Page 6 of Andy

“Nixon! Quit sulking and get in here. We need to set the explosives,” Clinton called out.

Andy froze. He had an idea where Clinton was based on his voice, but the echo in here had to be taken into account.

“God dammit, Nixon. Where the hell is Reagan? Both of you get your fucking asses in here.”

There was rustling, like Clinton was standing. He readied himself for Clinton to move closer. He wasn’t going to shoot the guy right off. First off, a shot fired could draw the fire of police officers. He’d recently seen a video of an officer emptying a clip into a car because an acorn fell on the hood. He hoped the SWAT team in San Diego had enough training that they weren’t trigger-happy, but he didn’t know for sure. Ending this without a barrage of gunfire would be best.

“Get out here, you worthless—” Clinton stepped around the corner and froze when he saw Andy with the rifle pointed directly at him. “Mother fucker. Who the fuck are you?”

“Get down on the ground.”

“Fuck that.” Clinton took off, running toward the door at the back of the bank.

Andy thought about firing, but he held back. The man was running toward the room where he’d left Mel. He couldn’t let her get hurt.

He set the gun down and raced after the guy. The man glanced back and ran into a wall, allowing Andy to catch up. Holding back wasn't an option, so he shoved the dude against the door where Mel was hiding. He hoped she didn't open the door because he wasn't fully in control.

Clinton hit him in the side, and he returned the favor, punching Clinton in the face. He swung again, knocking the man against the door hard. Then he uppercut the jerk, making his head snap back. Clinton ran into the wall, and Andy could see the guy's knees wobble. Andy swung one last time, knocking the man to the ground.

As he was fastening zip ties to Clinton’s wrists, the door opened.

“Everything okay?” Mel asked.

He pulled the zip tie tighter, then glanced up as he huffed out a breath. “Great. Everything is great.”

She lifted her chin, looking at him like he was a stray dog or an undesirable French fry on a plate of fries. “O-okay.”

She turned, and he glanced into the room before he moved to place zip ties on the guy's ankles. The last thing he wanted was for Clinton to regain consciousness and fight him or hurt Mel.

“I’ve neutralized the robbers,” Andy said.

Mel lifted one finger, telling him to be quiet as she picked up the phone receiver. “Um, the cops can come in now.” She turned to him and narrowed her gaze. “I’m on the phone with the police.”

Andy sat back, relief flowing over him. He held her gaze, and something clicked. It was almost like she was looking straight into his soul. Her throat moved like she was swallowing hard as her gaze stayed on him. He didn't know how long they stared at each other, but something passed between them.

Then, the sound of the police yelling interrupted the moment. He grabbed the gun he’d dropped before and entered the room with Mel. He dropped the clip and emptied the chamber, then set the rifle in the corner and stepped away from it.

“Sit and put your hands on your head,” Andy said as he lowered and leaned against the cabinets, hoping the cops didn’t do anything stupid as they looked for hostages and the other robbers.

Mel slid down next to him, her eyes a little glassy. “That was exciting.”

He snorted a laugh and then turned to look at her. Her dark hair looked a little frazzled, like she’d been pulling at it, and there were two lines running through her makeup, telling him that she’d been crying. Still, she looked beautiful and real.

“You okay?” He wanted to lean in and brush a kiss over her lips. But he held himself in check because kissing her wouldn’t be appropriate. This wasn’t a romance movie, and he didn’t know this woman. He wanted to get to know her, wanted to see what made her tick. One thing he knew for certain, they had some connection he didn’t understand. He could feel the emotions vibrating between them.

The police officers moved closer, interrupting whatever was between them. Disappointment shifted through him. He’d wanted to sit with her and get to know her. But the police were at the door, stopping whatever had been going on between them.

Chapter 4

Mel wanted to pull her legs up and hug them close with a warm blanket wrapped around her. Instead, she sat with her legs crossed, her chin high in one of the chairs in the lobby, taking in the chaos around her. The police had cleared the building, and the customers were safe outside. She guessed they were giving the police some sort of statement, but she wasn't sure. The assholes who'd busted into the bank to rob them or whatever they had planned were now in custody. The police were at the point where they were finishing up. She had the keys, so she had to stay until the police were done and she could lock up.

Today had gone so wrong, and yet there were little parts of the day she would never forget and didn’t want to. When Andy sat next to her after it was all over, that had been something. She couldn’t deny the pull she’d felt toward the man. She felt safe with him, protected, which didn't happen often with guys.

“Mrs. Fielding?—”

“It’s Miss,” Mel corrected.

The detective glanced down at his notes. “Um, yeah. So, Miss Fielding, we’re almost done here.”

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