Jennifer halted her scramble.
The 9-millimeter shook in her hand and she desperately wanted to pull the trigger.
“Maureen.”
She heard the voice but it did not sink in. She had no fear of killing. She had done it before and would do it again. Jennifer had killed Jimmy, Daniel, and now Lucas. Lucas!
“Maureen.”
She jumped. Her head whipped around and Lucas filled her vision, standing beside her, his hand on her shoulder. “Lucas!” He was alive. Tears trailed down her face, stung the back of her throat, and prevented the words she wanted to say from escaping. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. “Thank goodness,” she breathed out, burying her face in his shoulder. Relief swamped her.
“Shh.” He stroked her head. “I’m fine.”
Gilly pulled back, shoved hair from her face and looked at Lucas, took in every inch of him with her eyes, and then her hands. “You’re really okay. You’re not shot.” She could not believe it. He had no holes, no blood.
“You shot her before she got off a round. And you shot her left-handed, very impressive.” He nodded toward the moaning woman on the ground. “Come on. We need to get her secured and patched up.”
Smiling, she took a step back and turned her attention to Jennifer, Jimmy’s one time girlfriend and now killer. “I say let her suffer,” she growled.
“Please! I’m dying!”
“You’re not dying,” Lucas reassured Jennifer then retrieved the .38 from the ground and tucked it into the back of his waistband.
He turned his attention to her. “Go get some rope and the large first-aid kit under the kitchen sink.”
She opened her mouth to protest then shut it again. “Here.” She handed Lucas his Glock. “I’ll be back in a second. Shoot if she moves an inch.” Gilly glared at the whining Jennifer then spun on her heels and went into the house. Letting the door slam shut behind her, she stomped through the office and down the hall, and into the kitchen. She yanked open the cupboard under the sink, squatted down to see in and retrieved the first-aid kit.
Her knees gave out and she crumbled to the floor, the sudden realization of how close she came to losing Lucas hitting her like a blow to the gut. Unable to stop shaking, she doubled over, squeezed her eyes shut and rocked back and forth. “He could have died.” It was all her fault. “Lucas could have died.”
Bile rose in the back of her throat. She was going to be sick. Hand plastered over her mouth, Gilly managed to get to her feet and run down the hall to the bath, just in time to spew the horrid acid of guilt into the toilet. Bent over the commode, she waited for the next round. It never came. After flushing the toilet, she went to the sink, lifted the faucet lever, and then cupped water into her mouth. She rinsed and spit then grabbed the mouthwash to do the same thing before splashing cold water on her face.
Be calm. Be cool. The thought of losing Lucas, of his dying inched its way into her thoughts. Taking a deep breath in through her nose, she exhaled slowly through her mouth. Two more times and she felt more in control. She returned to the kitchen, retrieved the kit, and went back outside.
She found Lucas standing guard, Glock gripped in one hand resting against his arms crossed over his chest. To the untrained eye, he appeared relaxed, without a care in the world. She knew better. His dark brows knit in a scowl, anger radiated from him as she made her way down the stairs.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a low whisper when she handed him the red bag.
She nodded. Lucas took the bag, passed her his gun, and slipped his cell phone out of his pocket. “Can you call Mickey and tell him what’s up while I get little Miss Jennifer cleaned up?”
“But… I want to question her,” she complained.
Jennifer cried out.
“Yeah, okay.” Gilly took the offered phone. She watched Lucas tie Jennifer’s hands without trouble down to her sides ignoring her screeches of pain then reach into the first-aid kit and pulled out white gauze.
Something moved and Jennifer yelped. Gilly looked up in time to see the robot retreating to its resting state of puppy, heading back for its docking station. Gilly’s lips curled up in satisfaction. DANGR had performed well. A few more tweaks and it would be ready for the big demo to DARPA and other political officials. With Jennifer caught and her partner identified, she could finish DANGR, and give the demo with a clear conscious. Lucas was safe, would remain safe. Fingers crossed she had managed to recover all the work Jimmy had done plus his wish of the neural network. She prayed that would not be a mistake.
“Are you going to make that call?”
“Huh? Oh.” Lucas had finished patching Jennifer’s wounds and stood next to her, stroked a finger down her cheek. “Yeah, sure.” She moved the phone to her ear when a sound caught her ear and an image flickered in her mind.
“Get down!” Lucas shoved her head toward the ground. The bullet struck the window and glass shattered. Jennifer screamed.
Her heart thundered in her ears as her knees hit grass. “Where did it come from?”
“Treeline near the creek at ten o’clock,” he answered.
She aimed at the trees, watched for movement, and felt Lucas tug her ankle weapon free. “Get her gun.” With her gaze trained on the brush ahead, Gilly heard him move, and speak in a low murmur.
It was wicked quiet. Ice trickled down her spine in the hush. “Lucas,” she warned. The next shot rang out, hit the ground near Jennifer, and sent dirt flying.
