“Damn it, Rusty, I told you to shut up!”
“What’s the matter? You didn’t want her to find out that you ordered the hit on her? Sorry, my bad.” Rusty turned his attention back to Larem. “But it’s the truth. Seems he hasn’t been at all happy about Sasha letting her hackers siphon money back out of his accounts.”
Chaz flinched and then shot the other Regent a look that promised retribution. “You won’t get away with this, George.”
Rusty waved his gun in the direction of the exam room. “Tell her to get out here and join the family reunion. She’d better have the numbers I need. She can use my laptop to transfer the funds.” He pointed toward the computer sitting on the exam table.
Yeah, like Larem was going to let that happen. “Here’s our counteroffer: if you and your men leave now, she’ll order the money you want transferred to your accounts.”
Rusty fired a shot at the ceiling, causing everyone to flinch.
“Do you think I’m stupid? No way am I walking out of here without that money. Either she comes out now or I start shooting for real, starting with her father and then you. I figure that this old man only matters to you, so maybe I’ll shoot him now just for grins.”
Dr. Isaac straightened his shoulders. He might be about to die, but the man wasn’t going to beg for his life. Larem met his friend’s gaze and nodded, hoping he understood the unspoken message of how much he honored and cherished their friendship.
A movement caught Larem’s eye. Hunter waved at him from the small window in the swinging doors at the far end of the room. The Paladin had regained control of the lobby. Good, but then where was Sasha?
Unfortunately she answered that question for him when the door to the exam room behind him opened. Her voice rang out across the room, sounding calm and collected.
“Lower your gun, Rusty. I’ll get your money for you. But if you shoot anyone, the deal’s off. My hacker buddies can make it disappear just as fast.”
Larem wanted to throttle her for risking herself and their child, but he should’ve known she wouldn’t cower in a corner if her loved ones were threatened. When she stood in front of him, he started to push her to the side when he realized that she’d tucked his gun into the back of her waistband.
He retrieved the gun, careful to keep it behind her back as he moved to stand beside her.
She whispered “Lonzo” under her breath before continuing her dialogue with Rusty. She held up a small piece of paper. “Here are the routing numbers you’ll need to collect the money.”
Then she looked around the room. “That doesn’t seem like nearly enough to pay off all your men. After all, being on the run for the rest of your lives will be expensive, especially when there are five of you.”
Clever woman! Now both Hunter and Lonzo knew exactly how many they were up against.
Rusty glared at her. “You don’t need to worry about my men getting paid.”
The reason for that was obvious: he had no intention of sharing the money. Larem didn’t know about the other guards, but Duke was definitely looking suspicious.
“Give me the numbers and we’ll finish this.”
Sasha started forward holding the paper out, but then she deliberately stumbled and fell flat to the floor. At the same time, the door to the second exam room opened and Lonzo came flying out. He got off three shots, taking out the guard by the back door, Duke, and finally Sasha’s godfather before Rusty returned fire. Sasha screamed when the Paladin flew back against the wall and landed in a crumpled heap as a blossom of blood spread across the front of his shirt.
“Sasha, stay down!” Larem shouted.
Meanwhile, Rusty looked behind him and realized his escape route was blocked. His eyes crazed, he grabbed Chaz by the hair and hauled him to his feet.
George managed to get back up on his feet and staggered toward Rusty. “Don’t leave without me!”
Rusty’s only answer was a bullet that hit the Regent high in the chest, sending him flailing backward to land broken and bloody on the floor.
The rogue guard kept moving toward the exit, dragging Chaz with him. “Shoot me and he’s dead.”
It was hard to hear him over Duke’s moans as the man tried to stanch the blood pouring out of his arm. It didn’t matter because there was no mistaking Rusty’s intent. He shoved the barrel of his gun against the older man’s temple and backed toward the alley door.
Larem kept his own gun aimed at Rusty’s head but was afraid to take the shot. If Rusty moved at the wrong moment, the bullet could hit Chaz instead.
“Let him go and I’ll come with you.”
Rusty was already shaking his head. “No way I’m trading a Regent as a hostage for a worthless piece of shit like you, Other. Now get the hell out of my way.”
Before he could drag the terrified Regent more than a handful of steps, Chance charged out of the exam room in a blur of white. The movement distracted Rusty long enough for Larem to make his move. The guard’s gun went off just as the dog latched on to the back of his calf and bit down with all his might.
