“Nick,” Sean bellowed, his timing fucking horrible. He ran into the room with a set of keys jangling in one hand and a rifle in the other. “Time to move. We’ve got a situation.”
“What?”
Sean shoved a key into the lock, swung the door open. Nick had seen that tight-lipped look on the captain before. It never meant anything good. Dread sunk his stomach.
“Locals have put together a lynching party,” said the captain. “Guess who they want to hang from a tree on Main Street?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Where are the guns we came in with?” Roslyn asked, letting Nick help her to her feet. This wasn’t so bad. Her head spun a wee bit, but she’d manage. These yokels had left her with no other option. Over her dead body they’d hurt him. “They’re not touching you.”
Nick just looked at her.
“I’m serious,” she said. “Pull any more of that self-sacrificing bullshit and I’ll shoot you myself.”
The man looked to Sean, eyes trying to communicate something. Did he think she was a complete idiot? Honestly? Without further ado she thumped him in the belly with her good hand. Nick gave a startled oomph. Truly, in her current mood, violence suited her.
“You think I don’t know what it means when you make eyes at him?” She pushed past him.
The idiot winked at her. “Don’t be jealous, Ros. I still like you best.”
“You’re not even mildly amusing.” She stalked up to Sean the Viking. “Our weapons. Where are they?”
“They boys and I have agreed to help get you out of here, but that’s it. You’re on your own. I don’t want this getting out of control,” said Sean, his forehead bunched up.
“Then don’t let it. They are not taking him. So you need to get us both out of here safely,” she said, not-so-quietly fuming. “We’re going to need our guns for outside your fence line.”
Sean stared at her for a moment then nodded and crossed to a large locked cabinet on the wall. The keys were produced once again and an impressive cache of firearms revealed. “If either of you break the peace out there I will use whatever force necessary to stop you. Is that understood?”
“Perfectly,” she said.
Nick came up behind her. “Ros—”
“No, Nick. I’m not staying, and you’re not getting killed by these inbred, redneck imbeciles. It’s not even up for discussion.” Anger boiled up inside her. That these people would attempt to do such a thing blew her ever-loving mind. She grabbed her fancy gun with the silencer and torch combo then nabbed a second pistol, just in case. Looked like the bulk of what they’d arrived with had been confiscated and moved to the cop shop. Handy. Managing the weapon with her left arm in the sling would be annoying, but removing it would sic Nick onto her instantly. It stayed put for now. “Neither idea is acceptable. You feeling me?”
He was quiet for a moment. “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
“Then what?” she snapped.
With a grim face he took in the gun. “Calm down. Concentrate on what you’re doing. Are they both loaded?”
“Yes.”
He nodded and cupped her face in his hands. His poor, beautiful head had taken such a beating. She hated the scar she’d put on him. Not that he hadn’t deserved it at the time. The second one these people had added, however, made her furious.
“Alright,” he said after a moment. “We get out of here nice and quietly. You stay behind me, okay?”
“Okay.” She’d see how it went. Maybe for the moment he’d forgotten this was a partnership, but she hadn’t. Till death do them part and all that stuff.
“I’m serious.”
So was she. “Yes, okay. I heard you. Let’s get moving.”
His eyes narrowed but he let it go. “Sean, are there any shoes here for Ros?”
“Lila dropped off her boots earlier.” Sean grabbed her footwear from a bag in the corner.
“Thanks.” Putting boots on one-handed was harder than it looked. Nick knelt and wrestled them onto her bare feet. At least she wouldn’t be adding to the cuts and bruises from the gravel back at the cabin.
“She’s going to get cold,” he said. “Is there a jacket or something?”
“I’m fine.”
“Here.” Sean stripped out of his own smart leather jacket and handed it to Nick. Her man seemed less than impressed at the thought of her wearing it. He rolled the righthand sleeve up just the same and proceeded to put it on her. The thing was size huge, falling off her left shoulder without her arm in the sleeve to keep it in place. He did up a couple of buttons and stuffed her pills into a pocket. She added her spare pistol to another.