by Lea Hart
He had his earbud stuffed into one ear and he was listening to the open line that she’d given him when she called a minute ago. He had his .45 in his hand and knew he could take the shot with that if he had to, but having his rifle would make him feel a lot more comfortable. His phone vibrated with a text. He glanced down and saw that it was from Claire. In case this guy really jumps on the crazy train and I don’t make it out of here, I want you to know that the last week and a half has been the best of my life.
“No,” he said quietly. This was not the end for them. This was the fucking beginning of who they were going to become together. She was the woman who would be holding his hand on his last day on earth. He typed a response quickly while keeping an eye on the store. I love you, Claire, and there is no way we’re not walking out of this mall hand in hand.
His phone vibrated again and he saw that she’d sent him a heart emoji and told him to check his email. He followed directions and pulled up the one that she’d sent everyone in the company. When he clicked on the link, he saw that she had the feed from the security cameras available. The minute this shit was over, he was going to tell her how proud he was. Not only did she have his heart, she had his undying respect.
He studied the images and saw that the man causing all the problems was pointing his gun at a woman who was dressed in some sort of nightgown. At least, he thought that’s what it was. He didn’t have a lot of experience with women’s sleepwear, so it was a wild guess on his part. Pushing the earbud deeper into his ear, he hoped to pick up something that would tell him what had set the man off. And what his end goal might be. If this was a suicide mission, then Brady needed to take him down as soon as possible. People who had nothing to lose were his least favorite because they had a tendency to make the body count too damn high.
Hearing the squeak of boots, he turned and saw his brother running toward him with a bag slung over his shoulder. Thank God Brock had made it so quickly. “Never so happy to see you,” Brady called out.
“Good thing you guys came here instead of the Arcadian Mall. That one is across town. This one’s ten minutes from my house,” Brock said as he kneeled and opened the bag. He pulled out two com sets and handed his brother one. He hit the earpiece and waited for Brady to nod. “I called the sheriff’s department when I hung up with you, and I got ahold of Pete. He’s on his way over. There are uniforms clearing the mall as we speak, so it’s you and me until Pete and his team show up.”
“Roger that,” Brady replied. “Claire linked us up with the security camera feed, so we’ve got eyes inside. It looks like the perp is after one woman and this is not a random act of violence.” He lifted his phone and showed his brother.
“How do you want to handle this?” Brock asked as he held the phone. “You go in with a flash bang and I feed you intel?”
“Yeah, that will work.” He took the phone back from his brother and studied the layout to determine if he needed his rifle. It looked like it wasn’t going to be necessary because the shot was going to be close. What might help, though, would be his silencer. The moment the bullet left the chamber of his gun, it was going to be loud enough to startle the man, and that could prove deadly for the woman in his clutches. He bent down and began going through his bag, looking for what he needed. “Keep an eye on the situation while I get my weapon ready.”
“It looks like the guy is holding a Beretta. Which means he’s probably got at least twenty in his magazine. How many shots so far?” Brock asked as he studied the images.
“Four, maybe five.”
“Too much damn firepower left,” Brock replied. “We don’t know how many women are back there because of the full doors.”
“And we can’t tell how much of a bloodbath this guy is looking for. It could be he’s focused on the woman in front of him, or he could be one of the guys who wants to make all women pay. Let’s neutralize him and not find out how deep the crazy runs,” Brady said as he stood and double-checked his weapon. “One shot to his arm and he’s no longer a threat.”
“Yeah, I’m going to agree with your assessment. Let’s not wait around and see how many people he shoots.”
“We’ve got Loren on speed dial, so when someone sues us for acting, we’ll be covered,” Brady said as the sound of gunshots rang out. “It’s time.” He took the phone from his brother and saw that the asshole had just hit every door in the dressing room with a bullet. Which meant they could already have a casualty. “Go time.”
“Go in through the left and stay low around the first display. Even with the mirrors, he won’t catch your reflection if he looks up.”
“How the hell do you know that?” Brady asked.
“Lilly loves this store, so I’ve spent a lot of time in there while she’s shopping.”
“Okay, what else?”
“There are usually a bunch of racks set up in the middle room that should give you the opportunity to make it within a couple of feet of the dressing room without being detected. Once you’re close, you’ll have to see what’s available.”
“Got it.” He tapped his ear and his brother nodded, which meant that they were locked and ready to go. Time to take care of this asshole ruining his Thursday night. He hadn’t been to the mall in longer than he could remember and this little visit today was not making him want to come back anytime soon.
The fact that he was having such stupid thoughts told him that he was keeping reality at bay so he could go in there and take care of business. If he allowed the overwhelming fear of something happening to Claire to enter his brain, he wouldn’t do her a bit of good. And for fuck’s sake, he was going to make sure he kept her safe.
He entered the store in a crouch and moved silently along the displays. Keeping it loose and easy, he picked his way through the racks of lingerie and prayed he was going to get there before the guy had a chance to discharge his weapon again.
