Page 132 of Archer

“I’m ready to go now,” I told Webb. “You came for me, right? You want me? Let’s go.”

“Harper!” Archer yelled.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the newel post. “Are you coming?”

Webb straightened and divided his attention between us, a smug look on his battered and bruised face. “First, tell him you want me.” He pointed his knife at Archer. “He needs to know.”

A knot formed in my throat, nearly too big to speak. “We need to hurry,” I croaked. “I called an ambulance for him. They’re coming now.”

Webb snarled and took a hobbled step in my direction. His body wasn’t bloody like Archer’s, but he was barely upright. “Tell him!” he demanded. “Say you’re mine!”

I flinched at his word choice, flooded by memories of my day with Archer and the promises we’d made.

“Tell him. You. Are. Mine!”

Beside him, the Marine stretched to his full height, seeming to double in size.

My mouth opened, but I couldn’t summon the words, not even now.

Archer exploded forward, saving me the trouble. He rammed his body into Webb so hard I heard Webb’s teeth crack against one another above the storm.

My stalker tried to fight, but any advantage he’d had was over now. The breath had been knocked from his lungs, and his face was red with the absence of breath.

He’d demanded the exact wrong thing, and I wasn’t sure he’d live to regret it.

I wasn’t sure I wanted him to.

Back on the ground, Archer straddled my stalker, slamming Webb’s wrist against the ground until the knife skittered away.

“Harper!” Archer called.

I hurried forward and kicked the weapon down the hallway as he delivered another blow.

“Archer! Take this!” I pulled the gun from my waistband and extended it to him. “Here!”

BANG!

Chapter 45

Harper

The front door crashed open and slammed against the wall, thrown in equal force by the wind and Knox’s hand. The collision caused an earsplitting sound, and then the team raced inside.

Knox, Colton, and Nash filed in at full speed, each soaked to their cores and ready for battle.

In the distance, emergency sirens wailed.

It took a moment for my heart to put the sights and sounds together.

I hadn’t heard a gunshot. I’d heard the banging door.

More importantly, help had arrived.

Archer rose with a slight sway and moved unevenly in my direction.

Nash replaced him at Webb’s side and pulled his hands behind his back with cuffs.

Knox and Colton moved in on Archer, assessing his injuries and asking for details.