30 Seconds

by Chrys Fey

  With her shoulders hunched over her plate and her temple resting on her fist, she imagined punching Blake the moment she saw him.

  The candle closest to her sputtered and died. With a sigh, she bent over, released her screaming feet from the killer heels, and chucked them, one at a time, across the room. Getting up slowly, she looked down at the deep wrinkles in her silk dress. She clenched her teeth as she grabbed the plate with the steaks on them and walked into the kitchen, turning on all the lights as she went.

  In the kitchen, she dumped the untouched steaks in the trashcan. On her way back to the dining room, she snatched her jacket off the couch and tugged it on over her dress, hiding the long string of pearls. She continued to the dining room, her bare feet padding on the cold tile. When she picked up the cobbler, wanting to spoon it into the garbage disposal, all the lights went out and the music died.

  She looked about blindly. The last time she had looked at the clock, it was just after ten p.m. and the moon was behind a thick layer of snow clouds. She set the cobbler back on the table and made her way across the room using her hands and feet to guide her. After a moment, she found the entrance to the dining room and moved along the wall, searching for the gun Blake always left for her. Her body bumped into the stand and her hands snatched up the gun.

  A bang sounded behind her. She spun about, pointing the gun at the front door. Her heart beat against her breast as though it were a punching bag.

  What’s happening? Why is the electricity off and what was that noise? She held her breath in her lungs when she heard the sound of a shotgun being pumped on the other side of the door. She backed away. She knew what a shotgun could do to someone’s body; she had seen it many times in the E.R. But, if she had to run, she knew she wouldn’t get far. She was bare foot, in a long dress, and couldn’t see a damned thing. Her one hope was the gun growing hot in her sweaty grip. If the door opened, she wouldn’t run. She would shoot!

  She took another step and backed into a solid body. A firm hand clamped over her mouth before she could scream, and a strong arm held her still.

  “Don’t fight,” Blake told her. “The Mob cut the power line. They’re outside planning on ambushing the house. My men are in the woods, waiting to ambush them.”

  She put her hand on his wrist and pulled it from her mouth. “What if they know your men are in the woods,” she whispered, “and they have their own men in the woods ready to ambush yours?”

  “We have plenty of back up.” His words conjured a picture of a blood bath in Dani’s mind as he took her hand and pulled her toward the back door. “I need to get you out of here now.”

  Right at that moment, the sliding glass door exploded. Blake shoved her to the floor and covered her with his body. Glass shards showered over them, but Blake didn’t waste any time. He jumped to his feet, lifted her over the glass, and rushed her up the stairs where he yanked the attic door open.

  She turned to him. He was in all black. Even his forehead, cheeks, and nose were black. He had on green goggles to see in the dark, and weapons up and down his body.

  “Go up to the attic and hide,” he told her. “Stay there until I come and get you.”

  She didn’t budge.

  “What are you waiting for? Go!” She turned to climb up but he forced her around, pulled her close, and kissed her hard. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

  “You won’t lose me,” she promised.

  Their lips collided. It scared her to think this could be the last time they’d kiss, and she hated it felt that way. She let go of Blake, crawled up to the attic, and looked at him over the edge. “Don’t you dare get shot.”

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “Yes, ma’am.” He picked up the ladder. “I’ll be back for you.” Dani nodded and he shut the attic door, casting her into darkness. While she waited for her eyes to adjust, she listened to the gun battle outside. She didn’t want to be up there when a war was going on between police officers and mobsters, especially since one of those cops was her man.

  She balanced herself on the wooden beams and inched her way to the back of the attic to a little window. She peered out the dusty glass at the sparks below.

  Please, don’t let any of those bullets hit Blake, she prayed. Please, don’t take him away from me. Please—

  The sound of the front door being broken down paralyzed her prayers. Her heart shot up to her throat when she heard heavy boots stomp up the stairs to the second floor.

  “I know you’re in here, Dani!” Her breath hitched. “And I know your boyfriend is one of those filthy pigs out there.” Dani’s heart sank like the Titanic. “When I find you, I’ll find him.”

