Joe Garrison was a first-class sniper.
Jared prayed Erin remembered.
Nodding once, Erin slid a hand down to her outer thigh. “Nice to know. Makes me weak at the knees.”
Aware of his brothers stiffening beside him, Jared held his breath, not taking his eyes from Erin’s hand, which she’d clenched in a tight fist.
She held out one finger.
Ace nodded once, shifting his frame in a way that made him appear even more threatening.
The second finger appeared.
Stark must have sensed something, or he’d just run out of patience. “Enough talk. Get in the car.” He yanked the car door open and started to shove Erin inside.
Jared knew that if Stark managed to get her into his car, the chances of getting her back alive decreased dramatically.
The third finger appeared, and Jared prayed, not daring to breathe as everything seemed to happen at once.
Erin dropped to the ground, throwing Stark off balance, and the other man fell to the ground next to Erin.
Ace was already moving, racing to Erin.
To Jared’s surprise, he realized that he’d already begun to sprint toward her, intent on getting her away from the gun.
Not until he skidded to a stop, falling to the ground beside her, did he realize several things at once.
His brothers, Linc, and Rafe had moved with them.
Ace already had Stark’s gun in his hand.
And Stark was dead, shot in the head by a single bullet that Jared didn’t even remember hearing.
Careful of her injuries, Jared blinked against the burning in his eyes and reached for the love of his life.
“Jared!” Erin threw herself against his chest with a groan.
Forcing himself to keep his hold gentle instead of crushing her to him the way he wanted to, Jared breathed in her scent like a lifeline. “Erin. God!”
Reese and Duncan closed in around her, surrounding her as Jared eased her away from Stark and the car and onto his lap even as the agents rushed to Stark.
Reese swallowed heavily. “Baby. I love you so much.” He hovered over her protectively, ripping his T-shirt off and gently wiping the blood from her face.
Duncan opened his mouth several times, but nothing came out. Burying his face in her hair, he clung to her hand, the hand she’d used to signal Joe Garrison. “Just be still, baby. The ambulance is already here. You’re gonna be okay.”
Erin reached out a shaking hand and gripped his shirt. “The baby?”
Covering her hand with his, Duncan watched Reese wipe blood from her temple and hair, some that had to belong to Stark. “He’s fine. Mom and the dads are taking care of him with Rachel, Boone, and Chase. The Madisons are there. Just worry about you.”
Erin smiled weakly. “Looks like you’re all worrying enough. I’ll be fine. Just help me get up.”
Her voice trailed off and her eyes rolled back just a second before she passed out.
Panicked, Jared yanked her against him. “Erin!”
Chapter Eleven
Erin woke to a screaming headache and opened her eyes to find all three of her gorgeous husbands standing over her and frowning.
Lifting a hand to her head, she partially closed her eyes against the faint light, wincing against the ache in her breasts. “Why are you all frowning at me? Where are we?”
Duncan lifted the hand he held to his lips. “You’re in the hospital. You’ve got a cracked rib and a concussion.”
Memories assailed her, the fear of being held at gunpoint, the worry about her baby, the looks of concern and pain on her husbands’ faces, not only as they held her on the sidewalk but also during the ambulance ride to the hospital and in the emergency room.
“Stark?”
Jared’s jaw clenched. “Dead.”
Lowering himself to sit beside her hip, Reese braced a hand on either side of her pillow and leaned over her. “We know about Stark, Cramer, and your involvement in trying to catch them.”
Still holding her hand, Duncan leaned on the hospital rail to bend close. “We talked to your old boss. He’s very worried about you and couldn’t stop singing your praises. Why didn’t you tell us about this?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t believe what Wes did. I never saw that coming.”
Jared appeared next to Duncan, closer to her head. Reaching out, he brushed a loose tendril back from her face, his fingertips lingering. “So you said with a gun pointed at you. That moment is gonna give me nightmares for years to come. Why didn’t you tell us?”
Rubbing her pounding temple, Erin sighed. “Help me sit up. Looking up at all of you is making my head hurt even more.”
Jared’s frown deepened, his gaze sharp as he pushed the button to raise her head. “The nurse just gave you more pain medicine for that and for your cracked rib.”