Silk and satin brushed against his arms, and as far as he was concerned, this was the last time they needed to worry about any of this shit. He didn’t need Claire’s body wrapped up in some slinky bit of lace for him to be turned on. All she had to do was breathe and he was hard as steel…panting. But he hadn’t told her that because he didn’t want to be an asshole. Now he wished he had because maybe they could’ve avoided this whole thing.
The moment he had her in his arms, he was going to make it real clear that she didn’t need anything in this store. His brother’s voice filtered through the bud as he slid next to a rack.
“Asshole is pointing the gun at the woman’s head. Take the shot when you’re in range. Let’s not find out how crazy this SOB is.”
Nodding in agreement, Brady moved through the room and around the cash wrap, which gave him a perfect vantage point of the action. He could now see that the man’s hands were shaking and his back was soaked in sweat. Which told him this wasn’t the man’s natural habitat.
If he had to bet, he’d say the guy wasn’t former military or law enforcement. Which was going to make him easier to take down, but also make his movements harder to predict. Lifting his gun, Brady measured his shot and knew he could hit the man’s arm, which would immediately disable him, and hopefully not trigger his finger into releasing a bullet into the woman’s head.
Patience, he instructed himself. All his years with HRT had taught him that a rushed shot was the wrong shot. It always paid off to wait for the right moment to take the perp out. Breathing deeply, he listened to the man rage about all the transgressions he perceived the woman to be guilty of. From the brief exchange, he gathered that they had been married at one point and the man was pissed that she was moving on. As far as Brady could tell, she hadn’t moved on far enough because she was still in the state. There was no way this was the man’s first bout with a loss of control, and he bet that the woman thought that by divorcing him, she had set herself free.
Which was never how it worked. Divorce only meant the law recognized the break. He’d seen this shit enough times in some form
or fashion and he knew the only real solution was getting as far away as you could. The FBI didn’t deal in domestic issues, but they did deal in Federal hostage issues and he’d seen several that were motivated by rage and jealousy. No matter what flag they wrapped it up in.
Brady watched the man lift his gun away from the women’s head and he exhaled, ready to take the shot. The next second, the guy let out a feral scream and sprayed the dressing room doors with gunfire. “No fucking way,” Brady said as he kept the man in his sight line.
One…two, three seconds. When the guy stood still, Brady released the first bullet from his gun and shot it into the man’s leg. Then he released a second bullet into his arm; when the man went down, he scrambled around the cash wrap and flew across the short distance, yelling, “Down! Stay down or the next shot ends this.” He kicked the gun away from the man, pushed his knee into his back and subdued him against the ground. “It’s done, you fucking son of a bitch.”
Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw his brother and Pete running toward him. When they were by his side, he got off the guy and checked the woman trembling on the ground. She had been grazed by a bullet and nothing more. He leaped to his feet and started throwing doors open to the dressing rooms. Where the hell was Claire and why was it so quiet?
Every door he opened revealed an empty room. When he got the last one, he pushed it open slowly and saw Claire crumpled on the ground with a large patch of blood covering her T-shirt. “Medic!” he screamed.
Kneeling beside her, he ripped her T-shirt open and saw that she’d been hit above her breast, near her collarbone. He picked up something in a pile near her feet and pressed it into the wound. “Honey, I’m right here and we’re going to get you to the hospital before you know it.”
He leaned down and rested his head against hers. “I love you Claire, and God did not send me here equipped to deal with losing you. You stay with me.”
A hand came down on his shoulder and he looked up to see his brother. “Paramedics are coming, one minute out. Hang on.”
He nodded and turned back to look at Claire. The fabric that he’d pressed against the wound in her shoulder was soaked through. “Hold on, baby. The medics are almost here.”
The store filled up almost instantly with people from the sheriff’s department, a couple of firemen and, thankfully, the paramedics. He watched his brother push people aside so that the medics could get through and was grateful that he had such a loud, annoying voice. It was the kind that made people stop and take notice. Which was what was needed so that he could get Claire the hell out of the mall and into the hospital. Shoulder wounds were no laughing matter and he didn’t want an extra second wasted on getting her into the ambulance.
Moving to the side, he kept pressure on the GSW until the paramedics were in place and taking care of her. Which was what he was supposed to be doing. He’d never seen a trip to the mall as a dangerous activity but that had changed on a dime. As far as he was concerned, they never needed to come back here. Online shopping was the way to go. If Claire didn’t agree, then he was going to make her wear tactical gear the next time they ventured out. And they would be venturing out because no way was he losing the love of his life. He’d already lost his mama. God wouldn’t expect him to lose Claire as well.
***
Brady paced the hall while Claire was in surgery. Typically, gunshot wounds to the shoulder were not life-threatening, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t in some amount of danger while under anesthesia. Oftentimes, complications occurred when people were coming in and out of consciousness, and he hoped like hell that Claire wasn’t one of them.
It was like flying. The most dangerous part of the trip was taking off and landing, and that was often true for surgery as well. Once he hit the bank of windows at the end of the hall, he turned around and started his loop again. If he kept moving, then he felt like he could keep hold of his sanity. No way could he sit down with everyone in the waiting room and not lose his ever-loving mind. The place was packed with all the operators from TRG as well as Lilly and Erin.