  A loud crash collided against her eardrums. Red and his minnows were ransacking the place while they searched for her. It wouldn’t be long before they got smart and headed up to the attic. She lifted up sheets of insulation. Carefully, she braced her hands on the beams and stretched herself between the last two-by-four and the wall. She grabbed a clump of insulation and covered her feet with it. The pink fluff reached her knees when the stampede started up the stairs. She paused, waited for the sound of breaking glass to resume, and draped her thighs with another layer of pink fluff.

  They were destroying Blake’s room. Glass shattered. She heard loud thuds and splintering wood. She pictured Red kicking open the closet door and flipping the mattress off the bed frame. She lay flat on her back and covered her jittery stomach and aching chest with attic camouflage. The thumps of heavy boots grew louder.

  “Dani!” A loud crash sounded. “Dani!” Red’s angry voice was beneath the attic. “Dani!”

  She took a deep breath before hiding her face in the insulation. As Red pulled down the attic door, she slid her arms beneath her pink blanket. With each thud up the attic steps, her body tensed. Every muscle in her body cramped, her lungs shut down. She held every fiber of her being perfectly still, despite her urge to scratchy her itchy skin.

  “Dani!” Red’s voice bounced off the walls of the attic. After a moment of silence, the small window above her blew out with a deafening bang. Her spine jerked in fear, but she stayed down.

  “She’s not up here,” Red barked down to his men. “Go outside and start looking for her. Kill every damn police officer you see.”

  She listened to his retreat down the ladder and the slam of the attic door. Tearing the insulation off her face, she took a deep breath and rubbed her tickling nose. Deep in her nostrils a tornado whirled. She plugged her nose. If she sneezed, she would take the gun in her hand and shoot herself with it. She’d be damned if she let a sneeze get herself killed. Thankfully, the windy storm in her nostrils died. She released her nose, satisfied it wouldn’t betray her, and sat up. The thin board beneath her body released a loud creak from its wooden throat. She froze. Even her blood felt like it became ice.

  Pink fluff exploded into the air beside her from a shotgun blast. She screamed and sprang onto the two-by-four to see a gaping hole in the middle of the ceiling where she had been lying. The sound of the shotgun being reloaded with shells pushed her out the window.

  Her feet sank into the deep snow on the roof and her toes curled. She looked into the night. She was in the backyard and from the sound of the shooting, the battle was out front. She waddled to the edge of the roof and looked over. At five foot nine, she was pretty damn tall for a girl, but the distance between the roof and the ground was more than twice her height. She squatted, gripped the edge in her hands, and flung herself off the roof.

  The pearl necklace around her neck flew behind her and caught onto the gutter. It dug into her throat, choking her until the string broke. When she landed in a heap, pearls scattered around her. The wet snow soaked through her dress, staining the expensive silk and pricking her skin with cold needles. She jumped up with a hand to her throat.

  The bang of Glocks, explosion of rifles and rapid-fire of semi-automatics grew louder. She was ready to make a dash toward the pocket of woods when a voice made her stop.
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br />   “I need a doctor.” She whirled. “So I can kill her.” Tony London, with his black ponytail, pointed his AK47 at her—the gun with bullets that could go through a cop’s vest. She lifted her gun without hesitation. Tony sneered at her. “Shoot me and I’ll shoot you.” He waved his weapon, mocking her with its size. It was fifty times bigger than hers and a thousand times more deadly.

  “Is this the part where I’m supposed to shake and cry and beg you not to kill me?” she said. “Well, that’s not going to happen.”

  “A doctor eager to die? Now that’s new.”

  “A murderer who could’ve shot me in the back, but didn’t? Now that’s new. Why didn’t you take the shot? Why did you hesitate?”

  Tony’s grin was ugly. “Maybe I don’t want to shoot you.”

  “Why wouldn’t you want to shoot me? Red wants me dead. You all want me dead!”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I will shoot you. After I take you and have some fun.” Tony’s eyes gleamed evilly as they roamed over her body.

  She swallowed. She knew exactly what he intended to do before killing her. “I’ll be more than happy to die after that.”

