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But Quinn knew the woman was going to kill Raul, no matter what Luis said or did.
Quinn felt Gabriel’s muscles tense. She squeezed his thigh hard in a warning not to do anything stupid. She hoped he got the message.
She slipped her hand all the way into her purse and wrapped her fingers around the Glock. She visualized how she would pull it out, bring her right hand up to grab the grip, aim it at Odette’s heart, and pull the trigger.
Now she needed to drag the woman’s attention away from the king and Raul.
“What’s in Iowa?” Quinn shouted as she ripped the gun out of her purse and stood, all in one motion.
Odette’s mouth was open in a shriek as she turned her attention to Quinn, the pistol coming with her.
As the woman pivoted, Gabriel hurled himself off the sofa toward Odette. Quinn screamed and yanked her Glock upward to fire at Odette over his shoulder.
She heard another gunshot before Gabriel slammed into Odette, grabbing her wrist and smashing her gun hand against the marble mantel. The pistol pinwheeled in the air before it clattered to the floor.
Quinn launched herself toward Gabriel and Odette, her Glock ready, as she tried to see if either of them was bleeding.
She caught a blur of motion as others of the family moved too. “Stay back,” she yelled. Mikel’s people would need a clear view to quickly assess the situation.
As she expected, doors banged open, and people charged into the room. The king shouted at them, but Quinn paid no attention to that.
She kept going toward where Gabriel still struggled to hold Odette, their bodies locked together. Quinn winced as she saw blood soaking the side of Gabriel’s shirt. She hoped it was Odette’s.
“Odette!” Quinn snapped. “Give up. I have a gun, and the guards are here. You’re done.”
“Shoot me!” the woman snarled as she freed a hand to jab her thumb at Gabriel’s eye. “I will not live with my failure.”
Quinn raised her gun to call Odette’s bluff, but Gabriel was too entwined with his nemesis for Quinn to take a chance on firing.
“No!” Luis’s voice rang out. “Dying here would be too easy for her. She will suffer a lifetime of imprisonment for what she did to Gabriel.”
Then a figure in black raced past Quinn and twisted Odette out of Gabriel’s grip, flinging her facedown onto the floor before yanking her arms behind her back. Quinn lowered her arms as she watched Mikel kneel and slap handcuffs around Odette’s wrists.
Gabriel leaned against the mantel, his arm braced on the shelf, his chest heaving as he gulped in deep breaths. Quinn flew to him, still holding her Glock. “Are you hurt? There’s blood on your shirt.”
“Por el amor de Dios,” he panted. “What the hell were you thinking? I thought she was going to kill you.”
“Wait! You tackled her because of me? You’re crazy. I had a gun.” Quinn held up the Glock.
“Quinn.” Mikel spoke from beside her. She turned to see his hand held out. “Why don’t you let me take care of the gun?”
She had been wondering where to put it down safely, so she gave it to Mikel with alacrity. Now she could check to see if Gabriel was injured. “Does it hurt anywhere?” she asked as she zeroed in on the bloodstains on the side of his shirt.
“Not there,” he said. “My shoulder, but it’s just a graze.”
“Shit!” She stood on her tiptoes to see a widening patch of bright red blood on his left shoulder.
“Mon fils!” Hélène pushed past Mikel. “Gabriel! You’re hurt! Come sit down.”
His mother tugged him toward the love seat by his right hand before saying, “Mikel, we need an ambulance.”
“On the way already,” her boss said. “Paola, take a look at el duque’s injury.”
When Mikel’s EMT cut away Gabriel’s shirt, guilt clawed at Quinn. Had her bullet hit him, or had Odette’s?
“How bad is it?” Quinn asked as Gabriel winced when Paola examined it.
“It will need a few stitches, but it will heal up fine,” the EMT said, swabbing it with antiseptic. “Maybe leave a little scar.”
