Serena went limp, forcing her every muscle to drag.
She sure as hell wasn’t going to help him.
“Hey.” Doyle stumbled, trying to hold on to her. “Fuck, Serena. Get up. You’re going to get in the car or I will kill you right here.”
Tears clouded her eyes as she made her decision. She wouldn’t get in that car alive. She might end up being his victim, but she wasn’t going to play this his way.
Jake had taught her a few things. God, why had she been so stubborn? The weeks she’d been with Jake and Adam had been the best weeks of her life. Adam had taken care of her, proving to be a true partner, bolstering her where she was weak, and Jake had been a real Dom. A real Dom taught his sub to be strong when she needed to be.
“I said get the fuck up.” Doyle stood over her, that nasty gun pointed right at her head. His feet were planted on either side of her hips, and he stood staring down at her like she was a piece of trash he needed to remove so his life would be lovely again.
Go for the soft spots, Serena. Self-defense doesn’t have to be about strength. It can be about smarts. It can be about using your opponent’s weaknesses against him.
Serena gathered every bit of strength she had. A punch, Jake had told her, shouldn’t stop at the target. A punch should be sent straight through.
“Get the fuck up, bitch. Do you not understand English?”
Serena fisted her right hand and drove up, trying to punch her ex-husband’s balls straight into his gut. She punched with everything she had.
Doyle gasped, his whole body doubling over. Serena pulled the gag out of her mouth and tossed it aside.
Serena took advantage, turning and starting for the street. “Help! Help me!”
She screamed as loud as she could as she ran. If he shot her in the back, then that’s what happened, but she wouldn’t let him take her away. She wouldn’t let him abuse her more than he had. And he wouldn’t get away with it. Jake and Adam would figure it out. They wouldn’t give up. They wouldn’t stop working the case because their client was dead.
They wouldn’t stop because they loved her.
“Help me!”
Serena ran toward the street. She ran with everything she had because she had something to live for beyond the characters in her head. Real life was harder and real love was scary, but it was worth every pain, every piece of heartache, and it was worth fighting for.
She heard the shot that meant the end of Bridget’s life. So much for Brian’s silencer. Pain lashed through her, but she kept running. She couldn’t stop. Her feet were being cut by rocks on the pavement, but she ran.
Almost there.
Almost there.
There was another shot, and Serena felt a sharp pain in her side. She fell, her knees buckling as she hit the pavement. Blood. There was blood at her side and a terrible burning sensation.
Almost there.
She tried to crawl. Almost there.
Something hard hit her back.
“Not this time, Serena. You don’t get away this time.” Doyle held her ankles and flipped her over, forcing her to look at him. He aimed the gun at her head. “This time I win.”
Serena tried to fight, but she was afraid this time he was right.
She closed her eyes and thought about them. God, she wished she’d told them.
I love you.
Her last words, whispered only in her head.
I love you both so much.
Ian caught up to Jake and Adam as Jake hit the door to The Velvet Room. His heart was pounding in his chest, but he forced himself to remain cool. Panic wouldn’t save Serena.
Liam was right behind Ian. “It’s the agent’s husband. And Serena’s ex. After Lara confessed to Ian, Adam hacked her account. I’ve been reading e-mails for days.”
Jake looked around the room. So many fucking people. Where was Serena? Liam kept talking.
“Lara kept the records for the whole company when it came to submissions. Did you know that Doyle Brooks submitted a book to Brian Anderson last year? I took it a step further and hacked into his account. They emailed back and forth, nothing too suspicious, but it got me thinking. I don’t think this is about some crazy person. This has always been about money. Lots of money.”
“Where the hell is she?” Adam asked.
“Save the explanations, Liam. We need to find her.” Jake knew they were right. He felt it in his gut. The cops were questioning the kid who had been hired. A diversion. Brian Anderson had needed a diversion at precisely 5:30. He’d gotten it. All the manpower had been chasing down some dumbass kid.
Sean walked up, a small black box in his hand. “Cell phone jammer. It was in a box of books. Mine’s still struggling. There must be more than one.”
“Where’s Serena? And where’s her agent?” Jake kept his voice low, but he felt like shouting.