Page 24 of Cross Point

She heard movement coming from the hallway outside of her room and slid silently from the bed, grabbing her Sig Sauer as she did. She pulled a pillow into place where she had been lying minutes before and threw the cover over it so it looked like someone was still sleeping there.

With her weapon trained on the closed door, she moved to the partially opened bathroom door and turned off the light she’d left on, enclosing her in the darkness. Heart thundering in her chest, she fought a vicious battle within herself to contain the fear that tried to immobilize her.

She fucking hated being in the dark.

Someone tried to turn the doorknob but found it was locked. A few seconds later, she heard a soft clicking sound as whoever it was went to work on picking the lock. Her fear of the dark turned to anger that someone would dare try to sneak into her room while she was sleeping.

Obviously, whoever it was had a death wish.

And she was more than willing to grant it.

The lock clicked open and the door opened slowly, admitting a large man dressed completely in black. As the man approached the bed, she saw the moonlight glisten off of a knife he held in his hand. Her anger surged to pure rage when she caught sight of a loaded syringe in his other hand.

The son of a bitch thought he was going to drug her?

Hell fucking no.

Pissed now, Trinity took aim at his knee and pulled the trigger. He fell to the floor with a howl and she reached into the bathroom and flicked the switch back on, flooding the room with light. Scowling down at the man on her floor, she pointed the gun at his stupid head.

“Oh, you think that hurts? Just wait till I put another one in you. Maybe I’ll shoot you in the nuts next. Fucker.”

The door to the bedroom bounced open as Maxwell rushed into the room, his dark-blond hair disheveled from sleep and his muscular body covered only by a pair of dark blue silk pajama pants. His blue eyes narrowed as he took in the injured man lying on the floor, then they went wide with shock as he got a good look at Trinity.

She looked down at herself and swore.

Christ, was everyone going to see her naked?

Maxwell’s jaw tightened as he saw the various scars marring her golden skin and struggled to contain his anger. This woman, this warrior, had led a difficult life, and the map of her experiences was right there for him to see. He felt an unfamiliar wave of tenderness flow through him as he studied her. Those marks did nothing to detract from her beauty, but they made him want to wrap her in his arms and shelter her from anything that would harm her.

Mixed in with the scars were several tattoos he hadn’t seen earlier. She had a wicked tribal design on her outer right thigh that stretched up and wrapped around her hip. As she turned, he also saw a large intricate cross between her shoulder blades. He had never been one to get turned on by ink before, but surprisingly enough, he felt the desire to trace each line on her body with his tongue.

“Well, I guess you were telling the truth about sleeping with a gun next to you,” he said, trying for levity. He slowly walked further into the room and picked up the discarded robe she had left on the upholstered bench at the end of the bed. He held it out to her, trying his very best not to stare at her gorgeous body.

“Thanks,” she muttered as she took the robe and put it on.

“I need help! Call an ambulance!” the man moaned.

Maxwell glanced back at the man bleeding on the floor and his eyes narrowed with fury. He saw the knife on the floor, along with the syringe filled with liquid. This sorry excuse for a human being had snuck in there with the intent to take Trinity or put more scars on her precious body. He swore he would kill the man himself before he gave him a chance to touch her.

Not that she needed the help.

He sighed. “That blood is going to stain the carpet.”

A snort of laughter escaped from Trinity’s lips. “You’re ice, blue eyes. I like a man that has a sense of humor in a situation like this. Sorry, my stunner is in my bag. I’ll try and use that next time.”

He grinned back at her, then sobered as the man on the floor continued to scream and moan. “If you don’t stop screaming, she’s going to shoot you again.”

The man’s eyes widened with terror as his pain-filled gaze tracked back over to Trinity. “Keep that crazy bitch away from me.”

She raised an eyebrow as she stared down at the man. “Max?”

“Yes, love?”

“Do me a favor, go call the police from your bedroom.”

“Trinity…”

Her eyes met his and she sent him a small smile. “Plausible deniability, baby. Take your time. I should be done by the time you get back.”