While the other two men stayed outside and watched the building, David and George went into the house. It was empty. That was something David already knew, but he signed George to look around the other rooms while he went straight to the room he suspected Bonnie would be in.
He got to the room but it was locked from inside. But he was now one hundred percent sure that Bonnie was in there because as soon as he tried the door, he heard her muffled voice. She clearly wasn’t alone because someone made her stop. David’s chest ached from the pain that had struck his heart when he’d heard Bonnie cry out from within the apartment. He had to get inside-without that man hurting Bonnie any more.
He hammered at the door again. “C’mon, I’m here. lemme in.”
“No-” Bonnie began but then cried out again.
He stepped back, so he had room to kick in the door. When he tried once and the door didn’t budge, he put his gun in the waistband of his jeans and moved backwards to try again. But before he could lift his leg, the door opened. He forced himself to stumble and bang his shoulder against the jamb as he entered the room. And he pretended like he didn’t even notice the gun in the man’s hand.
The man slammed the door shut behind him and turned his back against it, the gun barrel swinging from him to Bonnie.
Bonnie stood near an outside wall, a hand pressed over her mouth, as if she was trying to hold back screams of terror. He could see the fear in her eyes. But he felt light-headed and disoriented with fury as he noticed blood trickling from the cut on her cheek.
Had this man shot her? Or struck her?
He hadn’t heard the gun go off and he hadn’t noticed a silencer on the end of the barrel. He must have struck her. Hard. Hard enough to break the skin and make it swell with the beginning of a big bruise. His heart ached more for Bonnie’s pain. But that was the least she would feel if he couldn’t disarm her crazy assistant.
“There he is,” the man said, directing the barrel at Bonnie again, as if pointing her out to David. “I was almost starting to believe her when she said you wouldn’t come. Almost thought I’d gone through all this trouble for nothing. But seriously, tell me. Why do you think she’s worth dying over?”
“I don’t,” David lied. “I’m here to see you…”
He turned back toward him, his dark eyes wide with surprise. And as he turned, he moved the gun barrel with her-away from Bonnie.
David wanted to shoot Bonnie a glance, wanted to send her a silent message to get the hell out of the way. Even if she just dropped to the floor… But he didn’t dare look at her for fear he’d draw the crazy man’s attention back to his real target.
“Really?” the man asked. And now he was looking at him, really looking at him.
“I understand that you’re doing this for Joseph Saunders,” he said, forcing himself to keep slurring his words. “I did some digging. You’re Jonathan. I’m guessing the both of you were very close for you to do all this for him”
The man shook his head. “He was my brother. My only family and you took him away from me.”
“I didn’t mean to,” David said. “I’m sorry, but he was involved in a kidnapping and got into the line of fire when my team and I came to rescue the victim. It was never my intention for him to die.”
Jonathan’s dark eyes narrowed. He probably suspected he was playing him, but he couldn’t figure out how. His quest for revenge had obviously driven him crazy, so David wanted to use that to his advantage. Anything to keep Bonnie safe.
“You should let her go and you can have me. You’d be killing an innocent person if you hurt her. I wouldn’t waste my time with a princess like Bonnie,” he continued. “Whatever you think, I do not care about her in the way that you think. With her, I was just doing my job”
Unfortunately that made Jonathan glance at her again. But Bonnie hadn’t moved. She must have been frozen with fear.
“That is not true,” Jonathan said. “You were more than her Bodyguard. I should kill her just so you would understand the way I feel.”
He felt another twinge in his heart. Had she fallen for him? Did she care about him? He’d let her down. Broken her heart and pushed her away. He’d nearly let her get killed, too. But hopefully he could make sure that didn’t happen.
He’d put his weapon in the waistband of his jeans, at the small of his back. But he had to be careful when he made the grab for it-had to make sure he had time to fire before crazy Jonathan fired his.
“It was just an act,” he told Jonathan. “It was my cover, pretending to be with her so she’d do what I wanted. So she wouldn’t run again and so I could keep my eye on her. I was never interested in…”
He lurched forward, moving toward him. If he could get close enough, maybe he could get the gun from him without it ever going off.
Jonathan tilted his head and stared up at him as he approached him. But his dark eyes were narrowed with suspicion. “Don’t lie to me. I saw you both. I saw how you looked at her, like she’s some goddess…” he waved the gun in Bonnie’s direction.
David tried to get closer, but he pointed the gun at him then. “Stop!” he yelled at him. “Don’t come any closer to me!”
“Please don’t do this.” said David.” You already hurt someone today. An innocent person…. ”
“Shut up.” Jonathan said. His voice shook as he spoke. “I have nothing left to live for…. You took him”
“And I’m sorry. Look, you don’t really want to do this. You’re not like your brother. If not you’d have hurt us already. You have doubts. Let her go… then you can have me…. I’m the one you want .”
“Please don’t do that….”
It was Bonnie’s voice that spoke out this time and David shot her a glance, trying to silently warn her to stay quiet. The more she talked, the more wound up Jonathan would get. He moved one hand to his back, toward his weapon.
Jonathan turned to him, but it was with a weary sigh. “You must think I’m an idiot….” He said.
“No!” David shouted before he could turn back to Bonnie. He stepped forward-getting closer to him.
Jonathan swung the gun in his direction. As he did, Bonnie screamed and watched as David pulled his gun from the waistband of his jeans. He squeezed the trigger, but Jonathan had fired first.
The shots echoed one another and resonated off the walls of the house.