If You Dare - Cole Kresley - Страница 57

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Aleix turned to her, his battered face showing his displeasure.

"How are you going to keep her safe?" Court asked of Aleix.

Annalia turned, tilting her head at him. She'd never seen this fierce expression, the wild look in his eyes.

"I'll protect my own."

MacCarrick nodded in the direction of the doorway, indicating the lone carriage waiting outside in the rain. "You doona have outriders. I'll wager you doona even have a weapon."

"You're begging me to prove that I do."

"She's been marked by the Rechazados."

Aleix's tone went low as though pained. "I know."

Olivia piped in, "We've been, too." Aleix gave her a harsh, warning glance, which seemed to delight her, then she sauntered over to inspect an expensive vase. Annalia suspected that vase would be found in their carriage momentarily.

"They've attacked three times already."

"What?" Aleix reached for her arm, but MacCarrick lunged forward and snatched Aleix's wrist.

"Doona touch her arm," he warned. She had nearly healed, but it would be tender if he'd grabbed it.

"What happened to it?" Aleix demanded with a withering glare at MacCarrick's grip.

"They shot her." MacCarrick released him. "And they'll do it again."

"You let them shoot her?" Aleix's tone sounded more frightening than Annalia had ever heard it. And MacCarrick? She couldn't make out his feelings at all, but sensed violence in him, sharp and ready. She had to cool this situation.

"Aleix, I ran from MacCarrick toward them. Like an imbecile, shouting for their help."

Aleix never took his eyes from MacCarrick. "You let her go?"

She put herself between them, standing on her toes to attempt to reach his line of vision. "I elbowed his throat. And he still ran right after me to throw us behind a boulder. That was only the first time he saved my life." Had Aleix relaxed the tiniest bit? "Two Rechazados attacked while we rode north. He took down one—"

"One?" Olivia surveyed Annalia with obvious newfound interest.

Annalia answered, "I got the other one. I had this rock hidden in my skirt meant for MacCarrick." Aleix appeared astonished, as if he didn't recognize her. "It had worked on him before."

MacCarrick gave his brothers a baleful expression as if anticipating their censure. "She told me she'd hurt her feet. When I went to look at them, she swung her dress around…" Hugh raised his eyebrows and MacCarrick grated, "She's crafty."

Aleix took her elbow. "You can tell me about this later."

"You will no' take her from here," MacCarrick grated.

"You think to order me? You bloody, arrogant Scot—" And they were at it again.

Annalia flushed in embarrassment at Aleix's comment, wondering how Hugh and Ethan MacCarrick would respond. Annalia was learning that Ethan had one expression—malice just under the surface. Hugh shrugged. "Been called worse."

Court slammed into Aleix, hurtling him over a table, crashing it flat. Aleix clambered up from the wood to tackle MacCarrick, pushing them into the next room. "Will you help me?" she asked Hugh. Ethan was just too fearsome to ask.

Hugh swore, then strode between them throwing elbows. "You're behaving stupidly, Court. And much is on the line."

When they broke apart, both out of breath, Ethan spoke in a disgusted tone, "You have a common enemy. Excise the threat, then kill each other if you like." And then he was gone.

"They're right," MacCarrick said finally. "You want to kill me, which might even be fair, and I'm going to enjoy beating you down when you try, but we have other tasks at hand before then. I will no' allow you to distract me from them."

Aleix wiped his bleeding lip with his sleeve and labored to catch his breath. He gave MacCarrick one sharp nod.

Assured they'd stopped fighting, she hurried to shut the front door against the rain that had started to pour and splatter into the house. She could scarcely believe it when she spotted her horse tethered to their coach. "Iambe!" she cried, amazed that Aleix had thought to take her from Pascal.

"Anna, get away from the goddamned door," MacCarrick barked, striding toward her.

"How dare you speak to her that way," Aleix snapped as he followed. "Do you even know who she is?"

Olivia informed her, "Iambe is no longer my horse's name."

Annalia turned on her, ready to do violence, when she felt a hand clutch her neck and a cold barrel at her temple.

They'd come again.

She caught Court's eyes and saw the fury and rage firing in him, but this time she knew her luck had run out.

She really wished she'd told him she loved him.

She believes she's going to die. Her eyes met Court's, her expression telling him so. His hand eased back to his pistol, but the Rechazado shoved the barrel harder against her, a move that ripped the breath from Court's lungs.

He put his hands out in front of him. "Take me instead," he bit out.

Llorente said, "Me for her."

The man ran the barrel down her cheek. "We'll return for you both later."

Think, God damn it, think!

Where the hell was Ethan, where was Hugh? From where he stood, the gunman couldn't see Hugh in the next room. Hugh could take him out—he'd been trained to kill so quickly…. "Hugh," he rasped in Gaelic, "kill him. By Christ, please do this. Please…"

He sensed his brother silently backing away.

The one with Anna opened the second door for another, who pointed his pistol at Olivia and indicated she should follow. She finally advanced toward him, but said over her shoulder, "It was still worth it, Llorente."

Both Rechazados backed down the steps, Anna stumbling in one's arms down the wet stairs, blinking from the rain but never taking her eyes from Court's. As if to gain courage.

"Doona fight him, Anna." He didn't know if she could understand the strangled words.

The fury was choking him, turning everything he saw black.

If the Rechazados got away, Court would find Annalia dead, discarded at the outskirts of the city.

"God damn it, Anna," he grated. "Just stay alive. Just hold on—"

A blast from the second floor. The man's head burst from one side. He tightened his arm in death around Anna as he collapsed.

The other whipped his pistol up at Hugh, but both Court and Hugh had already fired. He slumped to his knees, then onto what was left of his face.

Court knew he'd never forget what he saw for the rest of his life. Anna crawling from the body, eyes blank, lips parted. A bellow of rage roared from him as he ran for her, unable to get to her before her hands slipped from under her in the blood and carnage from both men and the cold rain pooling on the street. The low cries she made…

He slid down next to her, dropping the gun to snatch her into his arms, clutching her to him, his fingers tracing and retracing her temple, scarcely believing. "Anna?" He clasped her head to pull her to his chest.

She nodded faintly against him.

How long they stayed like this he didn't know, but Hugh had come from his vantage, and he and Ethan were outside, scanning for more.

Llorente was trying to take Anna from him. Court swung out blindly and connected hard with his face. Something broke beneath the blow.

Hugh took Court's shoulder. But he couldn't move.

"You doona want her to live through that, then die from chill," Hugh said.

The words made perfect sense.

"Come in, Court," Ethan ordered.

Only when she shuddered was he able to command his body to move. He drew her into him too hard and rose.

Once inside, in the bright light, when he saw the blood all over her, things became very clear. "Ethan?"

"They're taken care of, Court. Doona think on it."

Court swung his gaze to Hugh.

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