Chapter Twenty-One

Attrition

Ella

It all happened so fast.

The exchange between Tucker and Collins had grown nastier, and before she’d known it, a gun had been fired. She’d held her breath as the deafening noise of the shot drowned out every other sense, but before she could even decide what to do next, Alexander had shoved her to one side. She fell awkwardly, inwardly cursing her father, but seconds later, his pained cry had silenced her criticism.

By the time she’d grappled for her phone and switched on its flashlight, Tucker’s plea had rung out in the kitchen before he, too, had landed in her vicinity.

“Shit.” It was Alexander who spoke, but as she spun the light to face her father, it was Tucker who was moving over him.

“You’ve been shot, Bennett.” Tucker glanced fleetingly in her direction as he eased Alexander onto his back. “Don’t try to move.”

“Fuck,” Alexander hissed. “It hurts like hell!”

“Are you okay, Dad?” Shock resonated through her as she processed Alexander’s injury. He’d been shot— presumably throwing himself in the line of fire, so she avoided the fate.

She couldn’t believe it. Alexander had saved her.

She’d never much cared for the man who called himself her father, begrudging the way he’d abandoned her, not once but twice, but he was still her dad. She’d never imagined an outcome that saw him bleeding on Tucker’s kitchen floor.

“Damn it,” Collins snorted, as though there was something amusing about what had happened. “I got the wrong Bennett. Not that Kenner will mind.”

“Fuck you!” Ella snapped, her breaths coming faster as she noticed the deluge of blood that seemed to be pumping from her father’s chest. Tucker had grabbed a tea towel from the counter and was frantically applying pressure to Alexander’s chest, but she didn’t need to have a medical degree to see things weren’t looking good for Alexander.

“You’re not my type, darling.” Collins’ cruel sneer ran over her, and as she waved her torch along her father’s bloodied body, she noticed the gun-wielding bastard had come to stand behind Tucker.

From that position, Collins’ weapon could wipe them all out at point-blank range, and there would be no easy way for Tucker to defend them, especially while he was crouched over her father’s body.

Dread seeped through her system as she acknowledged that Tucker no longer seemed to be grasping the evil-looking gun he’d collected from the safe. She thought she’d heard it fall as he dove to help Alexander, and a quick scan of the floor revealed it had indeed landed by her left knee. She found herself reaching for the gun, running her fingers over its hard edges as she dragged it closer.

“It was actually you I intended to shoot, pretty girl,” Collins gloated. “I’m here to get Bowman, but don’t worry, I have plenty more bullets. Kenner will give me a huge bonus when he realizes I took out all three of you in one job.”

“Give him a message from me, will you?” She lobbed the phone in his direction, trying to imprint his position in her mind.

The world slowed as the device flew through the air, the spinning torch darting across the room like strobe lighting at a tacky nightclub, sporadically illuminating Collins’ and Tucker’s faces.

Raising the weapon, she pointed it at Collins, already knowing what was going to happen next.

“Tell him to go to hell!”

It was crazy to consider firing when Tucker was so close to Collins’ position, but crazy seemed to be the only option available as she hugged the trigger. Someone else was going to get shot in an execution-style killing, and if she didn’t act fast, that person could be her, or worse, her lover.

“Tucker, get down!” She screamed the warning as she pressed the trigger, cringing as the disgusting gun sprayed ear-splitting bullets into the gloom.

She prayed the man she loved wasn’t caught in the line of those bullets, prayed that her father would hang in there long enough not to bleed to death before Collins had been disarmed, and when her finger finally paused and a male cry punctured the air, she prayed the banging in her head wouldn’t mean she’d pass out before she discovered the answers to her heartfelt prayers.

***

Tucker

“Ella?” Tucker’s heart was galloping so fast, he felt nauseous.

Moments of unnerving silence stretched around them after the bullets had ceased. Seconds where Tucker’s ears rang with the deafening noise they’d created, and he briefly worried he might have lost his hearing altogether. Her phone had landed face down, its torch casting an ethereal light in the space between him and the place Collins had staggered to the ground. Torn between the need to try to stabilize Bennett and his desire to know Collins’ condition, he watched Collins’ body carefully for any sign that he was still a hazard.

“Oh, fuck!” Ella threw the gun toward the exit, her hands rising to cover her mouth. Even in the shadows, he could make out her shocked and saddened expression.

“It’s okay.” Tucker glanced back at the place Collins had fallen, hoping his assertion was true and it was, in fact, okay .

