Page 46 of Jonas (Silver Team #4)

“What else did she tell Anson?” Jun De asked.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck .

“That you were…um…MSS,” I continued to lie.

Jun De nodded like my answer was acceptable.

Jun De motioned to Keith with his gun. “And him?”

I didn’t have anything else to fib about. Anything else I mentioned that we’d learned would screw the investigation and I would rather die and let Keith live than give Jun De anything useful.

“All I know about him is he’s sloppy. I saw him in front of Delcon blackmailing an employee, and again in front of my apartment building picking up a private investigator hired by Lou Peterson to spy on me.”

Jun De transferred his stare to Keith. “What’s this? I warned you no side jobs.”

I braced for another gun blast.

Which ended up being the right move because suddenly the room exploded in gunfire. Not from one gun but from many.

Lots of guns…or more accurately, lots of bullets.

I dropped to my hip, rolled to my stomach, and did the fastest worm crawl in the history of worm crawls. I ended up against a toolbox, curled into the tightest ball I could, and panted through the pain in my shoulder.

“Stay the fuck down, motherfucker!”

Holy shit, that was Jonas .

“Clear.”

Double holy shit, that was Lore .

“I got him. Go.”

That was Cash.

Thank God. Thank God. Thank you, God.

I watched a pair of black combat boots run across the greasy concrete and stop in front of me.

I turned my head and peered up at Jonas.

A pair of boots and blue eyes full of panic was all it took for me to finally break.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered on a fragmented sob. “I broke my promise.”

The next thing I knew, Jonas was on his knees in front of me. “You’re safe now, baby.”

Safe.

“I’m afraid to touch you,” he said and he sounded it. “Are you hurt?”

“Not really.”

Okay, maybe I should’ve continued my lying. The savagery that infused Jonas’s features was downright terrifying.

“Please cut my wrists free,” I pleaded.

“Roll to your stomach, Dee Dee.”

Dee Dee.

I rolled. What I was unable to do was stifle my groan. Now that Jonas was there and I was safe, my body decided it was time to make my injuries known.

My shoulder ached. My face throbbed. My ankles were burning.

“I think my shoulder’s dislocated,” I admitted.

I heard a string of murmured curses, then, “This is going to hurt like a motherfucker.”

“Okay.”

“Suck in a breath and exhale through the pain,” he instructed. “Ready?” I nodded. “Breathe in.” He must’ve felt my inhale because as soon as my lungs filled, he cut the zip tie.

I didn’t exhale. I screamed. Pins and needles immediately raced up my arms, but it was the pressure on my shoulder that was agony.

“This is gonna hurt worse,” Jonas warned but gave me no time to prepare as one of his hands went between me and the concrete, and the other went to my shoulder blade and forcefully popped my shoulder back into its socket.

“Fuck me,” I yelled.

“That comes later, darlin’,” Cash said. “You okay?”

Minutes ago, I thought I’d never smile again, but there I was grinning at Cash’s stupid quip.

“I’ll be better when I’m off this filthy?—”

I didn’t finish. Jonas swept me into his arms and stood.

When he stood, I took in the carnage.

Natalie and Keith were very dead.

Jun De Chen had blood coming from his nose, and a red stain on his white button-down shirt, another red plume on his shoulder, but he was alive. Maybe not for long unless that stomach wound was treated.

His eyes came to me and narrowed.

“Put me down, honey,” I asked.

Jonas looked at Jun De, and his hold on me tightened.

“Please.”

With a harassed sigh, Jonas set me on my feet. The slashes on my ankles immediately made themselves known.

The sound of a door opening had me shifting closer to Jonas.

“It’s Viper and Three.”

I tried to remember who Three was.

I didn’t have to think for very long because Zane and Easton came prowling in.

Zane’s eyes came directly to me, and he did a top-to-toe scan—for a split second relief washed over his features.

“Take her out of here,” Zane growled.

Jonas shuffled me toward the exit, putting himself between me and Jun De Chen. When I was safely away from him, I stopped and turned around.

“Look at me,” I demanded.

Everyone’s gaze snapped to me, but I waited for Jun De to lift his eyes. Once I had his attention I smiled.

“You know what the best part of all of this is?” I asked, then answered my own question. “The elusive MSS operative got outplayed by a high school dropout.”

Jun De’s face turned to stone and that muscle in his cheek was jumping again. But the sneer didn’t appear until Lore busted out laughing.

I turned. Jonas wrapped his arm around my waist and practically dragged me out of the shop.

“Baby,” Jonas said with his voice vibrating with humor. “Next time, let’s not antagonize the MSS agent.”

“Fuck him, he was going to kill me.”

Jonas turned to stone—that was, if a stone could move, seeing as he didn’t miss a step, but his body was stiffer than granite.

“Sorry,” I muttered. “Too soon?”

“Way too fucking soon,” he rumbled. “It could be fifty years from now and it would still be too soon.”

Okay. Note to self, don’t joke about dying .

But with my lungs full of fresh air and my man’s arm around me, nothing seemed off-limits.