Jennifer screeched louder than she had before. “He’s trying to kill me!”
“Who?” Lucas demanded.
“Who do you think?” she yelled. “Tr—”
She saw the glint of sunlight on the riflescope through the trees before it hit its mark. Jennifer quit screaming. She quit breathing. Lucas swore.
Gilly tuned everything out and focused hard, flat eyes on the point at which she had seen a flash, a reflection. She sighted the spot in the treeline, inhaled, held her mark, and pulled the trigger. A guttural wail came from the direction of the trees.
Lucas took off at a dead run. “Call Mickey!” he yelled over his shoulder.
“Lucas!” He ignored her and kept moving. She st
ayed low for several more minutes, her weapon trained on the crashing in the woods. Should she chase after them? No, that would only give the shooter another target and Lucas something else to worry about.
On her feet, Gilly fished out her cell phone from her pocket and walked toward Jennifer. As much as she had wanted to harm the woman for her part in Jimmy’s death, she would not have killed her. She could have, a small piece of her wanted to, but she wanted to see the people who caused the deaths of two good men and wreaked havoc on her life punished. Now the woman was dead and she wouldn’t have a chance at finding out all the reasons why.
She blew out a long breath and made the call. Thirty minutes later, after an exhaustive replay to Mickey and listening to him both rant and bark orders, she snapped the phone shut.
Gilly glanced at the trees, bit down on her lower lip. “Where the hell are you Lucas?”
As if he had heard her question, Lucas appeared at the edge of the woods limping, holding onto a tree. “Oh, no.” She ran. She did not stop until her body was plastered against his in a death grip.
“Let me breathe.”
“Are you okay?” she asked without loosening her grip.
“Fine if you stop squeezing so hard.”
She slackened her hold but refused to let go completely. “Why are you limping?”
He unhooked her arms from his neck and set her on her feet. “Because I didn’t watch where I was going and a log reached out and bit me.”
“Oh.” Gilly started to giggle when Lucas shot her a death ray glare. She clamped her lips shut and stifled the sound. “You’re okay?” she asked, wrapping an arm around his waist and draping an arm over her shoulder.
“Just my pride hurts. The guy had a four-wheeler waiting in the woods. I followed as far as I could, but when the engine noise disappeared, I decided to turn back. That’s when the tree took me out.” He glanced over at her. “Did you call the boss?”
She nodded. “I gave him the pertinent. A team will be here shortly and he’s got a search out for Troy High as we speak.” Troy High, she thought, bastard extraordinaire, owner of Robotics FX, and murderer.
“Then it should be over soon.”
THIRTY
Lucas shut the door, flipped the lock, and leaned against the heavy wood with a deep sigh. It had been a long day. The sweeper team just left, taking the body of Jennifer with them. It was pitch black outside. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed with Maureen and never leave. He had never been so scared in his entire life. Seeing Jennifer aim that gun at Gilly turned his whole world upside down, and he clung to the edge with his fingernails. He raked his hand through his hair and shoved away from the door.
When that second shooter showed up and the bullet missed Gilly by mere inches his heart had stopped for a full ten seconds before rage kicked him in the ass and made him move. “Shit!” Lucas slammed his fist against his thigh as he took the stairs up. He had come so close to losing her. Forever. His gut twisted with the thought.
As he entered the master bedroom, Gilly stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. His heart in his throat, he stopped in his tracks, leaned against the door. He drank in the sight of her. His hungry gaze drifted over long legs, soft curves, her delicate shoulders, flushed cheeks, her lips, and all that dark copper hair spilling down her shoulders in a rain of fire.
Mine. He pushed away from the door and strode toward her. He needed her, would always need her. Hearing his purposeful steps, she turned, started to smile, and then gasped when he pulled her into his arms. She was in his arms, alive, warm, and his. He would never let her go, would never lose her. He gazed into jade green eyes, dark with amusement. “I love you,” he rasped before he crushed his mouth to hers, tasting, caressing, burning.
Lucas broke the kiss, stepped back. With one quick flick, he released the towel knotted between her breasts and let it slip to the floor. Then he touched her, watched as her body reacted to his stroke, the way the nipple puckered. “Mine,” he murmured. He bent down, took the sweet bud in his mouth and sucked, teased. When he felt Gilly’s knees wobble, he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
Her eyelids low and seductive, she drew a finger down his body. She smiled up at him. He had his clothes off faster than a Navy man on shore leave. Positioning himself between her silky legs, he grinned down at her. She reached up, cupped his face in her soft, warm hands, and tugged him closer. Her eyes fluttered closed just before his lips met hers. Their tongues tangled, and hips pressed together. A breathy sound, part moan, part sigh, escaped her lips and set him on fire.