The guy certainly wasn’t moving, but then, based on the number of bullets she’d just spewed in his direction, Tucker wasn’t surprised. Not that he was criticizing her. Tucker had hardly had time to register Collins behind him, but he wouldn’t have stood a chance if the asshole had fired from there. Ella had probably just saved his life.

“Ella, apply pressure here.” He motioned to Bennett’s chest. “I’ll check on Collins.”

“Have I… k-killed him?” She inched toward her father.

“Ella.” Tucker’s voice was firmer, insisting that she do as he asked. “Bennett’s losing blood, and he needs your help.”

“Okay.” She fell to her knees on the other side of Bennett, holding back tears as she took the bloodied cloth from Tucker’s hands. “Is he going to be all right?” Dismay danced in her eyes as she pressed the cloth against Bennett’s chest and looked up at Tucker.

“He needs an ambulance.” Tucker reached for his phone and dialed the emergency services quickly. “Here.” He switched the device to speaker and placed it on the floor beside her. “Tell them he’s been shot and ask them to track my phone. He needs help as soon as possible.”

Her strangled gasp rose as the dialing tone rang out, but he tried not to focus on Ella’s upset. There would be time to console her later. Time for autopsy and introspection, but at that moment, he had to deal with Collins. Had to know if the man Kenner had paid to kill him still posed a threat.

“What’s your emergency?”

The woman’s voice splintered the strained silence as Tucker approached Collins. His body appeared lifeless, the gun he’d been holding cast away by his left hand, but Tucker didn’t trust the slimy bastard as far as he could throw him. Perhaps Collins was only playing dead to lull him and Ella into a false sense of security. He was there to do a job, and Tucker didn’t doubt he’d shoot them all given half a chance.

“We need an ambulance to this location.”

Ella’s voice conveyed her understandable stress, but Tucker resisted the urge to look back at her. She’d be okay. She was capable. She’d just proven that when she’d fired at Collins. He had to ensure they were safe before he moved to offer help.

“My dad has been shot.”

“Okay,” came the reply as Tucker rounded Collins’ body. “Stay on the line, and I’ll get one dispatched to you. Where is the gunshot wound?”

It was difficult to see if Collins was breathing in the half-light, but he needed to be certain. Moving closer, he kicked the gun away toward the window and slowly lowered over Collins’ body.

“In his chest.” Ella choked back tears. “I’m applying pressure, but he’s losing a lot of blood.”

“Don’t worry.”

The first responder’s voice droned on in the background as Tucker crouched before his foe. There was still little evidence of breathing, and the growing stream of blood around Collins suggested the bullets Ella fired had hit their target.

“Help is on its way. Is the patient breathing?”

Tucker reached his palm out over Collins’ mouth, trying to detect any sign of air from his mouth or nose. Time stretched on as he waited on his verdict, his body tensing at the possibility that Collins could leap up and attack him. He could never be sure with a cretin like Collins. He’d screwed Tucker over before and had demonstrated clear intent to do so again. Hell, not only had he accepted Kenner’s paycheck to assassinate him, but he’d even boasted about it to Bennett!

Nothing.

The judgment echoed in Tucker’s head, although still, he didn’t trust it.

He’s not breathing.

“Yes, he’s breathing.”

Tucker turned at Ella’s desperate tone, finally content that Collins’ wasn’t about to lurch back to life.

“But he’s not talking anymore.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure he’s going to last.”

Tucker rose and tried not to slip in the pool of Collins’ blood by his feet. Even in the shadows, his once-perfect kitchen looked like a war zone, and God knew he’d seen more than his fair share of similar scenes.

“He’ll be okay, little girl.” Tucker crept over to her and sank down to examine Bennett. His old sparring partner wasn’t in great shape, yet Tucker believed he’d pull through. Bennett was a stubborn fucker, and he’d only taken one bullet. If the ambulance arrived fast, the paramedics could save him. As though the woman on the other end of the phone had read his mind, her reply burst into the dark space.

“The ambulance is just arriving, but the paramedics aren’t sure where to go. Is there someone there who can direct them?”

“I’ll go.” Tucker was on his feet again in a heartbeat. “You stay with him.”

“Thank you.” Ella threw him a grateful smile as she sniffed back her tears and spoke to the speaker. “Someone’s going to help them now.”

***

An hour later, the apartment was filled with emergency responders. Power had been restored to the place soon after the paramedics’ arrival, which explained the perpetual smell of brewing coffee that had permeated the air ever since, and both he and his little girl had identified some clothes to wear.

