Stripped Defenseless (23 page)

“No!”
Tears burned her eyes. She should’ve kept her mouth shut.

“Well,
I guess I found out what your weakness is.” He smiled wickedly. “Get in the
bedroom, or I’ll kill him first.”

* * * * *

Poppy
watched through the window as they disappeared into what could only be the
bedroom. Finally. Now, she could get her money.

And
then steal a car because that prick Jax was nowhere in sight.

She
reopened the front door and tiptoed inside. The sound of Ava quietly sobbing
stunned Poppy. Not good. What was he going to do to her? Well, besides kill
her, obviously. The man was a lunatic.

Through
the crack in the door, she could see Ava peeling down her jeans. Poppy had seen
Ava’s body a million times before but never trembling with fear.

There
had to be some way to stop him. Ava wasn’t the best of friends, but there was a
connection there. They’d both been abused by the hands of a dickhead, and Poppy
couldn’t simply watch it happen again.

Before
she could take one step toward the bedroom, a large rough hand covered mouth,
and gathered her against his body.

She
jerked forward, but he held her close. “Shhh. It’s me. Kade,” he whispered into
her ear. “I’m going to save her. Just get out quietly, okay?”

Poppy
nodded her head. Thank God. Now, she could take the money without feeling
guilty.

* * * * *

Kade
gripped the gun in his hands. Moreno was going down. The sound of Ava crying
was the clincher.

Kade’s
eyes were heavy and his body was sluggish, but there wasn’t a damn thing that
could keep him from saving her from that fuckup.

To
hell with his career. Who cared if he’d end up in prison for murdering Senator
Wadsley’s minion? Just as long as Ava was safe, like he promised her she would
be.

As
Kade watched Poppy run out the door with his truck keys and the briefcase full
of money, he didn’t even bother flinching. None of it mattered.

Just
save Ava.

He
stepped quietly against the wooden floor, being careful to remember which
boards creaked and which didn’t. If Moreno knew he was out here, that would be
the end of it.

Never
let them see you coming.

Never
let them see you care.
It was too late for that. Nothing was cut and dried anymore. Not when his heart
was filled with love.

“Lay
down on the bed.” Moreno’s voice jabbed at Kade’s gut. Son of a bitch.

One
shot. That’s all it was going to take.
You can do it, Gavin.

* * * * *

Ava
took her time climbing onto the bed she’d shared with Kade not too long ago.
How stupid had she been for threatening Zack? For giving him a reason to
potentially kill the man she loved?

Another
uncontrollable sob escaped. She couldn’t let it happen. “I’ll do anything you
ask if you just leave him alone, okay? He won’t find you. He won’t care. I
promise.”

Zack
laughed and moved on top of her, shoving the gun into her belly. “Why would
anyone care about you? You’re a stripper who used to scoop up dog crap for a
living. You’re nothing. You’re worthless.”

She
covered her breasts with her hands and clenched her legs shut. How could she
have ever cared for this man? How had she not seen the signs? Controlling?
Possessive? The ultimate charmer? The classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

“Open
up for daddy,” he said with a sneer and skimmed the gun down the outside of her
thigh. “I’ll admit I’m almost convinced to keep you around just to make good
use of your body. I could find a nice little hiding place for you. Keep you
locked away.”

The
cold steel ran up her hip, leaving a painful path.

“I’d
rather die than to be touched by you.”

Zack’s
dark, ominous eyes met hers. “Is that so?” He lifted the gun to strike her.

“Moreno!”
Kade shouted from what seemed to be not far behind Zack. “Drop the goddamn
gun.”

Ava’s
heart fleeted with joy. He was wide awake and alive. And aiming the gun at
Zack’s head!

A
slow, devious smirk peaked Zack’s lips as he kept his eyes on her. “There you
are, Gavin. Is sleepy time over with?” He repositioned his aim toward her
heart.

“For
me it is. Drop your weapon, or I’ll put you down for a permanent nap.”