He plunged into her heat. She gasped into his mouth and her legs wrapped around his hips. Lucas pulled back, his chest heaving, and waited for her to open her eyes. Red lashes flickered against pale cheeks then gazes locked. Shifting, he threaded his hands into her still damp hair, cupped her head, and brought his face within an inch of hers.
“Stay with me, Gilly. Keep your eyes open, wide open.” His hips moved and he stroked her slow and sweet. He bit his lip. “See me, the man who loves you.” Lucas pumped into her and withdrew. “I’m the man who will always love you.” He thrust hard and deep, felt her clamp around him. He pushed into her again.
“Tell me,” he said breathless. “I need the words.” Her lips parted and he drove into her, sinking deep. He strained for control, the muscles in his legs and arms quivered. He had to hear her say the words, just three little words.
“I love you.”
Lucas blinked, staring at Gilly’s lips. They hadn’t moved. The voice was mechanical—robotic. He stilled, his heart battering against his chest. “What the…”
Gilly’s wide-eyed gaze sparkled up at him mirroring his own look of dismay. He eyed Gilly and the stunned look on her face then the robot tucked into the corner of the room.
“Did…”
“Yes,” she panted, tears pooling in her eyes. “I finished the neural network.”
Shit! What was he supposed to think, to do? He swallowed. “It’s downright—” Lucas cut himself off before he said or thought the word.
“He said what was in my heart,” she whispered.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tugged his face even closer, flicked the corner of his lips with her tongue, and almost sent him over the edge. “Gilly,” he breathed out as she thrust upwards to meet his stroke. That was it. She broke him. Hands fisted in her flaming hair, Lucas drove into her, again and again.
“I—I love you,” she cried out. Her liquid heat rained over him in convulsive waves. She cried out his name, sank her nails into his shoulders, and said the three little words he was desperate to hear. “A Ghrá.”
The Irish lilt mixed with the words propelled him over the precipice. His back stiffened and with one more forceful plunge, Lucas spilled into Gilly. “I love you.”
* * * *
Winded and smiling from ear-to-ear, Lucas rolled onto his back, pulling Gilly with him and against his side. He cradled her head in the hollow of his shoulder and kissed the tip of her nose.
After he caught his breath, his mind started to think. He could not wrap his brain around the fact that she mentally spoke to the robot and he mimicked her words. It seemed incomprehensible. “It’s just too damn...” He let the sentence trail off. “Is that why DANGR flew up and smacked the weapon out of Jennifer’s hand?” Lucas murmured into the darkness not expecting an answer.
“Yes.” Gilly draped an arm across his middle. “That’s what I was testing when she showed up.” She pressed her lips to his chest then turned away and curled up on her side. “I’m sorry it freaked you out.”
Shit! He should have known she would pick up on his thoughts. Hell, he should have been attuned to hers. Lucas rolled over, wrapped an arm around Gilly’s waist and spooned her against him so she fit tight against every curve.
“You didn’t freak me out, but you do have to admit having the robot speak your words mid-thrust was just a little disconcerting,” he whispered against her ear as he s
troked her slender arm.
“It was a bit of a surprise.” She gave a quiet chuckle. “I hadn’t exactly planned on it happening. I guess I have some fine-tuning to do.”
“I’ll say. Unless, of course, you prefer to give me a heart attack and have me die in the middle of making love to you.” Lucas nipped at her bare shoulder and felt her shudder.
“Not particularly.”
He kissed the nape of her neck. “Mmm. Good.”
“Lucas?”
“Hmm.” He pressed his lips against the pulse at her neck and felt it jump.
“I do you know.”
“Do what?”
“Love you.”
Oh. She stopped his heart. Lucas rotated, took Gilly with him so when he rolled onto his back, she straddled his hips. Cupping her face in his hands, he said the words back. “I love you.”
“But…”
Lucas placed a finger over her lips silencing whatever protest she was about to voice. He drew her face down to his. “Let me hear it again when we’re not in the throes of passion.”
“I—”
“In your grandfather’s language. Let me hear the Irish.”
She grinned and the smile beamed warmth and love down on him. “You always were a sucker for the Irish.”
“Let me hear it,” he murmured against her lips.
“A Ghrá.”
“My love.”
* * * *
The phone rang, startling both of them from a sound, sex-induced sleep. Lucas answered it on the second ring. “Danger.”
“We’ve got Troy.”
Lucas sat up straight in bed. He was wide-awake now. “You’re sure?”
“Lucas don’t be an ass,” Mickey growled. “It’s too damn early in the morning.”
He glanced at the bedside clock. The bright red numbers read 4:18. “Where?”
Gilly touched his arm. “What’s up?” she mumbled in a sleepy voice.
Lucas held a finger to his lips giving her the quiet sign and pressed the phone closer to his ear.
Mickey gave a half-laugh. “Believe it or not, he returned to his house in Virginia. What a dumb ass.”
Never Tempt Danger Page 19