Page 77 of Jacques

She pushed his arm higher and leaned over him. “Not so powerful now, are you?”

People backed away, giving them room.

Danny could see Jacques break free of the crush. Not three feet away from him stood a man in a dark jacket and gray baseball cap.

She knew that face.

“Mercer!” she cried out as the man reached into his jacket, pulled out a gun and aimed at her. She couldn’t move or she’d lose her grip on Jeffries.

Jacques exploded from his position, slamming into Mercer’s side. He drove the hand holding the weapon up and away from Danny, carrying Mercer backward and over a low ottoman.

Mercer swung his fist, catching Jacques in the side of his head.

Jacques refused to let go of the hand with the gun. They rolled across the floor. Jacques banged Mercer’s hand against the tile until he let go, and the gun slid across the floor and beneath a sofa.

Anton appeared, caught Mercer’s other arm, twisted it behind his back and pushed his face into the floor. “Got him.”

A police officer dropped down beside Mercer and secured his wrists with a zip tie.

Danny breathed a relieved sigh.

Jeffries growled beneath her. “I warned you what would happen if you told.”

“You don’t get to threaten me anymore,” Danny said, digging her knee deeper into his back.

“I’m a colonel promotable in the US Army,” he said.

“You won’t be for long. I don’t think they promote rapists.”

“Ma’am,” a police officer knelt beside her. “I’ll take him from here.”

She didn’t move from her position until the officer had Jeffries zip-tied.

Jacques appeared and held out his hand. She took it and let him pull her to her feet.

Jeffries' face was florid red. “Officer, you’re making a big mistake. This woman attacked me. I want to press charges.”

The officer shook his head. “Your buddy over there,” he tipped his head to where another officer held Mercer’s arm, “says you hired him to shoot this woman. The way I look at it, you’re the one who made the mistake.”

“He’s lying,” Jeffries said. “I’ve never seen that man in my life.”

“We can sort it all out at the station.” The officers led Jeffries and Mercer away.

Jacques turned to Danny. “Are you all right?”

“Never better.” Her eyes widened as she looked at his face. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s just a scratch.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” she said and started forward.

He held her back and pointed to her knee, where a dark patch spread through the denim. “Don’t like your knees much, do you?”

“Well, damn, I tore a hole in them. And I liked this pair of jeans.”

Remy appeared. “Come on, let’s get you two out of here.” He led them through the throng of people still leaving the building.

Detective Collins met them at the exit. Beau and Caleb stood behind him.