Her hand shook, and she reached out to grab one of the handguns. Heavy. Much heavier than it looked, and no brand name or caliber on it. Just an odd green color.
The betrayal coated down her torso, followed by a burst of fury. At herself for being so stupid.
She’d test the confiscated weapon outside when she got the chance, just to watch it shoot balls of fire. For now, she’d trust her own weapon. She shoved Kell’s gun into the back of her waistband and whirled around to quickly shut the door, wiping her hands down the back of her jeans. The blood rushed through her head, roaring past her eardrums. She’d miscalculated dangerously. Her hands stabilized when she grasped her cell phone.
Shit. No service.
Had he planned to take her out of range? If so, why? And why would he allow her to find the weapons and drugs?
She’d texted Bernie she’d gone with Kell. If anything happened to her, it’d be a start. But she was trained, and once again, she was seriously pissed. Leaning down, she drew her weapon and slowly opened the door.
Kell stood near the fireplace, another log in his hand.
“You fucking prick.” She stepped out, gun pointed, aim steady.
He slid the log into place and turned toward her, one eyebrow rising. “Excuse me?”
“Down, now.” She gestured with her gun. Damn it, no cuffs. “On your face.”
“No.” Red darkened his cheeks. “I’ve had about enough of this waffling. One second you trust me enough to ride on my bike, and the next second you’re pointing a gun at me. Put down the weapon, and we’ll talk.”
“No.” She settled her stance and lowered her aim. “I’ll take out your knee, Kell. I really will.”
He moved then. She knew he moved, because she found herself flat on her back, his hard body pressing her into the worn floorboards. But she hadn’t seen him move. Not even a twitch. Her gun spun out of her hand, twirling round and round before hitting the far wall with a loud thunk.
Training took over, and she shot her feet to his hips, kicking up. He flew over her head, and she followed, landing on his chest, her forearm against his neck.
His eyes widened.
She’d surprised him. Moving fluidly, she grasped his arm, levered up, and began to roll him over to his face.
The plan was good, and the execution flawless. Yet he countered, one hand gripping her thigh and the other wrapping around her ribs. He pivoted, and she landed face-first on the floor with him straddling her back.
Rapid-fire words ripped from him, the sound angry and magical. Gaelic? His knees hit the floor on either side of her, he levered up, and tossed her onto her back. She struggled, and he lowered his weight, both hands pressing down on her shoulders.
“You’re under arrest,” she managed to gasp.
Frowning, he grabbed her belt and partially pulled her up off the floor to reach around and confiscate his weapon. “Blast it.”
She took advantage of his movement to punch him square in the gut. Pain ricocheted through her fist and up her entire arm. The guy had iron in his ripped abs.
He sighed. “I’d forgotten the weapons were in the storage area.” Regret darkened his eyes.
She blinked. Perhaps he’d also forgotten about the drugs. If so, she had one chance to get out of there. “Are you going to try and kill me?”
Both his brows lifted. “Of course not.”
“Good. Then get off me.”
He nodded. “Fine. But no more pointing weapons at me.” Graceful as any jungle cat, he stretched to his feet and pulled her up.
“No problem.” She had one chance, and she needed to get free to call for backup. “Shall we sit and talk?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Turning, she made to move toward the sofa. At the last second, she pivoted, jumped, and kicked high. Her boot caught him under the chin, and he went down.
She turned and ran for the door.
Chapter 16
Lex shoved outside and leaped across the porch into the swirling storm. Her heart beat hard against her ribs and her lungs compressed to contain oxygen. Fight or flight kicked in, and she barreled away.
Kell shouted her name behind her, crashing through the door.
She lowered her head against the wind, tucked close, and ran as hard as she could for the tree line. Pinecones whipped around her and pine needles slammed down. The rain pummeled her, matting her hair to her head.
She dodged between two cottonwoods and headed closer to the river. Mud coated her boots, and she angled away, wanting the shelter of trees to hide her.
A stick cracked behind her, and she pushed herself harder into the forest. Once she lost Kell, she’d find her way to cell service. Unarmed and becoming winded, she needed to get free before he found her.
The man could fight, and he’d kept his gun.
She ran around a century old spruce and smacked hard into his broad chest. She bounced off, and only Kell’s hands manacling her biceps kept her from falling on her ass. He turned, lifted her, and shoved her back into the trunk of a pine.