Chapter FORTY-THREE

JOSEF

“NOOOOOOOO!”

The roar left my body the second I saw what she was about to do.

I had no time.

I raised my own gun, unloading it into that motherfucker’s body while shoving my beautiful wife down onto the ground and twisting us both so that I was covering her with my bulk.

Pain ripped through my side.

I didn’t know if it was a clean hit. But I prayed I’d caught his retaliating rounds, and that my sweet Meredith was safe.

As long as she was whole, I didn’t care what he did to me.

My team entered behind me. They had Franklin covered, but I didn’t ease off my wife, I didn’t drop the still smoking pistol onto the floor, until they gave the all clear.

Then I was all over her. Turning her over and checking her for harm.

“Meredith! Baby!”

I frantically ran my hands over her body, searching for blood, wounds, anything.

Her eyes slowly opened, the green irises so damn beautiful I couldn’t breathe for looking at them.