“That’s
a clever remark from such an idiotic man. To think I almost lost all hope for
you.”

Kade
visibly gulped and met Ava’s eyes. His expression radiated both fury and fear.
“Go ahead and get dressed, Ava. You’re not his prisoner anymore.”

She
attempted to rise, but the hard steel dug into her skin, forcing her back down.

“She’s
not
going
anywhere!” Zack shouted. “This was my property long before you
put your filthy hands all over it.
I
decide her fate. Not you.”

“You’re
pathetic, Moreno. She doesn’t belong to you, and she doesn’t want you. It’s
over.”

Zack’s
face reddened, and his eyes grew wide as he spoke to Kade but kept his cold
stare on Ava. “It’s over when I say it is. Does she know what kind of man you
are, Gavin? Does she realize how many other people you’ve kidnapped for me and
so many others? ’Cause I really think she should get a grasp on who she’s been
fucking before she meets her maker.”

“Ava,”
Kade said calmly, gently. “I’m not that man anymore.”

“I
know.” Ava breathed out, uncontrollable tears running down her temple. “I love
you.”

“Bullshit!”
Zack brought his gun up to her face and jammed it into her cheek.

She
winced and instinctively swiped it away, giving her enough time to drop to the
ground out of his range. With her breath caught in her throat, she hugged the
wooden floor and waited to hear a gunshot.

Nothing.

Turning
her head, she could see across the floor to the other side of the bed. Kade’s
feet were planted firmly at the end.
Why hadn’t he shot him?

“Stay
down, sweetheart.” Kade’s voice was solemn and careful.

The
mattress springs creaked, and Ava could see Zack’s feet touch the ground on the
other side of the bed. “Yes,
sweetheart
,” Zack mimicked as if it were a
dirty word, “Stay put. You won’t want to witness me shooting a hole in your
lover’s head.”

* * * * *

A
dozen or so cop cars passed Poppy on the way down the hill with their sirens
blaring. Boy, was she glad she’d gotten out of that mess unharmed. And with the
money. She smiled and patted the black leather case that lay on the seat beside
her. She’d been smart enough to grab Kade’s keys before she left. Thank the
lord Mr. Blue Eyes had been preoccupied.

Bright
headlights pulled up behind her out of nowhere and tailed her closely. What
now? Whoever it was swerved into the other lane and sped up until it was side
by side with her.

She
looked over and saw him. Jax. He rolled down his window and started yelling for
her to pull over. In any other situation, she would’ve been more than happy to
obey the wishes of a fine man like him. But not today. Not when there was a
chance she’d lose half, if not all, of her money to him. This was her future,
her destiny. She’d traveled far and had guns pointed to all parts of her body
to get the shiny briefcase that sat beside her, and she wasn’t giving it up
that easily.

But
how was she going to lose him?

She
pressed the button to roll the passenger window down. “Go away!” She shoved her
foot down on the accelerator.

He
fell back for only a moment but then caught up. Poppy glanced over to see him
shaking his head and looking as if he wanted to murder her in cold blood. Screw
that. If speeding up wouldn’t do the trick then—

She
hit the brakes but the truck wouldn’t stop. It slipped across the icy, slick
road and swerved to and fro. Jax’s truck disappeared out of sight, and then she
saw it behind her. She punched on the brake pedal again but had lost all
control. The back end slid around to the front, and suddenly Jax’s headlights
were in front of her. He veered off to the side and barely missed her.

But
it didn’t matter. She kept spinning. Her heartbeat pounded in her chest. It was
over. This was it.
Oh, God. Mama help me.

Chapter Thirteen

Why
Kade had chosen that particular moment to freeze was beyond him. Ava had gotten
out of the way. It was the perfect time to shoot the fucker right in the back
of the head, but now it was too late.

What
the hell had happened?