Police flitted around his kitchen like flies, crawling over Collins’ corpse before interviewing him and Ella. Tucker had already called his lawyer, Sanderson, who, as his hourly rate suggested, had arrived within thirty minutes to act on their behalf. Meanwhile, the paramedics managed to stabilize Bennett and took him to a nearby hospital.

So far, everything was going as well as could be expected, but he worried about how Ella would handle the next few hours. Her father was still gravely ill, and she hadn’t even started to come to terms with the fact she’d shot someone dead. Not that he could blame her for that. He still recalled the face of every bastard he’d taken down, but he had hoped to protect her from a life of such heavy conscience. That ambition hadn’t gone well.

“We’ll need you to come down to the station, Miss Bennett.” The officious detective, Bowers, pushed her glasses along her nose as she peered at his little girl, who was still deep in conversation with Sanderson.

“What?” Ella’s eyes widened. “Are you arresting me?”

“My client will come to answer your questions voluntarily,” Sanderson interjected, rising to tower over the detective.

“That’s good to hear,” Bowers sneered. “But we suspect your client killed someone, Mr. Sanderson. So, yes, Miss Bennett, we are arresting you.”

Ella spun to face Tucker, panic etched into her pretty features.

“It’s okay,” he reassured her, moving forward to caress the side of her face even as Bowers started reading Ella her rights. “Sanderson will take care of you, and I’ll come down to the station and wait.”

“It could be quite a wait, sir,” Bowers smirked as a uniformed officer pulled Ella’s wrists into cuffs. Tucker eyed the young police officer suspiciously. Tucker was the only man allowed to bind his little girl, and he resented the way he manhandled her. “We tend to take murder seriously.”

“This isn’t a murder charge, Detective.” Sanderson rolled his eyes as Tucker pressed a kiss on the bridge of Ella’s nose. “Miss Bennett clearly acted in self-defense. She’ll be out on bail within hours, and we both know it.”

“We’ll see.” Bowers pressed her thin lips into a hard line, the fury spiking in her brown eyes suggesting she did indeed know Sanderson was right.

“Yes, we will.” Sanderson turned to Ella. “I’ll travel with Mr. Bowman, but don’t worry, Miss Bennett. We’ll handle this.”

“Okay.” Ella blinked back tears as her gaze scanned between Tucker and Sanderson. Tucker couldn’t recall seeing her look so weary before, but he could tell she was trying to be brave.

Good girl .

A part of him still couldn’t accept he’d put her in this situation, but he hoped she knew he’d move heaven and Earth to ensure she was free as soon as was humanly possible.

“Will you call my mum and let her know what happened, please?” Her gaze landed on Tucker imploringly. It was strange; he’d seen that desperate expression from her a hundred times, yet it had rarely moved him like it did then. “I don’t want her finding out any other way.”

“Of course.” Tucker wasn’t sure how Susie could discover what had happened there without one of them calling her, but he didn’t press the point. He’d do whatever he could to assuage her anxiety.

“I left her number on the pad on the counter.” Ella gestured to the island.

“You think of everything.” Tucker pressed himself against her, wishing everyone else in the room would just disappear and allow him to show his little girl how much he loved her. The cuffs, he decided, could stay.

“Don’t forget me.” She craned her head to whisper the words, but he sensed they both thought the word she’d been too embarrassed to utter. Sir.

“No chance.” Christ, he wanted to kiss her. “I love you.”

“Thank you.” The smallest smile tugged at her lips.

“Come on, Miss Bennett.” Bowers motioned for the uniformed cop to guide her to the exit. “Let’s go.”

“We’ll be there soon!” A knot of angst tightened in Tucker’s chest as the police hauled her away, the sense of impotency burgeoning as she was led from the kitchen.

“Let’s take my car.” Sanderson dug into his pocket and waved his keys in front of Tucker. “You’re probably still in shock.”

“Fine.” Tucker had no desire to argue as he collected the piece of paper Ella had left on the counter.

He needed Sanderson’s help in a tangible way and was too exhausted to debate the logistics, but Sanderson couldn’t have been more wrong. The adrenaline rushing through his bloodstream wasn’t born of shock but determination. Ella had saved him earlier that night. Even though he’d been the one who’d sworn to protect her, it had been her father who’d pushed her away from Collins’ bullet and she who’d stopped Collins in his tracks.

Now, she was in trouble.

It was Tucker’s turn to save her.