I'm struggling to breathe as Gary moves again. I watch in horror as the billionaire thumps his finger on Ty's chest, this time closer to his throat. It's the last spark before the powder keg ignites.
It happens in a blur. Ty screams, grabs his scrawny dad by the arms, and picks him up. One savage throw later, Gary's on the floor. There's a sick crunching sound, and I see his foot's twisted unnaturally, a look of sheer horror on his face.
Gary shudders, holding his hands up over his face as Ty closes in.
“You can treat me like dog shit all day, but don't you dare say shit about my woman again! This isn't her fucking fault, old man, and you know it!” Ty stomps forward, puts his foot on his father's chest, and holds it there until he screams. “This is yours! It's your greed, your little business wars, all this Machiavellian horseshit you call a life.”
My God. I'm afraid he's really, truly going to kill the billionaire asshole in front of me if I don't stop him. I rush forward, tugging at his giant arm, making nonsensical pleas. Pulling on Ty feels like I'm trying to move a thousand pound statue.
Gary's got his hand out, and there's something in it. At first, I think it's just his phone, but it's actually some kind of pager. I'm still screaming as Ty stoops to the floor, picks his dad up, and hurls him against the wall.
Above us, somewhere on the second floor, a woman screams. It's got to be Joan or Mom.#p#分页标题#e#
A second later, boots are clattering down the stairs. When I look away from the slow motion murder going on in front of me, there are two big guards in black, men I've seen before with their golden security badges stenciled neatly in their dark shirts.
“Shoot him! Shoot him!” Gary screams, twisting his neck as Ty's fingers reach for his throat. “For Christ's sake!”
My brain wants to shut down. That's when another big guard joins his comrades, and so does Mom, stepping down behind him. Her jaw drops when she realizes what she's seeing, and we both share a look that says it all.
This. Can't. Be. Happening.
“Claire? Gary? Oh my God.” She blinks, inert for the next three seconds. “Everybody stop!”
No one's listening. The third guard fumbles for something at his side. I can't fucking stand the thought of Ty getting killed in front of me by this monster, but my brain won't let me move, can't fully comprehend there's a gun coming out and it's going to shoot the love of my life.
It's just like a movie.
Father and son are still screaming, struggling as my instinct comes back. I leap in front of them. Something bright and impossibly fast hits me in the stomach, right above the belt, and everything becomes a howling white light.
My whole world turns into needles. All my muscles become crackling ice. I've never felt anything like it – not even close. I can't scream or cry or even breathe. I never imagined being shot would be anything like this, and then I realize it's because it isn't a bullet going into me.
I never find out how many bolts the Taser screams through my body. It hurts so bad I'm certain I black out for a few seconds.
When I come to, my body feels like it's been drained, cooked. I don't know if I've been out for seconds or hours.
All I hear is Mom screaming nearby. Ty's on top of me, shaking, the electric probe he's pulled out of my skin bouncing in his fingers.
Gary roars incomprehensibly as he's pushed aside. Mom and Joan somehow reach me through the commotion. They grab me by both arms and start dragging me down the hall, toward the thick glass and the pool.
I keep waiting for Ty to look at me, but he's shaking like he's grabbed an electric fence, his huge arms and legs twisting unnaturally. Then I see the other guards around him, holding their Tasers. He's been hit by no less than two, maybe three of the goddamned things, and he's still screaming, trying to fight it.
“Get. The. Fuck. Away. Claiiiiiire.” His voice drones, loud and anguished and freakishly calmed through all the lightning wrecking his body.
The last thing I see before my brain shuts down is the love of my life, kicking and bellowing until he hits the floor. Then, he doesn't move at all.
When I wake up, I'm lying on a sofa. I'm in the big family room upstairs, the first place I ever saw Ty, shirtless and magnificent, before I realized the asshole from the club was also my brand spanking new stepbrother.
I never believed Prince Asshole could become Prince Charming then. Now, I can't believe I'm going to see him alive, and it terrifies me.
My muscles jerk when I try to sit up. Huge fucking mistake. It's like the world's worst sunburn, except it's all on the inside.
“No, dear. Lie down. Doctor's orders. Try to stay calm. You're okay.” Joan speaks softly, and I realize my head is in her lap. “Just rest. Any movement right now will be very painful.”