Page 63 of Protecting Hailey

I set my phone on silent and slowly got out of the car. Nobody walked down the street and I turned the corner of the building and saw no one there, either. I crept closer to the van, with my gun pointing towards it. The driver’s side was empty, and the doors were all closed.

To be safe, I checked inside. Dirty white sheets and some paint cans were lined up in the back, but otherwise, the van was empty.

I took one step at a time, listening for any rustling or movement as I approached the back of the building. The steel door handle felt cold when I grasped it, but it gave way and opened into an abandoned restaurant. The space was large but empty. There weren’t any tables or chairs, but there were still plenty of stainless-steel countertops and shelves in the kitchen. Lots of places for someone to hide.

I dropped down and scanned the floor for any feet hiding in the back. Whipping my gun back and forth, I breathed a little easier when I didn’t see any.

“Hello?”

Her voice reached me and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. “Is someone there? Help me, please.” Her voice cracked on a sob, and it sounded hoarse. She must have been calling out for a while now.

A sudden movement to my left caught my attention, and I pointed my gun in that direction.

A bullet whizzed past my head and hit the back door. In a flash, the restaurant turned into the streets of Kabul. I didn’t see drywall. Instead, the walls around me were made of stone. The air was humid and I could hardly breathe.

Chris, hurry. Someone’s in here.

Jordan’s voice rang in my ear, and I closed my eyes to shut it out. I was in America. I was home. This wasn’t real.

“Someone, please help me.” This was Hailey. Her voice brought me back home. But the fear in her voice fueled the emotions from that time I couldn’t save my friend. The despair and the grief all balled into one ugly lump in my belly.

I stepped forward, and another bullet fired.

Stand down, soldier. This is a direct order.

Although my eyes were open, I couldn’t see the room. I only saw the past and felt the terror of losing someone again.

No. I repeated. I wouldn’t lose her. I couldn’t survive it if I did.

The last time, I waited too long. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

I came out from behind the counter and started firing. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Shots rang out, but I stayed low and kept firing until I blew out the front windows. Glass shattered everywhere and, in that moment, a figure emerged from the corner and ran out the front door.

A strong instinct urged me to follow the person, but my training taught me that I needed to secure the hostage first. There could be another shooter somewhere else. I waited for any other movement. Tentatively, I straightened and took a step toward the door where I’d last heard Hailey’s voice. Glass crunched underneath my shoes and I held my gun straight toward the front.

“Hailey, it’s me. Are you all right?” I tried opening the door, but it was locked.

“Christian? Oh, thank god,” she cried. “Yes, I’m fine. Just scared.”

“Okay. I need to find something to pry open the door.”

I checked around the room, but there was nothing I could find. A car started in the distance and then a white van peeled across the front window. I didn’t catch a glimpse of the driver, but I immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

I walked around the restaurant freely now. While there were some old kitchen tools, there was nothing I could pry the door open with.

“Stand back, Hailey,” I called, approaching the door. “And cover your face.”

Aligning my hips in a fighter’s stance, I raised my leg and kicked the door with my boot flat against the wood frame. It cracked, but only a fraction.

I kicked it again and again. The frame groaned under the impact, but it wasn’t until the fourth kick that it finally gave way. The lock flew off and Hailey jumped when the door swung open and hit the wall.

She stood there in her jeans and a band T-shirt, shivering and pale, her eyes wild. I took one step towards her, but she flung herself into me before I could move another muscle.

I wrapped my arms around her and breathed in the scent of her hair and her skin. Her tears soaked a spot on my shirt and I ran my fingers through her soft hair to soothe her.

“You’re all right. Everything is all right now.”

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