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“I’m glad you did.” She moved her suitcase aside and straddled him. “I’m so excited to be Leah Bennett.”
After a little engaged couple fun and like a bazillion kisses, she zipped up her suitcase and picked it up. “I’ll see you in a few days, fiancé. I love you.”
Her parents were taking her to the airport since they had an appointment near there that morning anyway. Of course Chase had offered, but she knew he had an early shift at the fire station. She didn’t want to stop her hero from being where he was needed. He had lives to save, cities to protect. Sigh. She couldn’t wait to be his wife.
Despite her engagement excitement, the conference had been amazing and though she’d missed Chase and her family, the time had flown by. She’d met so many interesting people with open minds, and the discussions she’d had about education had fueled her. She had big plans to return to school after summer vacation and change children’s lives.
Her flight home had been on time, but when she’d gotten off the plane, police littered the airport, funneling people away from baggage claim and passenger pickup areas. Her heart beat faster when she overheard words likeactiveandshooter.She knew those words from the many drills they’d had at school in case of such a situation. She always hated those drills. They poked holes in the safe bubble she liked to believe she lived in.
Clutching her laptop bag straps tightly, she followed the directions the police officers were shouting and huddled, shoulder-to-shoulder, with the other passengers.
“Shouldn’t we be evacuating,” a nearby traveler asked an officer.
“Sir, the shooter is outside currently. It’s been determined you are safer inside the airport at this time.”
The shooter was outside? Where her parents were waiting for her? She looked down at her phone where the text to her parents to come pick her up was still on the screen. Maybe they didn’t leave right away when she’d texted them. Perhaps they were stuck in traffic and not even here yet. She should have just taken a cab, but again, her parents had offered to pick her up and she knew they sometimes got bored with their retired schedules. Picking her up was something to do.
She called Chase then her sister, Lauren, but neither of them answered. She knew they were both at work, but usually they took her calls. Her fingers shook as she tapped Carter’s number and listened to one ring, two, three.
“Leah? Are you okay?” His voice had this frantic edge to it.
“Yeah. You heard what’s going on at the airport?”
“It’s on the news.”
“My parents are on their way to get me and—”
“Not just your parents, Leah,” Carter interrupted. “Chase and Lauren went with them. They’re planning a surprise engagement dinner for you. I’m supposed to come too. I was about to leave the house, but when I went to shut off the TV, the story was breaking news. I’ve tried calling Chase, but he’s not answering.”
Leah’s stomach did a sick roll. “You mean they’re all together? In one car? Heading here?” Into danger? To get her? She couldn’t stop her hands from trembling.
“I have this awful feeling they’re already there, Leah,” Carter said. “Why else wouldn’t Chase answer his phone?”
Another plane must have unloaded because police officers ushered a new group of people over to where Leah and the passengers she’d flown with waited.
“Divert the rest of the flights,” one officer who looked to be in charge said into his phone. “Stop all traffic in, planes, cars, buses, whatever. Shut this place down.”
“Look, I’m on my way,” Carter said, drawing Leah’s attention back to him.
“No. They’re not letting anyone in. There’s no point.” She would have liked him to be able to come. Talking to him was keeping her panic at bay. Barely. “Keep trying to call Chase. If I learn anything here, I’ll call you.”
They hung up and Leah moved to the edge of the assembled crowd to get a better look at what was going on. The police had corralled them away from the street so she couldn’t see the passenger pickup area. She had no way of knowing if her family—her entire family it turned out—was out there or not.
As she’d worked up the nerve to ask a police officer about what was going on, gunshots echoed, followed by shattering glass and screams.
So many screams.
Her group was herded into a tighter formation and pushed back toward the center of the airport. Everyone around her looked gray, their arms squeezing their loved ones who had traveled with them, holding close those who meant the most to them in the world.
Except for Leah.
She’d traveled on her own. She’d played at grown-up and now she had no one to comfort her in this disaster. She was alone and her family was potentially in the center of the trouble.
More gunshots sounded, shouts from police, more screams. Leah wasn’t sure what was worse—not being able to see what was going on or the pictures her mind conjured up. Surely with that many shots fired…
She clamped her eyes shut, willing herself to wake up from what had to be a nightmare. When she opened her eyes again, she’d find herself in her comfortable hotel bed in D.C. She’d just had too much sugar before bedtime and now her mind was toying with her, burning off the rush in the form of horrific dreams.
Unfortunately, when she did open her eyes, the chaotic scene before her remained. Police now formed a barrier around the assembled passengers, each officer carrying a big shield, their thick bullet-proof vests bulky… and scary.
