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“I guess so.” I smiled so widely that my cheeks ached with it, and leaned up to kiss Connor, burying my fingers in his soft, blonde hair.
The city’s buildings seemed to glisten, and I could see that the newly risen sun had been covered by a host of clouds. A misting rain filled the empty spaces of the city’s sidewalks and alleys. The few people that were walking hurried with umbrellas across the asphalt and under the awnings. Nora’s windshield wipers slashed back and forth over the window, and I couldn’t wait to be in the warmth and coziness of the fireplace-lit rooms of Harlow’s Coffee. An oat milk latte and a nice book sounded like heaven right now. Customers were a good thing, but maybe the store would stay pretty empty because of the rain and it would just be me and Connor in the golden atmosphere. Nora parked the car and waved at us, begging us to be careful while we were away from her. I wondered where she would go while we were watching the shop. The rain poured down as we ran quickly across the street, ducking under the little awning above the wooden swinging sign as quickly as we possibly could. Connor wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer as we dusted drops of rain from our coats.
There was a loud creak from beside us and I turned quickly. The door was open, slowly widening as the wind pushed the heavy wood. My heart dropped.
Connor put an arm out in front of me, heading in first. He ducked down a little, whispering, “Oliver probably left it open by accident, it’s okay. Just stay behind me just in case.”
Just in case what? I already knew in my mind what Connor wouldn’t say. I remembered telling Oliver that he needed to lock the door when he was cleaning up in the morning and that something that might happen, someone might break-in—
A man with a gun.
“Oliver, no!”
My legs seemed to move in slow motion, and I felt Connor’s arm wrap around me, yanking me back into his chest.
Oliver stood in front of the register with his hands up and his apron dusted with powdered sugar. In front of him, there was a large man wearing a hood and with a gun leveled at my brother's head. The hand that held the gun shook and even while the fireplace burned bright, I couldn’t see the man’s face with his back to me. I caught sight of the book shelves and the leather chairs and the glass case, full of newly baked banana breakfast muffins.
My mind conjured pictures of the coffee shop without my brother. He wouldn't be stocking the shelves with beautiful books, standing behind the counter grinning at everyone who walked in with undeniable happiness, or welcoming me with a steaming cup of coffee.
“Sadie, stay back,” Oliver shook his head, his eyes wild with terror. “Just get out of here.”
“Let him go!” I screeched, trying to pull away from Connor, who held me tight. “We’ll give you anything you want.”
“Don’t, Sadie,” Connor told me in a hushed voice. He sounded angry and terrified. “He has a gun.”
“You…” the man’s voice shuddered as he glanced over his shoulder at us and something in me recognized the voice. He was wearing a ski mask and nothing about him looked familiar from that angle. “You weren’t supposed to be here.”
Connor was shaking beside me and I knew he recognized the voice too. It was the mugger from the train station. How could this be happening? My throat ached as the man looked back and forth between us.
“Just— Just stay back,” the man cried, his hands shaking. “Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot.”
“What do you want?” I asked him, hearing the panic in my voice, and hoping it would help to sway him in some way. “How did you find us here?”
“I was told…” the mugger stopped, lowering his gun a little and nearly choking on his own words as if he knew he had said too much and hoped to take it back. “He said to…“
“You were told?” I asked him desperately, and I felt Connor move me a little behind him. I was just looking at Oliver, holding his gaze and wanting him to know that he was going to be fine, no matter what happened to me.
I heard the door open slowly behind us, creaking, and then footsteps. “What’s—Sadie? Connor?”
“Alex, stay back,” Connor hissed at him, his voice low, and I grabbed our cameraman’s sleeve when he got close to us, holding his camera, and filming the entire interaction.
“I can’t…” the mugger shook his head and raised his gun again, looking between all of us. I saw Oliver’s whole life flash before my eyes and panic flooded my brain. “I have to do it. He said it had to be done.”
