GARRISON

The sound of the shattering glass was deafening, a high-velocity explosion that rained razor-sharp shards across the dark hardwood floor.

I didn't think. I didn't have time to plan. Instinct…pure, feral, and lethal took over my body. I threw my weight entirely over Roxie, my hands locking behind her head to shield her face as we hit the floor hard.

A large piece of the glass sliced through the shoulder of my shirt, cutting into my skin, but the sting of the blood blooming against the fabric didn't register. All that mattered was the girl pinned beneath me, gasping for air against my chest.

Through the gaping hole in...