Larem’s momentum combined with the dog’s, slamming Rusty to the floor. Chaz managed to roll out of the way, leaving Larem and Chance struggling to subdue the guard before he could pull the trigger again. Larem clamped down on Rusty’s throat with one hand and squeezed, but the bastard managed to get off one more shot before Larem could pin down his gun hand. Chance yelped and fell to the side, his white fur splashed with red. Larem bellowed in fury and cold-cocked the bastard with the butt of his gun.
Then he crawled over to the dog, calling on the gods to help him. “Please, give me the strength!”
He pressed his hands on Chance’s shoulder and prayed as he’d never prayed before. The lights overhead faded and flickered as he drained every ounce of energy he could from them. As he stared at his bloody fingers, they took on a golden glow. Warmth and healing poured out of him and into his friend.
Almost immediately, Chance whined softly and his tail thumped the floor. The bleeding from the deep gash across the dog’s shoulder gradually slowed and then stopped altogether. Already the wound was closing. Still Larem gave of himself, determined that his friend not suffer for his amazing act of bravery.
Finally, he had no more left to give. When he tried to look around for Sasha and his friends, he saw nothing but spots—and then darkness.
Damn, Larem hated waking up on cold steel. But then, that probably meant that the good guys had saved the day and he was back in Laurel’s lab.
He pried open his eyes to find out if he was right. As soon as he turned his head, he was greeted by a wet tongue and a blast of doggie breath.
“Get down, dog.”
Larem recognized Chaz Willis’s voice and looked up.
“It’s about time you resurfaced. Welcome back to the land of the living.” Then the Regent smiled.
Surely not. Larem blinked to clear his vision, but Sasha’s father really was standing over him.
“What happened?”
“Devlin and his men arrived about thirty seconds after you saved the dog and the day. Sasha’s fine, although Laurel ordered her to lie down and rest until you woke up. Lonzo is across the room, already on the mend. Both me and your friend Dr. Isaac are safe and sound. We have you to thank for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
Then Chaz’s smile faded, to be replaced with the expression common to irate fathers everywhere.
“So about you and my daughter . . .”
Did they have to do this now?
Larem’s head was pounding, and he seriously doubted he could mount any kind of defense if her father decided to go on the attack. Even so, he gathered enough strength to sit up. Chaz even gave him a hand. Chance stood up on his hind legs and laid his head in Larem’s lap.
“What about Sasha and me?”
“Let me make it clear that I still believe allowing you and the others to live in our world might be a major mistake. Up until now, the Paladins’ mission has always been clear. Having you here only muddies the water. However, short of inciting a rebellion, there’s not much I can do about the situation. What’s done is done, and that’s the recommendation I’ll be taking back to the Board of Regents.”
Obviously Chaz clearly had more to get off his chest. Larem waited him out.
“Sasha has worked long and hard to get where she is. She has a real shot at being the first Regent of her generation, and I think she deserves the job. But with you in the picture, that may not happen. She’s already made her choice clear, but I want you to understand what she may be giving up for you.”
It was time to rejoin the conversation. “You aren’t telling me anything that I don’t already know. Sasha, too, for that matter. I might hate it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to slink off and hide.”
“That’s what I figured. And I’ll do everything I can to make sure she gets the job. There’s a lot to be done, not only here but in the organization as a whole.”
His eyes filled with pain. “George didn’t make it, and his betrayal has sent shock waves throughout the organization. At least Rusty has been naming names, so Devlin has been able to start cleaning house. When the dust settles, Sasha will need to hire a bunch of new guards.”
Chaz drew a deep breath and stared at Larem for several seconds as if choosing his next words carefully.
“Here’s the bottom line. If you’re the one who makes my daughter happy, there’s not much I can do about it. If I were stupid enough to force her to choose, I’m pretty sure I know which one of us would be on the losing end of that argument. I’ve also spent my life working with Paladins. I’ve learned to trust their judgment when it comes to matters of honor and duty. From what I’ve been able to gather, the Seattle contingent claim you as one of their own. That’s fine, but as far as the Regents are concerned, the jury is still out.”
Even so, there was a strong hint of reluctant acceptance in Chaz’s words.
Larem sat up straighter. “I plan to marry your daughter if she’ll have me.”
Chaz looked resigned. “Don’t worry. She’ll marry you all right.”
What did he mean by that? “I won’t have you trying to force her.”