Chapter 2

I smiled at Dallas, reminding him that mission accomplished, all we had to do was enjoy the party until the guests left empty handed.

There wasn't enough for the feds to bust them yet but they were getting closer. After tonight, our part in it was over. If we were lucky we wouldn't have to read about how it all went down on the internet.

He just looked at me.

"What took you so long?"

I smiled back at him, trying to ignore that my body still simmered where Buck had touched it. I certainly wouldn't tell him about how the charge that swept through me left me feeling aroused. God, I hated that about myself. Buck was obviously a jerk and he acted like a jerk yet a part of me ... had felt almost turned on by how he controlled me back in the hallway. He could have done anything he wanted to me there and he let me know it.

He hinted at rape but I knew he couldn't possibly be serious. Someone who did things like that wouldn't talk about them so casually. It had just been his way of unfairly labeling me as a tease. Not fair at all, I'd never lead a man on to believe I'd want something when I didn't.

Dallas let the kiss in the hallway stand between us but then it hadn't meant anything to him. I felt frustrated by that and the sensations that lanced through me, sharp and so intense ... watching him go look for his father, Brandon to hand off the disk. I had to push away what I wanted from him and focus on trying to have some fun now that the job was done.

I decided to get myself another Vodka to kill time and that's when all Hell broke loose.

I heard the shouting first, then the running footsteps down the hallway. Some more shouting and then gunshots.

Then people started screaming and running out the door until four men toting guns cut them off leaving a small group of us unable to escape. Fear cut right through me, when I heard the shots and I fought to keep myself from panicking.

Then men started yelling orders at those who were left to go into the ballroom and they started sealing off the exits. I looked around frantically, willing myself to be calm for Dallas and Brandon. A man dragged Carlton and when he struggled, they aimed a gun to shoot him.

Brandon blocked Carlton and a bullet hit him. He grabbed his shoulder before he dropped on the floor. That's when the rest of us stopped moving. We all just watched as two of the men sealed off any exit from the ballroom and the three ordered the remaining guests, about five of us to sit on the chaises and chairs on the lounge area in the back area.

Buck stepped forward tucking his own gun away. I just stared at him in shock before I joined Dallas in tending to his wounded father.

"Is he bleeding a lot?"

Dallas sighed, his face etched with worry.

"It's a shoulder wound," he said, "Bullet's still inside him and I need something to apply pressure."

I went to get some napkins or towels but Buck stopped me. He gestured to another guest to go fetch them from the bar.

"You stay right here where I can keep an eye on you," he said, "Now that we got ourselves a bunch of hostages ... I'm ready to deal with the feds."

Carlton spat at him.

"They won't deal with bottom feeding scum like you," he said, "Who are you anyway?"

Buck stared at him.

"We want to get out of here alive," he said, "but first things first, you know what we want."

I knew right away he meant the disk. Carlton of course being an arrogant prick played dumb.

"What do you mean? What do you want?"

Buck glanced at me, intensity in a flash.

"A few things ... but one of them is the disk in your possession."

Carlton continued to act stupid.

"I don't know what you're talking about... '

Buck pulled his gun out again and aimed it straight at him.

"You keep acting like an ass, my aim will get better and you'll run out of saviors."

That shut Carlton up.

"Give me the disk and you'll be off my list," Buck said, "Course you're not the only one here on it."

I looked at Dallas but he looked confused like I did. Our handlers had told us that anyone who showed up uninvited to the party would be after the disk. Course they never told us there'd be guns involved either.

Dallas stood up looking Buck in the eye.

"What else do you want?"

Buck stared back at him.

"I owe your daddy here for what he did to my daddy years ago," Buck said, "Cheated him, left him broken ... even fucked his wife ... now it's his turn to pay me back since my dad is dead."

I widened my eyes. I had no idea what he was taking about ... the picture he painted of Brandon just didn't fit. Dallas looked just as shocked.

"How in the hell can you talk shit about my daddy?"

Buck put his gun away.

"It's the truth. He's a no good cheating thief ... and if my aim had been a little to the left he'd be dead right now."

"He might still die if he doesn't get to a doctor."

"That's your problem not mine," he said, "I don't want him dead. I don't want you dead either. I want something else. Something the both of you love ... someone you'd both die to protect."

Both Brandon and Dallas looked at me and gave themselves away. I felt fear rush through me then ... did that mean he'd kill me instead?

I braced myself for him to pull out his gun and shoot me dead. God, I didn't want to die ... not when I'd just started living my life. Icy cold flooded my veins and my body shivered, my heart beating hard against my chest.

Dallas tried to plead for my life thinking that was what Buck wanted.

"Kill me instead ... don't kill her," he said, "She's got nothing to do with what you think my daddy did."