Chapter 7
“Are you out of your absolute mind?!” Luke roared, rushing into the study and staring down at the unconscious assassins. “What were you thinking, coming up here unarmed, Emma? They would have put a bullet through you without blinking!”
Emma dropped the bent brass pole of the lamp, her hands shaking uncontrollably as the shock finally set in. She looked down at the blood staining the white rug, her knees buckling beneath her.
I didn't wait for Luke to finish yelling. I wheeled my chair forward, grabbed Emma by the wrists, and pulled her down onto my lap, wrapping my arms securely around her waist to keep her from collapsing onto the floor.
“Luke, shut up and get these bodies out of my house,” I snapped over my shoulder.
Luke blinked, took one look at me holding the maid in my lap, and slowly backed out of the room, closing the door behind him with a knowing grin.
May you like
Emma buried her face against my shoulder, her body trembling violently as the tears finally broke through. “I heard the shots… I was downstairs… I didn't want you to die…”
“Nobody is dying here tonight,” I whispered, my voice softening in a way it never had for anyone else. I lifted one hand, gently stroking her dark hair, feeling the fierce, protective surge in my chest that outweighed every bullet, every scar, and every lost empire.
