“Sally? Where the fuck are you?” Our bedroom door was half-closed.
I swept it open quick, expecting to hear her in the bathroom, deafened by a hissing shower or something. Fuck's sake, I'd have killed to hear either of those sounds, or just to see her sleeping peacefully in our big bed.
Lady Luck wasn't so kind. Not today.
Instead, I walked in on a man crouching in the corner, a gun already trained on me, his other hand holding my girl by the neck. She was on the floor struggling, a pillowcase over her head.
“Finally! Took you forever to show up, bear boy,” he growled, his dark eyes and the hint of an accent betraying his origin.
I didn't back down. I'd catch a fucking bullet through my heart before I let up, aiming the gun right at his nasty little brain. I didn't know who the fuck he was or what he was doing in our house.
None of that mattered, not even the fact that he'd obviously come from the cartel.
What mattered was that he had my woman, my love, holding her a hostage in our own damned bedroom.
“Let. Her. Go.”
Three simple words. They never listened. They never did.
This asshole was no exception – but why the fuck should he when I'd decided he was dead before I opened my mouth?
“I can do that, gringo. That's what I'm here for, yeah? Just as soon as you tell me where you've got Don Meza.”
“He's on his way home.” The demon's eyes lit up. “No bullshit. Call your boys back home in Mexico City if you don't believe it. You fuck up anything here, you kill the peace we're about to make, even though it's the bitterest goddamned peace I've ever seen. You shoot me, you kill my girl, and your don's a dead man. So is every other capo fuck south of the border.”
We stared for several seconds. Sally whimpered on the floor, and kicked her legs again. My heart thundered pure adrenaline, fighting the urge to look at her, and lose my focus.
Make your move, asshole. Just one. I'll blow your fucking brains out your ears.
“You take half a step, I shoot her. Let me call your bluff.” He eyeballed me the whole time, reaching into his pocket for his phone.
For the next minute or two, fiery Spanish flew outta his mouth like a machine gun, coming to an abrupt end when he snapped it shut. A sinister smile crossed his lips.
“You're a lucky man, grizzly bear. Count the stars tonight and thank every one of them. I will go, in peace, as long as you let me.”
“Fine. Take the fucking hood off her head first, and let her back away. I'm not letting you outta this room 'til you do.”
He shrugged, and began to do exactly what I said. Sally crawled into the corner, red faced and shaking her head. Those soft blue eyes were huge, terrified.
I wished like hell I'd brought the shit from the club home. I'd use every tool I had on this pig fucker to make him scream, finish him with a Colombian necktie, after I'd fried his nuts to a crisp.
Yeah, I'd be violating the imminent truce, but there were no rules 'til it was all official.
“Just breathe, baby girl,” I mouthed, watching as he stood up.
I backed into the opposite corner and watched the fucker move to the door. I'd wait 'til he was next to the stairs before I pulled the trigger to be safe.
It was dangerous as fuck, especially when he had me in his sights, slowly backing toward the stairs, his gun up and ready. He'd get distracted before he took the first step. He'd pause, giving me the perfect opening to punch the trigger.
I started counting his slow, creeping steps in the hall. When I was down to three, my fingers burned, ready to snuff him the fuck out forever, even if I risked another bullet landing in my –
Sally moved like a blur. She rushed to the wall next to the door, and I only caught a flash of something large and bulky in her hand before I heard the deafening bang.
“Babe!” I screamed, ready to tell her to get the fuck down, but she'd already hit the floor, crashing on the carpet simultaneously with me.
I didn't realize the explosion was her gun 'til the Mexican dropped. I caught a flash of blood spraying from his throat, heard him make that choking sound, and his gun tottered down the stairs. He fell in the hall, staining the carpet a deep red.
I ran forward, scooped her up, held her so fucking tight she couldn't cry.
“In our house...our house...our fucking house!” she screamed, over and over, like something inside her was broken. “I'm sorry...I didn't know what to do. I couldn't let him walk away.”
“You did good, babe. It's done. Don't think. Just breathe.” I exhaled pure relief, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Fucking hell. I said you were tough, but I had no idea. You proved me right. Again. You're gonna make the best wife an outlaw could hope for.”
I called the boys over to clean up the fucking mess while I sent Sally over to Brass' place. Jackie and Missy could keep her company while she calmed down, and hold onto our kid for a little while longer.