She smiled and held up her wrist and her dangling bracelet. “No, I brought the calvary.”
“Well, they won’t save you two pillocks,” Grier sneered.
Amanda grasped a nearby rock from a pile that had fallen from the wall behind her.
Everything happened fast after that.
Using the rock, Amanda deployed her best horseshoe throw at the guy raising his gun. The rock hit him in the groin as the gun went off. Lyle jumped in front of her, and they both fell backward as a second and third gunshot sounded.
“Are we dead?” Lyle asked as he opened an eye and glanced at her.
“No.” She shook her head and moved him onto his back in case Grier was still a threat.
His body lay motionless on the ground at Dante and Mac’s feet.
“Amanda!” Dante rushed to her, his gaze widening as he neared. “You’re bleeding.”
She lifted her shirt to find no wounds. “It’s not me.” She glanced at Lyle.
“Who’s bleeding? Me?” Lyle asked.
Mac walked over and knelt to cut Lyle’s restraints, lifting the guy’s shirt to inspect the wound. “It’s just a graze,” Mac said, helping Lyle to his feet. “But I think your arm is broken.”
“Yeah, it kind of felt funny since we went through the wall,” Lyle said.
Amanda winced. “Sorry.”
Lyle shook his head. “Don’t be. You saved us.”
“And you saved me back,” she said.
Mac smiled at her. “Great rock throw. Hitting the guy in the groin was brilliant.”
Again, she winced. “I was aiming for his knees.”
Mac chuckled as he led Lyle away.
Dante slid his arm around her and ushered her toward the front of the barn where the sheriff’s car and several deputies’ cars lined the road, along with a familiar truck and two SUVs.
“Amanda,” he said, bringing them to a stop. “God, are you sure you’re okay?” His hands were shaking as he cupped her face and flicked his gaze over her.
“I’m fine now.” She set her hands on his chest and tried to put into words all the things she wanted to say to him. “Dante…I…”
He put his finger over her mouth. “No. I let you talk last night. And I tried to talk to you at ESI. It’s my turn now.”
She nodded, her heart hammering in her chest.
Inhaling, he removed his finger from her lips and held her gaze. “You said you thought we should take a step back, for Noah’s sake.”
Again, she nodded. She’d put his little boy at risk. How could he possibly forgive her for that?
She certainly wouldn’t.
“Well, I thought about it and, that isn’t going to work for me,” he said. “I’m not stepping back, Amanda. In fact.” Hepaused to step forward and slide a hand down to her hip. “I’m in. All in.”
Then he kissed her, and her heart filled with warmth for the first time since the break-in. Sliding her hands up and around his neck, Amanda kissed him back until she felt them both tremble.
Catcalls and whistles sounded around them, and she knew they needed to talk with Gabe, but she remained in Dante’s arms for a few seconds more. And when he drew back, he didn’t release her.
