Page 82 of Sleigh My Heart

A mental clock ticked in her mind. She rubbed her eyes and then leaned down to crank up the heat.

A knock sounded on her window.

What the…?

Elaine stood just beyond the glass—a gun in her fur-lined gloved hand.

Michelle froze, but her fingers itched to pull her weapon.

“Don’t. Just get out.” Elaine’s eyes were cold, calculating, and a little crazed. Nothing like the professional assistant Michelle had seen in the office.

Michelle’s mind blanked. All the protocols and procedures flew from her mind. This wasn’t the first time she had a gun pointed at her, but it was the first time she’d been blindsided by it.

With one hand in the air, she angled to the window, letting the camera on her vest record the incident. Quietly, she placed the other hand on the door handle.

Her eyes darted side to side, scanning for bystanders. No one. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Elaine’s grin rivaled the devil himself. “You act like it’s my first time.”

Michelle dropped her gaze. “Is that the gun you used on Jonny?”

“You think I’m that dumb? He wasn’t shot.”

She was right, but they didn’t let that detail out to the public. No way she could call for backup without Elaine seeing her. She needed to disarm her.

“What’s that on your dress?” She gestured to the woman’s designer skirt.

When Elaine looked down, Michelle flung the door open, narrowly missing the weapon in the other woman’s hand.

Damn, not close enough, but it was something. Elaine jumped back, a heel catching on ice. She wobbled like a figure skater doing a whirl. Unfortunately, the woman had the grip of an Olympic arm wrestler. She was going down. The gun in her hand wavered.

This was Michelle’s chance. She had her weapon and the split second of distraction.

Muscle memory had Michelle grabbing her taser instead of her firearm. One shot and the woman dropped with 50,000 volts of electricity.

As Elaine flopped on the ground, Michelle kicked the gun from her body. Reaching for her cuffs, she heard a click of a gun cock.

“Drop it.”

The feel of cold metal on her temple had her lifting her hands, taser pointing to the sky.

“Fuck. I wish I could have done that.” She knew that voice. But who?

With the gun at her head, she saw a toe kick Elaine’s now still leg. “Get up.”

Michelle chanced a peek and found the owner of the club, Stigman, dark cap, stylist coat. How had she not seen this?

As Elaine came around, the owner picked up her gun and pocketed it. “Come on. We need to get her into the club.”

The look on the other woman’s face was murder. Not for Michelle, but for the man who just saved her from arrest.

“I had it under control,” Elaine hissed.

“Sure you did, right up until she tased your ass.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“I would if I didn’t have to save your butt again. Forty-three years, nothing changes.” He yanked the gun from her holster and tossed it to Elaine.