Page 277 of Duty and Desire

Abby started to rise.

“Stop.” Noah pressed a hand on her shoulder. “What the hell are you doing?”

She blinked away tears. “If I go, he won’t shoot you. Call the detective, the good one, and maybe you can find me. I can’t let you get killed.” She wiped her eye. “I love you, too.”

The words hit him like a hammer, and he let himself enjoy them for the briefest of moments. “You’re a moron, sweetheart,” he finally said.

She reared back. “Wh-what?”

He’d been clear. He’d been more than clear. “I handle danger and protect you. Not the other way around. Ever.” He shook his head. “And I’m immortal—pretty much. Remember?”

She paused. “Yeah, but bullets hurt you, right?”

“Well, yeah. And they can incapacitate us for a while.” Frankly, they hurt like hell. He’d taken a human bullet between the eyes back in the fifties, and it had taken him two weeks to fix his brain.

“Now, Abigail,” Monte yelled, shooting into the building for emphasis.

There was only one way to get the gun, and it was going straight for it across the parking lot. There was no other option or route. Noah would be completely exposed. “You’re going to have to trust me on this, Abby. Promise me you’ll stay down.”

“I won’t let you get shot in the brain, damn it,” she muttered.

He turned and pinned her with a gaze, letting his eyes go full on demon green. “In there, inside, we had fun. You disobey me this time, and you won’t like the results. It won’t be fun.” He kissed her. Hard. “I’d never hit you, and I’ll never harm you, but I have no problem with you not being able to sit for a week. Take that to heart, mate.” He took a second to memorize her beautiful face and the spirit that had glimmered in her eyes.

Then he turned and leaped up into a flurry of bullets.

* * * *

Rain pounded down, plastering Abby’s hair to her face. The asphalt was rough beneath her hands, but she crouched low, her heart thundering. The bullets pinged off the truck and building,ricocheting in different directions. She was protected right in place, and if she moved an inch, she might get hit.

But how could she let Noah face her ex, her biggest mistake, on his own?

Immortal. He couldn’t die. But he could get hurt. Though he’d asked her, ordered her, to trust him. She kept low, her face against the front grill, and crept around the side.

Noah ran full bore, head down, right at Monte, who kept shooting.

A bullet ripped right through Noah’s shoulder, throwing blood and continuing on to hit the door of the building.

“Noah,” Abby screamed.

He was a blur of motion, almost too fast to follow. Several more bullets hit him dead center and he hitched, paused, and then lunged the rest of the way. He leaped over the van and took Monte down and out of sight.

A scuffle echoed, then a high-pitched scream.

Then silence.

Abby’s hands shook and she forced herself to stand, looking over the wide expanse of wet asphalt. “Noah?” she croaked. He had to be okay. He had to be telling the truth about being immortal. God, he had to be all right. “Noah!”

He stood up on the other side of the van and walked around the front, blood once again pouring from holes in his chest and one in his cheek.

She ran toward him, and he met her halfway. The hole in his cheek revealed his teeth and upper jaw bone. Her stomach lurched, and she swallowed down bile. “How badly are you hurt?” Her hand trembled as she gingerly touched his jawline.

“I’ll be fine.” A whistle sounded through the hole in his face.

She winced. “Heal that, would you?” Then she looked toward the quiet fence line. “Monte?”

“Not going to be fine.” The bone and muscle began to stitch together in Noah’s face as he reached for the phone in his back pocket and quickly dialed. “Tabi?” he asked. “It’s Noah. How do you feel about ditching a van for me?” The skin slowly healed over his cheekbone, turning an angry red. “Yes, I’ll owe you one. Yes. Thanks.” The red turned to his bronze skin tone.

Abby watched, fascinated. “That’s amazing.” One day she’d be able to do that.