Hired To Protect Him, Falling For Him

Chapter 12: Together

The sound of the shot was louder than I expected.

I dropped to the floor and fired. I didn't think. I just pulled the trigger.

Marcus Thorne grabbed his shoulder and stumbled back. Blood spread fast on his expensive white shirt. His face twisted in shock.

"You shot me," he said, staring at me. At Nova. Like he couldn't believe I would dare.

Elias Thorne didn't wait. Before Marcus could raise his gun again, Elias tackled him with all his strength. The two brothers — both tall, both powerful — crashed into the glass coffee table in the middle of the Thorne penthouse.

The glass shattered.

A loud crack filled the room. Shards flew everywhere.

Marcus's gun flew out of his hand from the impact and slid under the black leather sofa.

"Nova! The gun!" Jonah shouted.

I was already moving. I crawled fast across the floor. My knees were bleeding from the broken glass cutting into my skin, but I didn't care. The pain felt far away. I reached under the sofa and grabbed the cold metal. Now, I had two guns in my hands. Mine was shaking. His was heavy.

On the floor, Marcus Thorne had flipped over. He was now on top of Elias Thorne, both hands around Elias's neck. He was choking him.

Elias's face was turning red. He was trying to breathe, trying to pull Marcus's hands off.

"Get off him!" I screamed.

I couldn't shoot. They were too close. I might hit Elias.

I did the only thing I could. I ran forward and kicked Marcus Thorne as hard as I could in the ribs with my boots.

He groaned in pain and fell off Elias. The wound on his shoulder was bleeding more now.

Jonah was instantly there. He ran and held Marcus's bleeding arm down to the floor, using his whole body weight.

Elias Thorne was on his knees, coughing hard, holding his own throat, trying to get air back.

For a moment, we had him. On the floor. The Thorne family villain is finally down. Team together.

I was breathing so hard. My hands were still holding the two guns.

Then — WEE-WOO. WEE-WOO.

Sirens. Down on the street. Getting closer and closer to the Thorne building. Someone must have called the police when they heard the first gunshot.

Marcus Thorne heard it, too. His eyes widened. He knew what prison meant for a Thorne.

He looked at Jonah holding him, and in a desperate, animal move, he bit Jonah's hand hard.

Jonah shouted in pain and let go for one second. Just one second.

But one second was enough for a man like Marcus Thorne.

He jumped up, bleeding, sweating, his white shirt now half red. He ran to the small service door behind the kitchen. The old staff elevator. The door that only the Thorne family knows about. The door that doesn't show on any blueprint.

"Elias! He's running!" I shouted.

I lifted my gun. My hands were shaking, but my heart was not. He had choked Elias. He had tried to kill us.

I shot while he was running.

This time, I hit his leg. I saw him stumble.

He shouted in pain, but he kept running. He was now bleeding from two places — his arm and his leg — but adrenaline kept him going.

The small service door slammed shut. We heard the old elevator groan and go down.

He was gone.

The penthouse was silent except for our heavy breathing and the distant sirens now right below us.

Glass was everywhere. Blood was on the floor — his blood. My knees were bleeding, too.

Elias Thorne slowly walked to the huge window. He pulled the curtain aside. Down below, three police cars with red and blue flashing lights had stopped right in front of the Thorne building. Police officers were getting out.

"Let him go," Elias Thorne said quietly. His voice was hoarse from being choked. He turned to look at me. "He cannot run far with two injuries, Nova. The police will find him. The whole city is watching the Thorne building now."

I slowly put both guns gently on the floor, like they were burning me. I never wanted to hold a gun.

Jonah was wrapping his bitten hand with his own shirt. He was still in shock.

Elias Thorne walked to me. He ignored the blood on my knees and knelt in front of me. He took my shaking hands in his.

His hands were warm.

Outside our main penthouse door: BANG BANG BANG! Loud banging.

"POLICE! OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN THE DOOR NOW!"

The police were here.

Elias Thorne held my hand tighter. He looked into my eyes, and for the first time today, I didn't see a cold billionaire. I saw just Elias.

"Together," he said softly. "Whatever they ask, we tell them what happened. Together, Nova. I am here. We are a team. The Thorne family can not break us."

I nodded, tears finally coming down.

Together.