“Down, Emma,” Drake yelled, whirling around to face the new threat.

She dropped and the hand stretching for her missed. Drake was already reaching out, snagging the driver and ripping him off the bike with one hand, spinning him around, using his cat’s strength and shoving the knife he’d pulled deep. Blood sprayed across the ground, including across Emma. He drew his gun, his body crouched over hers, one arm out to cover as much of her as he could as he took aim at the driver of the Mini Cooper. The driver spun the small car in a tight circle, right into the crowd. Drake squeezed the trigger and the windshield spiderwebbed. The Mini Cooper fishtailed down the street, bumped onto a sidewalk and over the grass before coming to a halt.

Chaos erupted around them, people screaming and running, but the team performed as one unit, Joshua drawing and firing, taking out the first driver as their own Cadillac screeched to a halt, blocking the intersection. Evan yanked open the door and Drake all but threw Emma inside, jumping in after her while Evan took the front seat and Sean hobbled to the driver’s-side back seat. They drove off fast, leaving Joshua to deal with the police.

Drake called the incident in, explaining to the dispatcher and then informing Jake they were coming in fast.

“Are you all right, Emma?” Drake asked, his voice gentle.

She nodded her head, but there were tears in her eyes and she refused to look at him. “I don’t understand what happened.” She was shaking, and when he touched her, she jerked away from him. She didn’t know if she wanted to go home anymore. What had been safe and comforting for so long now seemed alien. The men who had been her friends, men she admired and cared for, weren’t at all who she’d thought. “What did they want with me?”

“You’re the only Achilles’ heel Jake has. They’ve never found a way to get to him. And now they have the means to destroy him.”

“Did you kill those men back there?”

“Yes,” he answered curtly. “We don’t miss.”

She swallowed hard and looked up at Sean. “Are you all right?”

“A few bruises, nothing to worry about,” he assured.

Emma pulled her knees up to her chin and sat rocking back and forth, holding herself tightly. Drake put a gentle hand on her shoulder a second time. “I know violence can be shocking, Emma, when you aren’t used to it.”

“It’s crazy,” she answered. “This is so crazy and I don’t even understand why.” She lifted her head and looked at Drake, her eyes swimming with tears. “Do you have any idea how crazy this will make him? Jake will lose his mind over this. He will, Drake, you know him. He isn’t going to wrap his arms around me and say he’ll make it all go away.” A sob escaped and she pressed her face against her knees, shaking her head.

“When a man goes his entire life with nothing, Emma, and then he finds a woman who is his entire world, who is everything to him, he’ll do anything to protect her,” Drake said. “Even if you took that ring off, the one you keep pulling off your finger, it wouldn’t make a difference in how he feels about you. They would still be able to get to him through you.”

“I’m not taking off the ring.” She looked up at him, her gaze fierce. “You just don’t let anything happen to him. I know this party is important and he’s going to insist on going and he’ll tell you that I’m to be your first priority, but you don’t let anything happen to him, Drake. He’ll risk everything for me, I know he will. You don’t have to tell me. That doesn’t make any of this easier to live with, but I’m not walking away from him. I love him. Now they’ve made me angry too.” She rubbed her chin on the tops of her knees, her fists clenched, tears still falling. “Don’t you let anything happen to him.”

Jake was waiting, pacing back and forth, as the Cadillac pulled up to the house. “What the fuck happened, Drake?”

“Jake,” Emma interrupted before Drake could answer,

“you’re supposed to put your arms around me and comfort me. That’s what fiancés do when someone tries to kidnap their betrothed. Drake did his job, I’m fine, three men are dead, and in case you’re interested, Sean’s hurt.”

Jake let himself look at her. For one moment time seemed to stop. She was alive. She was safe. Tears streaked her face and there was blood on her. His gaze quickly jumped to Drake.

“Not hers,” Drake confirmed.

Jake’s knees actually felt weak and he could only stand there, trying to stop the roaring in his head and the hammering of his heart. He reached for her, needing to touch her, to feel her warmth and know she was safe. The moment his arms closed around her and he drew her from the seat of the SUV, he felt complete.

“Thank you, Drake.” His voice was gruff with emotion, and he turned away from them, burying his face in the silk of her hair, carrying her into his house. “I’m sorry, Emma. I shouldn’t have put the announcement in the paper.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference, Jake,” Drake said. “At least we know someone’s watching the ranch. How else would they have known we were on the move with her? And they didn’t have a professional crew coming at us. It was amateur hour.”

“The police are on the way,” Jake said tersely. “I’ve got the lawyers waiting. I want your report. Tell them everything and do whatever they say when the police come.” He kissed the top of Emma’s head again. “They’re going to want to talk to you, Emma. You’ll need to talk to the lawyers as well, and don’t answer anything the police ask until the lawyers okay it.”