The officer says something to his partner, then turns and walks out of the store, heading straight toward the passenger side of the vehicle.
Toward Beau.
Cold spreads through my chest.
Beau sees it at the same time I do. He exhales once and opens his door, stepping out before the officer can reach him.
The cop slows as he approaches, his hand already hovering near his holster.
“Is there a problem, officer?” Beau asks, posture relaxed.
The officer’s eyes flick between Beau and the interior of the car, trying to get a better angle on me through the glass.
“You got ID?” the officer asks.
Beau smiles, calm and faintly amused. “I’m giving you a chance to walk away.”
The officer’s hand shifts closer to his weapon.
Beau tilts his head slightly. “Think real hard before you go for that gun.”
For half a second, the officer hesitates.
Then his hand drops.
Beau moves first.
The suppressed shot cracks through the night. The officer jerks as the round hits him in the center of his chest. Shock flashes across his face before his knees give out and he drops hard onto the concrete.
Everything snaps into motion.
The second cop shoves through the door of the store, sees his partner go down, and immediately turns to shoot.
Beau pivots and fires.
One clean shot.
The second officer collapses mid-stride, his body hitting the pavement a few feet from the entrance.
Silence slams over the lot.
Beau moves immediately. He crouches beside the officer, reaches down, and rips the handcuffs from the man’s belt in one clean motion.
Then he stands and walks straight into the store.
Inside, the cashier lets out a broken sound and drops behind the counter, hands over his head, shaking so badly the register drawer rattles.
“Please don’t kill me.”
“I don’t want to kill you,” Beau says calmly. “Which is fortunate for you.”
He raises his weapon and shoots out every security camera in the store, one by one. Glass shatters and scatters across the tile.
“Are you going to play hero?” Beau asks.
The cashier shakes his head violently. “No. I’m not going to do anything.”
“Good.”
