Page 53 of Everlasting Vows

His eyes snap to me. Along with his gun.

Good.

First mission accomplished. I have his focus, and the civilians no longer have a loaded gun waving around in their direction. I fill my lungs with a deep, calming breath.

It’s showtime.

This motherfucker isn’t going to know what hit him. He’ll wish he’d kept his sorry ass at home by the time I’m done with him.

The young gunman moves closer, his weapon trained on me with a shaky hand. This is even better. He’s moving away from the civilians, making my job much easier. “What the fuck did you just say to me?” he snarls, narrowing his dark eyes at me.

I push my shoulders back, standing tall, and take a step closer. With confidence that can’t be faked, I stare him down. “You heard me.”

He raises his chin and his gun higher, but I don’t miss the shakiness in his hands. “You a fucking pig?”

I take my time to study him, noting the sweat dotting his forehead and the dilation of his pupils, and shake my head adamantly. “Nope. I’m much worse than a cop. I don’t have to follow their protocols.” I step forward again, and at this point, his nerves have him taking a step backward toward the door.

The idiot waves his gun around. The safety’s off and his trembling finger sits heavily against the trigger, making it fucking dangerous every time he moves. “Stop fucking moving, or I’ll fucking shoot you in the head.” He swings his gun toward the deceased victim, then brings it back to me, pointing it at my face. “Maybe I’ll shoot you just for kicks.” He smiles, showing missing and rotten teeth marring his gums.

Spinning quickly, he aims his gun at Mr. B behind the counter. Fuck, he’s erratic. I can’t allow anything to happen to him. He’s a staple in this community, and his wife wouldn’t survive if she lost him. “Give me the fucking money and smokes. Now!” he screams, sending the veins along his neck pulsing. “Or I’ll kill this fucker!”

I quickly scan the store, noting the gym dude lying flat on the floor, his body shaking as if he’s crying. The middle-aged guy ducks behind the snacks, his shaky hands covering his head as he drops to his knees. Everyone’s terrified—to be expected in a situation like this.

Sirens sound in the distance, and I have to assume the gunshot garnered some attention from passersby, or Mrs. B called for help.

“You should leave before the cops get here,” I suggest calmly. Maybe I can get him out of the store and away from everyone before anyone else gets hurt.

He spins around to face me, firing the gun by accident, hitting the snack shelf, and sending candy and chips raining down. The guy who was crouching behind the shelf drops to the floor with a pained shout. More blood pools on the dirty floor, the metallic scent permeating the air.

Fuck fuck!

The young woman screams, and the gym junkie whimpers. Shouts infiltrate the store from the witnesses on the street outside, adding to the mayhem. The sirens grow louder, and the gunman grows more agitated.

I block it all out and plan what needs to happen over the next few moments. I visualize taking this motherfucker to the ground in the safest, most efficient way possible, ensuring nobody else gets injured.

“I’ll give you the money and cigarettes. Just put the damn gun down. Nobody else needs to get hurt,” Mr. B shouts over the chaos, drawing attention back to him.

“You should have fucking done it already!” he screams, growing more unhinged by the minute. “If you’d given me what I asked for, I’d already be gone.” He waves his arm out toward the street. “Now I’ve got fucking cops everywhere. I should just shoot everyone for fucking me around!”

I take another controlled step forward while he’s focused on Mr. B, bringing me within a few feet of him. From this distance, I can easily jump him, but there’s no guarantee he won’t fire again, and this time he may take out my old friend. I need to do this as cleanly as possible without anyone else getting killed or injured.

I assess him. Inch by inch, I take in every part of the gunman, from the wild look in his eyes, the sweat trailing down the side of his face. The way his body twitches, and the way he can’t seem to keep his feet still or his focus stable. The tight tone of his voice and the tremor in his hand. I monitor every blink, every breath in and out … the way his body moves with each inhale and exhale.

Keeping my eyes locked on the perpetrator, I blow out a long, slow breath, relaxing my posture while my muscles coil tight beneath my flesh. With several inches on him as well as several pounds of carefully honed muscle; he won’t be difficult to take down. Every necessary intake of oxygen into my lungs helps to narrow my focus.

His trigger finger twitches, and I move.

Lightning fast, I lunge forward, grip the hand holding the gun, and point it toward the ceiling before the gunman even realizes I’ve moved from my position. A shot is fired, sending chunks of the ceiling and dust raining down on us. As the gunman shakes the material from his head, I drag his arm back down and twist his hand to the side, moving my body out of the firing line. As I gain control of the gun, I continue twisting his hand behind his back at an impossible angle until I hear the unmistakable snap of bones and his hand becomes useless. He screams. Simultaneously, I kick his legs out from underneath him and push his body toward the filthy linoleum floor until he’s prone. I shove my knee heavily between his scrawny shoulder blades, trap both of his hands in one of mine, and point his gun at the back of his head.

He screams again and I smirk. Take that asshole.

Not gonna lie, it’s the best kind of high to take down an asshole like this one. He wants to play a big game; he should be more prepared. I glance up and around, raking my eyes over everyone. “Everyone okay?”

Their bewildered gazes flick between me and the screaming perpetrator trapped beneath me as they answer with jerky nods. I scan their faces, observing the sheer terror straining their features.

I call to the back of the store. “Are you okay back there near the fridges?”

A loud keening sob fills the store from that direction, and I wish I could go to the young woman to reassure her that she’s safe now, but I need to keep hold of the asshole until the police can deal with him.