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“Aspen?” a familiar voice called out.
Relief swamped her at the sound of Declan, rage suppressed in his voice. There was no doubt in her mind that he was pissed off.
“I’m here,” she replied, hating how weak she sounded.
“Are you injured?”
“That’s enough!” Ray cut them off. “Now I want to make my demands known.”
“You don’t get any demands,” a voice growled.
Aspen recognized that voice as well. It sounded just as pissed off as Declan’s had.
Mac.
“Really? I’m sure you’d think different after I put a bullet into Aspen,” Ray threatened. “She’s my ticket out of here.”
“Putting a bullet in her will ensure you’ll leave here in a body bag,” Declan snapped. “Your choice, Ray. Walk out of here in cuffs or wheel out of here with a fucking tag around your toe.”
Ray remained silent. Aspen held her breath. The lights flashed on, temporary blinding her while she squinted to allow her eyes to adjust. Ray’s grip tightened around her waist. He moved the gun and placed the barrel at her temple.
Aspen opened her eyes fully and took in the room before them. Each of the men who had sided with Ray was laid out on the floor, writhing around in pain. A few were on their stomachs with their hands tied behind them. But what caught her eye was the sight of the SWAT team in their black fatigues with their weapons trained on them. Some of the men were kneeling near the other thugs on the floor while others stood with their murderous gazes trained on Ray.
One figure stood out. One she was intimately familiar with. She’d never seen a more beautiful sight in her life.
Declan.
“Think, Ray,” another voice spoke. This one was calmer than Declan and Mac.
If she remembered right, it was Ashton, the one who had come to the house with Mac. “We don’t want anyone else getting injured. Let’s do this in a civilized manner. Hand us the girl so she can get medical attention. We can all walk out of here.”
“I’m good as dead returning to prison,” Ray yelled. The barrel of the gun pressed harder against her temple. “There is no way I’ll be returning to prison. I’ll be dead before the doors even shut. She comes with me. You’re going to let us—”
“Not an option,” Declan growled.
“Then you leave me no choice.” Ray barked a sinister laugh. “Her death will be on your hands. This is the last time I’ll say it. Let us both go, and you can get her later after she transfers her offshore account money to me so I can disappear forever.”
“If it’s money you need,” Ashton began but was cut off by Ray.
“Let me guess, you will provide it? What, do you think I’m stupid? I know how you cops work. No, Aspen hid enough money to allow me to disappear and live out the rest of my days.”
“I’m sure the feds will offer protection,” Ashton replied.
The SWAT team shifted, but their guns never wavered.
“We can’t let you leave here with the hostage. She needs medical attention now. Let’s just get out of here safely together, and we’ll work something out.”
“The feds? I bought them off and found where Aspen is. That’s easy as hell. I’ll be found in no time under the protection of the feds,” Ray snorted.
He removed the gun from her head, and Aspen closed her eyes, not knowing what to expect.
“There are always other choices.”
Aspen braced herself. Time appeared to slow. Shouts could be heard, and the sound of a gun firing barked near her.
Her body jerked from the close fire of Ray’s weapon. Ray’s hand slid off her body as his crashed to the floor behind her. Without the help of him holding her up, her knees buckled, and she fell to the floor. She groaned, turned over, and glanced back at Ray, finding a pool of blood underneath his head.
Footsteps sounded towards them. She blinked, trying to fight the darkness from reclaiming her.
