The Last Detail by Melissa Schroeder

he noticed Sam’s chest move. He let loose a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
    He slipped back and faced Lou. Her eyes told him how she felt. Anyone would look at her and think nothing was bothering her. But he could see by the way her brows knitted above her eyes that she was worried.
    He leaned close, pressing his lips against one of her ears. “The woman is with Dennis. Sam is on the floor, out cold but he’s breathing.”
    He heard the catch in her breath and he felt it in his soul. While he had been pissed about finding her with Sam, and at first didn’t like the idea of sharing her, Jared knew now that it was the three of them together that made them whole. She might not understand it, and maybe Sam wasn’t too sure, but Jared knew. Only one time with all three of them in bed and it had been clear to him. They were meant to all be together.
    “We need to take her out first. She’s the dangerous one.”
    Lou nodded, but he could feel the tension coil inside of her. Lou was a first-rate agent, and he trusted her with his life. Still, she was not in a good place. Hell, neither of them were. To save Sam one of them would need to keep their head fastened on straight even if they had to fight back burning rage to do it.
    “I’ll take the lead.”
    She stiffened and he could feel defiance rise in her.
    “I will be the first through the door.” He ground out every word to let her know that he wasn’t kidding.
    She sighed, then nodded.
    They both turned when a laser went off in the office.
    “You fucking bitch.”
    They rushed to the door, Lou for once letting him take the lead. Dennis and the woman were facing off over the desk. Dennis’s suit was singed from the laser hit and there was a splatter of blood seeping from beneath the fabric. His gaze darted around the room as if seeking out help. They might both be armed, but he was at a definite disadvantage.
    Dennis noticed them. “What the fuck?”
    Apparently, his partner wasn’t buying it. “I won’t fall for that shit, Dennis.”
    His attention on them, he wasn’t paying attention to the woman bent on killing him. She shot off her laser gun, slamming him in the chest. He screamed, the force of the blast throwing him back against the wall. Both he and Lou were rushing the woman as she turned around. Right before Jared reached her, Sam rose up in front of her, clipping her against the jaw. She stumbled back, falling onto the floor, and her weapon went off, the shot glancing off Sam’s shoulder. He fell again, and blood started pouring from the wound.
    “Sam,” Lou yelled, ignoring the danger of the situation.
    Jared wasn’t though. The female agent rose up a bit, but he took his booted foot and pressed it down on her wrist, causing her to drop her weapon. He kicked it away, then grabbed her by the injured wrist. After securing her in restraints, he hurried over to Sam and Lou.
    “He’s breathing,” Lou said, her voice trembling. “Just barely.”
    Sirens started to ring as boots sounded down the hall. The first face Jared saw was the chief of security for Zenich, Martin Smith. When they discovered that Sam had left, Jared had briefed Smith and forwarded all the info about Dennis. Smith rushed through the door and then came to an abrupt stop. He held up his hands.
    “Hold up. Get those medics here now,” Smith ordered as he walked over to them. “We have it all on the record but were a few kilometers away or we would have been here sooner to stop it.”
    Lou looked up at Jared, her eyes narrowing. “You will explain.”
    He sighed. “Of course.”
    She looked back down at Sam as Jared squatted beside the two of them. He noticed her hand trembling as she pressed a cloth to Sam’s wound. He slipped his hand over hers as she lifted her face to him. The tears in her eyes scared him more than anything.
    “He’ll be okay.”
    “You promise?”
    “Yes.” He said it with more confidence than he had, but when he saw her breathe a sigh of