  “Then we’ll both get what we want.” He took a step toward her as her finger lowered on the trigger. A deafening pop exploded in her ear. Tony jolted as a bullet entered his body, but it hadn’t come from her gun; hers was on safety.

  Tony face planted into the snow and she saw a police officer standing behind him.

  “Dani, are you all right?” It was Max, Blake’s partner.

  “Fine.”

  And I’ll be even better once I take off the damned safety!

  She flipped the switch and looked back at Max urgently. “Where’s Blake? Is he okay?”

  “He was the last time I saw him. Now come on, I need to get you the hell out of here!”

  She took a few strides, but came to a halt with the sound of bullets being fired. Her breath raced out of her lungs in a puff of white fog when she saw Max crumple to the ground, and a line of smoke rising from Tony’s gun.

  She raised her gun as Tony aimed his weapon at her. She pulled the trigger twice, releasing two fast bullets. They penetrated his chest and he collapsed into the snow.

  Not even bothering to check to make sure he was dead, she yanked up her dress and ran to Max. She fell beside him. “Max. Oh, Max.” She took off his vest and put her hand over his chest wound. “You’re okay.”

  But she knew he wasn’t. The bullet hole was where his left ribs were. She feared it was lodged in his lung. On its way there, it could’ve shattered a rib, sending fragments throughout his chest, but there was no telling the full extent of the damage. She couldn’t do anything to help him, but she couldn’t sit there and do nothing. She couldn’t sit there and watch him die. I’m a doctor damn it! She ripped a strip of silk off the hem of her dress and pressed it to the wound.

  “Dani…go.”

  She shook her head.

  “Dani…” His voice gargled and blood sputtered from his mouth. She wiped it away with another swatch of torn silk. “Between the two of us,” he choked out. “I’m going to be the only one dying here.”

  “Max.” She laid a hand on his cheek. “You don’t always have to be a gentleman.”

  Max managed to smile. “I do about this.” He inhaled, his body convulsed. She grabbed his hand and held it tight. “Get out of here, Dani. Go!” The boom of a gun made her flinch. “Go.” His voice was a bloody croak, but she nodded.

  She kissed him goodbye on the cheek. “I love you, Max. Thank you.” She sprang to her feet and ran, knowing he probably died before she could take five steps.

  Deep in the woods, she ducked behind a thick bush. While she waited, her fingers froze around the gun. She pried her fingers free and slipped the heavy gun into the pocket of her jacket. Feeling sick to her stomach, she hugged her knees to her chest.

  Her life had gone from working twenty-four hours straight in the E.R. and saving people’s lives to trying desperately to save her own. The Mob aside, her life was finally what she dreamed it could be. All the empty spaces were gone. Her past wasn’t a mystery anymore. She had remembered the night of her accident. She remembered Blake. Thinking about him made her heart swell with love and unbearable fear.

  When is this battle going to end?

  Gunshots sounded like bubble wrap being twisted viciously.

  Red wants to kill as many police officers as he can. Each dead officer is his personal victory. Killing Blake will be out of revenge, and killing me will ensure all of his loose ends are taken care of for good.

  A twig snapped and she jumped, her eyes as big as satellites.

  “Hello, Dr. Hart.” Red stood in front of her, his gun in her face.

  “How’d you find me?”

  “I followed your footprints in the snow.”

  “I meant,” she growled between clenched teeth, “how did you find me here?”

  “Well, you’re the only Dr. Hart in the area and when we lost you on the streets, I retrieved your cell phone number from your work records. I have many connections and…” He glanced down at his gun. “I can be very persuasive when I want information. I didn’t know you were a woman until you answered your cell phone. And I’m very happy you did, because I was able to track you to this neighborhood. I did research to find out the resident’s names and followed through with background checks. Imagine my surprise when I saw a picture of one of the residents and recognized him as the same fucking asshole who tried to weasel into my family. And he’s a cop to boot. I sent my men to his station to kill him and every pig there, but he was lucky. I called his house the next day and who would answer but Dr. Hart. Two birds, one stone.”