He’d
killed more than a few men in battle. Faceless men speaking a foreign language
he didn’t understand. Men who weren’t connected to people who could put him
away for life, leaving him helpless to protect the woman he loved. Men who
weren’t standing in the bedroom of his very own home.

It
was too complicated.

And
now Zack Moreno stood before him, gun drawn.

Kade
kept his aim straight as Zack edged his way to the bedroom door. “You planning
on going somewhere?” Kade asked him.

“Just
for now. But I’ll be back to get what I want. And I’m sure your cousin will be
more than helpful.”

“Can’t
let you go if you say shit like that.” Although Kade knew it was true,
unfortunately. What would it take for Jax to gain a heart? Just as Kade had in
only the past few days.

Love?
Yeah, right. Jax wasn’t capable of it.

“Then
I’ll kill you both now.” Zack swept his aim past Kade to where Ava now stood.

Her
face was pale, and her cheeks were moist with tears.

Oh,
fuck.

“Shoot,
Gavin.” Lucy’s husky voice called out from behind.

“Who
the fuck is that?” Moreno jerked his gun back away from Ava.

Now
or never, Kade. Get your shit together and save the woman you love.
He steadied his aim and pulled the
trigger. A familiar cracking sound split through his eardrums as the gun went
off in his hands.

Zack
fell to his knees, then dropped face-forward, onto the hard floor. A bullet
hole centered perfectly through his heart. Too bad the son of a bitch didn’t
have one.

Kade
dropped the gun to his side and fisted his other hand shut. The sight of all
the blood on the floor brought back too many vivid memories and made him woozy.
But at least it wasn’t Ava’s blood. No, he’d saved her life, just like he’d
promised.

He’d
protected her. She was alive.

Thank
God.

Lucy
breezed by him with a half a dozen armed police officers backing her up.

“Miss
me?” She smiled and patted his cheek.

Cops
swarmed the room, taking Moreno’s pulse, confirming his death.

Stunned
with relief, Kade sat back on his bed and handed Lucy’s gun to the men in blue.
He looked over at Ava who had thrown on one of his white dress shirts and was
now climbing across the bed to get to him. Her face was ashen, her cheeks were
stained with tears, and her eyes were bloodshot.

But
she was okay. And her soft, tentative smile calmed his jumbled nerves in the
otherwise chaotic room. He’d killed a man and was most likely headed to prison,
but when she looked at him like he was her hero, anything seemed possible. If
only for a moment.

She
flung her leg around him, straddled his lap and clung tightly to his neck. “I
love you,” she whispered into his ear. “God, I love you.”

Kade
felt the rest of the ice melt from his heart. He enfolded her in his arms and
gathered her as close as possible. “You have no idea how sweet that sounds.” He
pressed his lips to her moist cheek. “I love you, too. Forever.”

“Sorry
to break this up,” Lucy said from the doorway. Kade and Ava both looked up at
her as she flashed an FBI badge at them. Who the hell was this woman? She
smiled her crimson smile and cocked her head. “But we’re going to have to take
you both in for questioning.”

Kade
tightened his grip around Ava’s waist. “In a minute. Give us some time.” He had
a bad feeling about what was to come and didn’t want to let go of the best
thing that ever happened to him. Not yet.

“Afraid
we don’t have time, Mr. Gavin,” Lucy said, blandly. “We’ve got a crime scene
here.” She gestured toward two of the detectives. “Boys, take her into the station,
would you?”

The
men reached for Ava, but Kade held a hand out. “I said wait.”

“What’s
going on?” Ava’s deep blue eyes searched his face. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,
it’s fine.” God, he hoped so. “I just wanted to kiss you good-bye before you
go.”

“Why
can’t you come with me?” she asked him and then looked up at Lucy. “We’ll go
together and straighten this all up.”

“Miss
Lureau,” Lucy began with in an annoyed tone. “We’re going to read Mr. Gavin his
rights, and you’re going to the station. Put up a fight, and we’ll read you
yours as well.”