Page 182 of Protecting You
Benson fired.
The bullet hit the bed. The bed where Peri still huddled beneath the blankets.
Peri!
Alyssa couldn’t think about that.
She dove at the hulking guard, expecting a bullet to tear through her body.
But he was slow. Much slower than he should’ve been. As if God had answered Alyssa’s prayer that he be flummoxed. Confused. Unable to adapt.
And weak.
And that Spencer would be useless in a fight.
She didn’t think about that, either.
She barreled into Benson, aiming both of her hands toward the gun.
She knocked him off balance. And managed to wrench the weapon out of his hand.
She didn’t manage to hang onto it, though.
It skittered away.
Benson flipped her onto her back and pinned her down. “Now what are you going to do?” His face was red, his eyes not filled with fury, as she’d have expected, but something else. Fear? “You should’ve just let me shoot you. Then it would be over.”
“You looking forward to beating a woman to death? Is that how your mother raised you?”
He winced.
Yes, there was a human in there.
“Did she raise you to kill children? Ghazi’s going to kill thousands of people. Thousands and thousands of Americans.Yourcountrymen. You’re going to let that happen, and for what? Money? You think you’re going to enjoy spending it, knowing all the graves you’re responsible for?”
The fear in his eyes disappeared.
Dead Benson was back. “I made my bed. And so did you.” He punched her in the head. Again. And again.
And the world was gray and fuzzy and part of her, a tiny part of her, thought maybe he was right.
She should’ve just let him shoot her.
Then, it would be over.
CHAPTERFORTY-SIX
The gunshot was still echoing when Callan swiveled and bolted toward the cabin.
He didn’t care what anybody else was doing.
He was going to rescue Peri and Alyssa if it killed him. Which it just might.
“Drop the bag,” Grant said in his ear.
Right. The guns and ammo he’d brought, just in case.
He did, in stride, pulling out his own handgun.