  Her fingers twitched anxiously. The weight of Blake’s gun threatened to tear off her jacket pocket. “Don’t even think about it,” Red warned. “Take your hand, and the gun, out of the pocket, and don’t try anything stupid.” She slipped the gun out of her pocket slowly. “Throw it.” She chucked it over a bush, out of sight. “Good. Now take off your jacket and put it on the ground.” She slipped off the jacket and released it from numb fingers.

  In the next instant, Red grabbed her. “Let’s go find Officer Herro,” he growled in her ear.

  Her head whipped back with his sharp tug. The bones in her arm felt like they were being crushed by his grip. To hide her pain, she chomped on the inside of her cheek and started to recite the names of every bone in the body. All two hundred and six of them.

  Red yanked her through stabbing thorns and out of the woods. He pulled her past Tony’s and Max’s bodies where pools of warm blood melted patches of snow. The harsh tug of war continued all the way to the shattered glass door.

  She stepped on a large slate of glass, wincing when it cracked beneath her feet, and hopped over the shards.

  Red’s steel grip steered her past the staircase and straight to the broken front door. The orchestra of guns played on the front lawn and Red pushed her closer to the dangerous music. It was louder at the threshold, as if she was sitting in a front row seat at a concert. Red jostled her, and she stepped into the flashing red and blue lights of a dozen cop cars.

  The scene before her was terrifying. Bullet casings speckled the ground like angry confetti. Trails of blood crisscrossed the lawn, and lifeless forms lay here and there. She couldn’t see any of their faces, but she prayed none of them were Blake. She could forgive him for missing their dinner date, but she would never forgive him for dying.

  When Red forced her out into the open, guns silenced. Eyes smeared in black, eyes behind sniper lenses, eyes dilated from loss of blood, all eyes looked in their direction. Red’s breath, hot like a dragon’s, blew into her ear. “Call to him.”

  She shook her head. Red moved the gun from the base of her spine to her temple. “Call to him,” he ordered with a sharp jab to the side of her head. She winced. “Now!”

  She licked the cold from her lips, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t call his name. She couldn’t
call him to his death. A tear of desperation rolled down her cheek.

  “Are you crying? Officer Herro, she’s crying!” Red laughed hideously. “I think she’s scared. Why don’t you come to her?” He dug the muzzle deeper into her temple. “Or I can put her out of her misery now.”

  Don’t come out, Blake. He wants to kill you first. Don’t come out. Please, God, don’t let him come out.

  A movement caught her attention and her eyes flashed to the right where Blake stepped out of the woods. Her heart plummeted to her stomach. No!

  “So this is the hero?” Red said it as though he were talking about a cockroach. “Put that big gun down, you don’t want to scare Dani anymore than she already is.”

  Blake held his gun at arm’s length, laid it at his feet, and stepped over it. His eyes were on her, and hers were on him. He appeared to be unscathed.

  “Keep your hands away from your side firearm and step up onto the porch,” Red ordered as he yanked Dani back toward the door. “Don’t try anything you’ll regret.”

  Blake stepped onto the porch.

  “Good,” Red said. “Now come into the house.”

  Blake stalked forward, his eyes blazing. Red and Dani disappeared into the house and in a couple of steps so did he.

  “Close the door,” Red ordered.

  Blake kicked the door closed. His eyes didn’t so much as flinch from Red’s.

  “We obviously want the same thing.” Red stroked Dani’s hair. “And boy…” His hand touched her naked shoulder and caressed her arm. “It’s beautiful what we want.”

  Dani’s skin crawled. She could feel his eyes on her body and it made her want to scrub herself with bleach. Red’s finger skimmed back up her arm. “But she’s not the only thing we want, now is it? We want each other dead. Killing each other is the easy part. Deciding who will get her is not. How about we settle this with a good old-fashioned shoot out?” He released the cartridge from his gun, letting it slip to the floor. “One bullet. One shot to kill. What do you say?”

  Blake responded by ripping off his Kevlar vest and removing the cartridge of bullets from the Glock waiting at his hip. He lowered it to his side and looked back at Red, his eyes were full of rage and hate.