Bella aimed Alex’s gun squarely at Hanson. “I want him dead.”
Carter grinned. “This your wife?”
I positioned myself between her and David, the gun now aimed at my chest. “No, Bella. We’re cool. We don’t need to do this.”
Carter backed up and stepped out of the line of fire. I knew he was moving to a spot where he could take out Bella if he needed to. I glanced at him and shook my head.
“We don’t.” She held the gun steady. “I do.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Don’t tell me what I need, Noah,” she said. She sidestepped me, bringing David back into her sight. Her arms shook as she re-leveled the gun. “Don’t tell me what I need. You aren’t the one he’s after. Knowing he can come after me whenever he wants. Knowing he can take my son whenever he wants. That he can fuck up my life in about a million other ways. You don’t have to live with any of that. I do.” Her eyes narrowed. “But not if he’s dead.”
“It’ll make things worse,” I said.
“Not for me it won’t,” she said. “Can’t get any worse. He took my son. And he’ll do it again.”
“No, he won’t,” I said. I stepped toward her, my arm outstretched. “It’s taken care of.”
“Noah, I’ll shoot you if you don’t move,” she said. “I don’t want to, but I will.”
I could see Carter shift his gun in his hands. I glanced at him again, but he was focused on her. He didn’t lower the gun and I knew he’d pull the trigger before she ever got a shot off.
I inclined my head toward the kitchen. She followed my gaze. Alex stood there, just in view, Jackson right next to him, licking a Popsicle. “Look. He’s okay. Alex has him. We can get out of here.”
Her focus shifted and her eyes softened. The nose of the gun dipped slightly.
Jackson looked at us then. His eyes brightened and he dropped the Popsicle to the floor. “Mommy!”
He took off running for her before Alex could grab him.
Jackson was halfway across the room when Hanson launched himself off the couch, grabbing him around the ankles and tripping him up.
Before I could move, Alex was on top of him, ripping him off Jackson, his forearm flat across Hanson’s throat. Jackson scrambled to his feet and sprinted to Bella, crying and sobbing.
Bella dropped the gun and went down to her knees to scoop him up. She was crying, too.
Alex rolled Hanson over, his arm still locked around Hanson’s neck. Hanson kicked and grunted, but Alex used his weight to keep him down on the ground, beneath him.
Carter was next to me, holding the gun Bella dropped. “Pull him off?”
“Not sure we can,” I said.
“He’s gonna choke him out. For good.”
“I know.” I hesitated. “Don’t, Alex.”
Alex didn’t move and Hanson’s flailing slowed.
“Liz would shoot you, Alex,” I said. “You know she would.”
The only sound in the room was Jax sobbing on Bella’s shoulder.
“Alex,” I said. “Don’t. Don’t disappoint her like I did.”
Alex’s shoulder muscles flinched and his body slid to the side of Hanson’s. He brought his arm around from Hanson’s throat, his chest heaving, sweat covering his red face. He pushed himself to his feet, glanced at me and went over to Bella.
“Is he okay?” he whispered.
Bella nodded, still hugging Jax.
Hanson stirred on the floor. He was still alive.
“Get them outside,” I said to Carter. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Carter said something quietly to Bella, something I couldn’t hear. She stood, picked Jackson up and the four of them disappeared out the front door.
Hanson turned over on his back, his chest heaving.
I bent down next to him. His eyes rolled in my direction.
“There are now three of us willing to kill you,” I said. “You better hope you never see any of us ever again.”
I walked out of the house. His ragged breaths echoing against the marble were the last thing I heard.