Thankfully, Heart Hospital was where Andi was doing her residency, so she was able to keep them updated as the surgery progressed. Speaking of Andi, he saw her striding down the hall in a pair of scrubs and a smile. Jogging toward her, he met her halfway down the hall. “Your smile tells me she’s doing good.”
“Absolutely. They’re closing her up and were able to repair the damage.”
“How bad was it?” he asked faintly.
“It could have been worse. The bullet’s velocity was diminished since it had to travel through the door, and that was good news for Claire because it hit the subclavian artery. That’s the one feeding the brachial artery, which is the main artery of the arm. Pretty much the worst place for a bullet to land in the shoulder.”
“At some point, you’re going to have to tell me that again because I could only process about fifty percent of what you said.” He leaned against the wall and braced his foot against it. “She’s okay, though?”
“Yes. No reason to believe that she can’t recover and regain the full functionality of her arm. Nerve damage looked minimal, so her fast-flying fingers shouldn’t be affected.”
“Thank you, Jesus,” Brady muttered as he closed his eyes for a moment and said a quick prayer. “How is the woman the man was after?”
“Fine, she was only grazed by the bullet. I heard the shooter was still in surgery but expected to recover.”
“Good. Then he can spend some quality time in jail and think about the shit-storm he kicked up.”
Andi patted his arm and smiled. “I’m going to go check on Claire and then head home. I had a double shift and I’m about to fall over.”
“I’ll let Kane know and have him take you home. Driving when you’re exhausted is about as dangerous as driving drunk,” he said with conviction.
“Normally, I’d refuse, but I’m worn out. The last couple of hours worrying about Claire have sent me over the edge and I don’t want to get into an accident.”
“Smart move.” He pushed himself off the wall and gave Andi a hug. “Thanks for keeping me updated. I’m going to let everyone know and send them home.”
“Okay, I’ll come down and look for Kane in a bit.” She gave him one last smile and then moved toward the elevators.
Brady headed in the direction of the waiting room and felt like his heart was back in rhythm. It had been beating furiously against his chest since he heard the first gunshot, and he realized the adrenaline that was helping him function was about to drain away. Squaring his shoulders, he instructed himself to pull it together. Claire wasn’t one hundred percent out of danger, and till she was, he needed every ounce of strength he could muster.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Friday, August 4th
Claire opened her eyes and felt an enormous weight pressing against her chest. Looking down, she saw that her shoulder was wrapped in bandages, and Andi sat in a chair, holding her hand. “Hey,” she whispered.
Sitting up instantly, her best friend moved closer and gave her a smile. “Welcome back, lazybones.” She lifted her watch and checked the time. “You’ve about slept the day away. I guess getting shot up while trying to buy sexy undies makes a person tired.”
Croaking out a small laugh, she moved her hair off her face with her free hand. “Guess so. I don’t even have anything to show for my efforts.”
Andi lifted the cup next to the bed and put the straw up to Claire’s mouth. “Take a sip because I bet you’re about dried out. The anesthesia does that and you had quite a bit.”
Dutifully, Claire followed directions and drank down the cool liquid. Plain old water had never tasted so good. “So, how many bullets did they dig out?”
“Just one. Turns out those doors at Victoria’s Secret are more substantial than we would’ve guessed. Brady can fill you in on all the particulars when he gets back.”
Lifting her head gingerly, she looked around the room. “Ha
s he been here?”
Snorting, Andi patted her hand. “He just left about twenty minutes ago when I insisted he run home and get cleaned up. He fought me pretty good, but let’s face it—he’s no match for me when I get stubborn about something.”
Claire pointed her finger at her friend and winked. “Ain’t that the truth. Might want to let Kane know what he’s in for before he’s too far gone.”
“No way,” Andi replied. The man is a retired SEAL. If he can’t handle me, then he doesn’t deserve me. I’m a small, sweet woman with nothing but kindness in my heart.”
“Except when you get your mind wrapped around something and can’t let go. Then you’re a barracuda with complete disregard for consequences.”
Andi patted her hand and lifted the cup again. “Have a little more water.”
Claire took a couple more sips and smiled. “Guess he’ll find out eventually.”
“Guess he will,” Andi replied with a smile.
Claire noticed her friend’s smile falter. “What?”
“When they brought you in last night and I saw what kind of shape you were in, it scared me to pieces. Medically, I knew that you had a good chance of recovering, but I hated to see you hurt.”
“Can’t say that I enjoyed the experience, but I’m okay.” Waving her hand back and forth, she spoke. “It’s going to take a lot more than a crazy man to take me out. I have a real good one who’s interested in me and we just got started. No way that a little ol’ bullet is going to take that away from me. I’ve waited a very long time to have the kind of relations Brady and I are having and I don’t want that cut short.”
“Well, I suppose hot and sexy hanky-panky is as good a reason as any to want to stick around and see what happens next.”
“He told me that he loved me last night when things were starting to get crazy and I didn’t say it back. I felt like that was something that I wanted to say in person.”
