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Paul dashed at him. Jagger had the laser tag gun out along with his real pistol. Why both guns? Was her premonition correct and something dangerous was out there?
Jagger stared at her, aimed the laser gun at her chest, and she knew he had to shoot her for Mercedes.
His gaze became laser focused, and he tossed the laser tag gun into the overgrowth.
Stopping in his tracks, she heard Paul ask, “Jagger?”
“Bee!” Jagger darted around Paul, shifting his real pistol to his right hand.
Belinda sensed movement to her left. A disheveled, dirty, terrifying-looking man darted toward her with a gun pointed at her head.
“Give me the keys to your car,” he screamed.
A shot reverberated through the air. Belinda screamed and dropped to the ground, putting her hands over her ringing ears.
Was she shot? She didn’t feel shot. What if the man had shot Jagger or Paul?
Footsteps approached and then Jagger’s arms were around her. He lifted her up and against his chest.
“Are you hit? Are you all right?” he asked urgently.
Belinda clung to him, dazed. “I’m fine,” she managed. “Are you?”
“He’s dead,” Paul confirmed, kneeling next to the guy.
Belinda buried her head in Jagger’s neck and shuddered.
“Is it the escaped convict?” Jagger asked.
“Yes.” Paul stood and pulled the satellite phone out of his backpack. “I’ll call the police and Hays. You’ve got her?”
“Always.” Jagger easily swept her feet off the ground and carried her far enough away that she couldn’t see the body if she decided to look.
She didn’t want to look. She only wanted him.
“You saved me,” she whispered, gazing up into his dark eyes.
He let her feet slide to the ground but held her close against him. His eyes were far too serious.
“Jag.” She framed his jawline with her hands. “I’m going to tell you you’re my hero and give you lots of honeyed kisses, and I promise I won’t yell at you after and sting you.”
Jagger smiled slightly at that, but then his body trembled against hers and she could swear his eyes got bright. “Oh, Bee. Today has been one of the worst of my life. Almost as bad as the day my dad died, the day I lost you, the day Grayson died, and the day my mom died.”
“Your mom died?” she squeaked out, feeling like the worst human on the planet. How could she not know about his mom?
He nodded solemnly. “And now Mercedes …”
“Oh, no,” she moaned. “Is she …?”
“Not yet, but I don’t think I’ll see her alive again.”
“Oh, Jag.” She slid her hands around his broad back and hugged him tightly.
He hugged her back. Birds chirped. Paul’s voice was muddled and in the background. The river flowed beside them.
They held onto each other, and she hoped she helped with Jagger’s sorrow. He didn’t cry, but she didn’t know if a man as tough as Jagger would ever cry.
Easing back slightly, he looked into her eyes. “Then I couldn’t find you anywhere and I guess I should’ve just called, but I needed to talk to you and see you. Deep inside, I knew I had to find you, and not for the show. I promised Shawn I’d give this show a hundred percent for Mercedes—it’s her passion for some reason—so I had both guns out.”
