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“There you are, I kept texting you…” Alex words stop short as he enters the room and takes in the scene.
Alex’s entrance distracts David momentarily, and his eyes dart over and behind me. Taking the opportunity, I shoot the floor just to the right of his feet, my ears immediately ringing. He jerks and steps back, his grip on Em loosening.
Not only is she graceful, but she’s smart as hell and quick witted in a dangerous situation.
Knowing this is her chance, she jerks out of his grip. When his eyes move to follow her, I take a second shot at the floor since she’s still too close for comfort. That time, she instinctively drops and covers herself, leaving her a sitting duck.
My focus splits between the two, instinct telling me to get her the hell out while training tells me to keep my gun aimed on the threat. The momentary distraction allows him to raise his gun, taking aim at me.
Staring down the barrel of a gun isn’t exactly the best-case scenario, but it allows me to draw his focus while Em makes a break for it.
“Em, go!” I scream as I move further into his line of sight to shield her as she bolts.
Time seems to slow down and speed up at the same time. Once Em is behind me, my gun fires a fraction of a second before David’s. He jerks back as his gun goes off, and I feel the burn in my left thigh almost instantly.
His gun had been aimed squarely at my chest. Had I not fired at the exact moment I did, he likely would have seriously injured or even killed me. Thanks to quick thinking, I’m hit, but it’s non-fatal. Well, provided I end this quickly and get medical attention. Most importantly, my shot hit exactly where I planned.
I try desperately to ignore the pain radiating through my leg. My eyes are locked on David’s. His are wide as he leans back over a short shelf behind him, shock painting his features.
His mouth hangs open as his gaze moves down to see the red blooming in the center of his chest. When he looks back up at me lazily, I see the moment the light dims in his eyes. His lids flutter before his body drops to the floor, his gun skittering across the concrete floor.
“SJ,” Alex and Em say in unison.
I keep my gun trained on Miller since I can’t verify he’s dead without a pulse, and walking isn’t exactly an option at the moment.
“I can’t make it over there. Alex, kick his gun farther away from him. Don’t touch him and don’t touch the gun. Em, call 911.”
While I struggle to stand and keep my now trembling hands aiming my gun at Miller now that the adrenaline is no longer surging through my veins, Alex rushes over to kick the gun away from the body. It slides across the room under the couch.
Fine by me. The police can worry about that.
Once he’s out of the way, Alex rushes to my side to help me move to an overstuffed designer armchair a few feet away. It feels strange to lean on him for support after how much distrust I felt toward him, but that’s something I’ll have to unpack later.
Em rushes over with a towel and one of those braided ropes used to tie back expensive curtains. “I don’t know what I’m doing. We need to slow the bleeding, right?” Her words are panicked and rushed, but I still chuckle despite the pain.
Her brows furrow as I shakily reach for my belt. “You’re shot and bleeding, and my best friend is going to fucking kill me if anything happens to you. Why are you laughing?!” She shrieks the last words.
Alex rattles off details to a 911 operator by the door as I take the towel from Em, leaving the rope in her other hand. I fold the towel over twice, flatten it against the bullet hole with a hiss, and then tighten my belt around it.
From my left pocket, I remove a pocketknife before poking another hole in the belt so I can latch it.
“Ambulance and police are on the way,” Alex announces as he makes his way over.
Thank fuck. Drugs are on the way.
Chapter 39
Nora
My hands shake as I pick up my phone because Em’s smiling picture looks back at me. She’s supposed to be in the middle of a show, so her calling makes my heart jump into my throat.
“Em! What’s wrong?”
My scared tone has Liam jumping off the couch and running to my side. His concern radiates from his body, which means he hasn’t heard from SJ either.
“Nora! You need to get to the hospital as soon as possible. SJ’s been shot.” Em’s panicked and garbled speech makes it almost impossible to understand, but my brain picks up on that last sentence just fine, my blood running cold.
“What!?” I shriek. I look at Liam, whose face has gone pale. Clearly, he heard.
