Jinx still had his weapon. He fired it at the bastard. A fast, hard hit to Landon’s stomach. The blast echoed around them, just as the others had done.
Landon staggered. His knees buckled beneath him, but he still tried to lift his weapon and take aim at Jinx once more.
Jinx kicked the gun out of his hand. “I don’t think so.” He had his gun aimed dead center between Landon’s eyes. “I’m not in the mood to get shot again.”
“H-how…?”
“How am I not bleeding all over the place, the way you are? Easy. I put on a vest. So did Ali. So did Odin and War. Because I’m not an overly trusting bastard and because things in Louis’s room were a little too perfectly placed.” He’d been suspicious as hell. It had been the photo that tipped it over the line for him. A photo that just happened to include Cyrus?
Footsteps raced from the depths of the tunnel.
He needed a damn light! Those could be reinforcements for Landon—
“Jinx.” War’s voice.
Relief surged through him. “Get me a light! Cyrus is hit and so is Landon!”
Even as he said those words, Landon crashed against the floor.
A bright light fell on him. War swore when he saw the damage. “Who the hell did that?”
“I did,” Jinx replied grimly. “He was going to kill Ali, so I made the shot. I did it.” And he’d do it again. Over and over. He would protect her, no matter what.
“He sent us to the east side,” Odin rumbled. “Told us he saw the shooter there, then the comm link died again.”
Landon had deliberately led them away. He’d probably wanted time to kill Ali and Cyrus…and me, too.
Landon was bleeding out in front of them. War wrenched out a phone and called for an ambulance even as Odin crouched and began to apply pressure to Landon’s wound. That was Odin for you—even trying to save the enemy.
A man who’d betrayed them all.
“Help me!” Ali’s frantic cry.
Jinx whirled and fear poured through his veins. Had Ali been hit, after all? Was she—
“It’s too much blood!” Ali was half-sprawled across Cyrus’s body. “He’s shaking and the bleeding is too heavy! We can’t let him die! Help me! Help me!”
***
Jinx watched through the hospital window as Ali stood by the bed of her old buddy, Cyrus. The man had been in surgery for three hours, then he’d spent some touch-and-go time in the ICU, but the doc had just assured them that Cyrus was now on the road to recovery.
Ali had been allowed in to visit with him as soon as Cyrus had been moved to a private room.
“Are you gonna glare all day or you gonna tell me what’s happening?”
Jinx spared a glance for War. “Glaring feels good. I’ll stay with that.”
“We caught the bad guy. He’s currently cuffed to a bed down the hallway, and you and I just got special permission to pay him a private visit.” War’s smile looked like a shark’s. “Tell me you don’t want to pass up this opportunity.”
Hell, no, he didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. But his gaze slid back to Ali.
She was smiling at Cyrus.
He saved her life. Jumped between her and a bullet. Cyrus hadn’t known that Ali had on a bulletproof vest. He’d just wanted to protect her. “I want to hate him,” Jinx admitted.
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“But I have to be grateful to him because Ali is still breathing.” His hand fisted. “And she’s fucking smiling at him.”
Just then, Ali looked up. She stared through the glass. Her gaze met Jinx’s. And the smile that had been on her face vanished.
Her whole expression closed down.
I can explain. Just give me a chance…
“Guessing she found out about the deal with Landon?” War asked quietly.
“It was a bullshit deal. You know I just told him that I’d use her to get Cyrus.” I never intended to betray her. “I wanted my brother safe, and I wanted Ali safe. I wasn’t pretending with her. I meant every damn thing that I said and did with her.” But…
I’m a liar.
I’m a user.
And he’d screwed up with Ali.
“What if it had come down to a choice between them?” Again, War’s voice was quiet.
Ali had turned away.
“What in the hell kind of question is that?” Jinx demanded, annoyed.
“One that she might ask. If it had come down to protecting your brother or helping Ali, what would you have done?”
“Ali isn’t gonna ask that question.” Was she? Jinx rubbed his hand over his aching chest. Look at me again, sweets. Look at me and smile. I want to see your eyes warm up like they used to do when you looked at me.
“And why not?” War seemed honestly confused. “If I were in her place, I sure might ask.”
“Ali knows how I feel about her. I told her.”
But…
War’s hand curled around his shoulder.
“Ali knows,” Jinx mumbled.
Then…
God, I hope she knows.
***
“He’s…a dick.” Cy’s voice was weak. He was weak. That happened when you were shot twice. Especially when one of the bullets hit far too close to your spine and you were nearly paralyzed…
“He’s a dick who helped to save your life.” When she’d asked for help in that tunnel, Jinx had lunged to her. He’d stayed with her. Even ridden in the ambulance. He’d helped Cy every single moment until the other man had been wheeled away to surgery.
“He…lied to you.”
She wouldn’t look back toward that little window. An observation window that should have been used by nurses and doctors, but, somehow, Jinx had gotten access. He’d probably flashed a smile at a nurse and gotten her to let him sneak over there.
“Did you…hear…me?”
Ali nodded. “How do you know Jinx lied?”
“Imari.”
The name caught her by surprise.
“Been…working with her.” Cy was far too pale. He’d lost a dangerous amount of blood. “Landon told her. When he called…c-called and got her to b-back off the raid…”
“The raid at Ramsey’s place?”
A nod. “Jinx agreed to…d-deal…he would g-get close to you, g-get your trust…and then help deliver m-me…”
Tears stung her eyes. She wasn’t going to let them fall. She also wasn’t going to look back toward that window. She would not. “Jinx said he loved me.”
“Lie…”
Had it been? Or had he lied to Landon? Because Jinx hadn’t told Landon about the bulletproof vests. He’d just insisted that she slide one on, when Landon hadn’t been around. Had Jinx already suspected Landon? It sure seemed that way. But if so, why hadn’t he told her? Why keep that info from her?
“Jinx…chose his…b-brother…”
She looked up at the ceiling. It was a technique Ali used when she didn’t want to cry. If you looked up, it seemed harder for the tears to fall down. “Jinx loves his brother. He wants to help him. I know what it’s like to have family turn their back on you, and Jinx isn’t going to do that to—”