People scream and run as gunfire erupts.
The entire place becomes a war zone in a matter of seconds, and I duck low against the ground and cover my ears with my hands.
Jaco can see the reality of the situation, though.
He has six guards with him.
Simon has about fourteen.
He doesn’t stand a chance.
“Sand down!” Simon shouts to Jaco’s men. “Stand down! You are all outnumbered!”
Decision flickers over Jaco’s face, and he spins on his heel and sprints for the door. He shoves people out of his way as the men continue to stand their ground, fighting for him, to their death.
The battle is brutal but short.
I watch as the last guard slumps lifeless to the ground. They could have stopped! They could have surrounded! I whimper and turn my face away from the sight of his lifeless, hollow eyes.
Simon’s hands wrap around me as he pulls me to my feet and into his arms.
“It’s over,” he whispers, holding me tightly. “It’s over now. Everything is over.”
I nuzzle against him, hiding my face in his jacket, taking deep and steady breaths.
“Please take me home,” I whisper.
He looks down at me and gently touches my cheek.
“I will, my love. You were so brave tonight. Without you, we would never have managed to get the truth out of him. You have no idea how proud of you I am,” he says, his gorgeous face staring down at me with intensity that sets my heart on fire. I reach up and grab his face in my hands, pulling him down to kiss me.
Everything is going to be okay now! It’s really over. It’s really done.
Simon turns to Luke and cocks his head to the side. “You will have this cleaned up?” he asks.
“Yes, this is our mess. Our family. We will deal with this. You and your men should get out of here before the police arrive.”
“I’ll see you around, Luke,” Simon says, taking my hand to pull me away.
“Simon,” Luke calls his name. Simon turns to look at him again.
“Thank you. And my family extends a sincere apology to yours,” he says sincerely.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Perhaps, in the future, we can meet and discuss overcoming all of this?”
“My brothers and I would be happy to do so,” he nods. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am taking my wife home.”
Luke nods and steps back. Simon pulls me toward the door, wrapping his arm around me as we head outside to his car.