Indecency: A Bad Boy Romance

by Penelope Marshall

  "And I'm the muthafuckin' exterminator," Jackson growled.

  "Shit, remind me never to piss you off," I said, handing him an extra magazine for his gun.

  After snapping in the new magazine, he said, "Reminder…don't piss me off."

  He pointed the gun straight at my head, my eyes widened, and my heart fell into my stomach an instant before he fired. The bullet whizzed right passed my ear, hitting flesh and bone behind me.

  I spun around just in time to see another man fall to the ground not two feet from me, holding a hunter's knife.

  "Son-of-a-bitch," I said in awe.

  "Looks like the old man's still got it, huh?" Jackson asked, scanning the area with his gun.

  "Stop it!" the sound of Celeste's voice carried from the back of the warehouse.

  Jackson locked eyes with me. "Ready?" he asked.

  "As I'll ever be," I said, pulling out a second gun from my holster, pointing it directly toward the origin of the scream.

  Jackson started out in full sprint, his gun just as steady as if he were standing still.

  This muthafucker is an animal.

  CELESTE

  "I know you hear all that gunfire out there?" he asked. "That's your boy getting' his ass handed to him."

  I knew he was wrong. There's no way Ryker's men were a match for Hunter and his training.

  Ryker pulled out a gun from the back of his waistband, and slid out the magazine to check the bullet count. Suddenly, the door flew open, with Hunter and Jackson rushing in from outside.

  I knew he would save me.

  Startled, Ryker wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me up to my feet, choking me along the way.

  "Let her go, Ryker," Hunter yelled with his gun pointed straight at our heads.

  "You mean like you let my brother go?" Ryker yelled in my ear.

  "Your brother was an asshole, doesn't mean you have to be," Jackson replied calmly.

  "I think we're a little too late for all that, old man," Ryker said, pressing the muzzle of his gun to my temple.

  "Old man?" Jackson echoed as he stepped forward, cocking his gun.

  Hunter stepped ahead of him. "I got this, boss," Hunter said to Jackson.

  "You ain't got shit," Ryker yelled, pushing the muzzle hard into my temple, the force causing me to squeal in pain.

  "I'm gonna give you one chance to let her go. After that I can't promise you're walking out of here with all your body parts intact," Hunter warned.

  "Shoot me and I shoot her. You choose," Ryker said.

  "From where I'm standing I have a clear shot of your medulla oblongata which would render you paralyzed from the neck down. Coupled with the fact I got this gun loaded with hollow points, it's not lookin' like a good day for you, sir," Hunter explained.

  "You ain't—" Ryker said right as a bullet zipped by my cheek.

  Instantly his grip loosened from my neck, and a split second later he fell to the ground…dead.

  I ran to Hunter, throwing my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. Safe couldn't even begin to explain how I felt at that moment.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, as Jackson walked by us.

  I looked up into his soulful eyes. "I love you," I said, pushing up on my toes to press my lips to his.

  "I love you too, baby," he whispered.

  "Pretty good shot," Jackson said, holding the phone to his ear, pushing Ryker's head to the side with his boot. "I could've done it without the warning though."

  Hunter smiled and shook his head. "This guy...nothing's ever good enough."

  "Riley," Jackson said into the phone. "I need a cleanup."