Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) novel Chapter 1165

Aspen's face burned crimson as she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. Damn it—her habit of going braless after showers had become second nature, and Andrew had seen her in this state.

Humiliated, she spat, "Fine! Since my kindness is wasted on you, I'm going to bed!"

She turned to stomp upstairs in a huff. However, Andrew suddenly sprang from his chair and tackled her to the ground. His arm locked around her slender waist as they rolled across the floor.

Aspen's shock quickly turned to fury, wondering what the hell this bastard was doing.

Was he actually trying to take advantage of her in the dark?

She silently cursed herself for being dumb and wandered around practically naked in front of this pervert. She was basically giving him a chance to pounce at her.

Just as she began struggling in earnest, Andrew's growl cut through the night. "Stop moving unless you want to die!"

The next moment, a hail of gunfire erupted, muzzle flashes lighting up the darkness as bullets shredded through Serenity Villa's entrance. Andrew shielded Aspen behind the couch as the once-elegant furnishings exploded into splinters under the barrage.

The ambush sent Natasha and others scrambling for cover from their hidden positions. Some of their men were not fast enough, and their agonized screams pierced through the gunfire.

Aspen's face paled as the relentless gunfire echoed through the villa. She gasped in disbelief, "That's a heavy machine gun! How could banned military-grade weapons appear so easily in our country?"

Andrew's expression turned icy as he replied, "It's possible that these aren't Holtrien's assassins. This kind of indiscriminate firepower reeks of foreign mercenary tactics."