Page 48 of In the Arms of a Hero

“I couldn’t take my eyes off you today,” he said, holding her tightly, his mouth near her ear.

“I was supposed to be paying attention to the bride and groom, but I kept sneaking peeks at you,” she confessed, her breath whispering over his cheek.

His heart beat double time to the music, and he whirled her outward impulsively, then curled her back into his embrace. She threw her head back and laughed. The pure and unguarded sound cascaded around them, making him want to hear it again and again. In another bold move, he bent forward, dipped her, and she clutched his arms as a squeal flew from her lips. Holding the position for a few seconds, he then brought her up and pulled her close. A rosy hue graced her cheeks as their eyes locked. He wanted this moment to last in his memories forever.

As the music enveloped them in a new rhythm, Aaron once again allowed impulsivity to guide him and whirled her outward for a beat before he started to pull her back toward him.

A sound ricocheted over the water, and her body jerked. She lost her footing as she stumbled backward. She would have fallen to the floor had his hand not been holding hers firmly. He gripped her tighter, and his heart lurched at the sight of crimson blossoming across her upper chest. Her eyes widened as they held his, and then a guttural gasp left her lips. Or maybe it flew from his mouth.

For an instant, he couldn’t move, but as her body became limp, he lowered her to the floor. The world around them erupted into chaos. Ignoring the cacophony of screams and shouts from the gathering all around, he watched as her eyes fluttered closed.

24

Time moved in slow motion as Aaron knelt over Belinda’s body, his hands pressing where the blood seeped, not taking his eyes off her to shout for help. “Belinda… baby… oh fuck… sweetheart… oh fuck, oh fuck… ”

With all the screaming, scrambling, tables overturning, shouts, and cries around, he finally lifted his head to shout again. “Help me! Fucking help me!”

Other people dropped to their knees around him, their hands moving to assist. He was vaguely aware of other shouts for people to take cover.

He shot a glance over to look for help, seeing everyone else on the floor, men covering their loved ones’ bodies, others scrambling to get away. Tables were overturned and chairs knocked to the side, but no more shots were fired.

“Get an ambulance!”

Recognizing his partner’s voice, he felt rather than saw Sam as he dropped next to Aaron.

“Let me in here.” With a quick glance at the woman kneeling on the other side of Belinda, he recognized Judith, a doctor in Baytown and the wife of Ryan Coates, the VMP Captain.

“Baby, get my bag! From the car!” Judith yelled, and Ryan’s footsteps disappeared off the dance floor.

“I’ve called for the ambulance.” This assurance came from Zac Hamilton, the captain of the Baytown rescue squad. He and Judith began working on Belinda.

Her shirt was ripped open, but it was impossible for Aaron to tell where the bullet hit with the amount of blood covering her chest. Zac gently moved Aaron’s hands out of the way as he grabbed a large white cloth and pressed it against the wound.

“Aaron, buddy, I’m here,” Sam said, still next to him and at Belinda’s feet. Rage began to sift into his disbelief. “Get the goddamn fucker, Sam. Just get the fucker!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sam said. “Most of the people here have a fuckin’ badge, and everybody’s searching or making sure the others are safely inside the restaurant.”

“What the fuck?” he murmured, his chest aching as he stared down at Belinda’s pale complexion, willing for her eyes to open even as they remained closed. “Christ! What the fuck happened?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said, his words scraped out.

In the background, Aaron could hear Colt barking orders to the multitude of law enforcement officers in the area.

“Where the fuck was he? Where the fuck was the shooter?”

“It came from the direction of the beach,” Sam said.

He jerked his head around, and his law enforcement training fled him in the face of Belinda getting shot.

“Some of us were watching you two dance,” Sam explained. “Hayley had just said it was about time. The way Belinda’s body… shit, man. The way she jerked, the shot came from the direction of the water.”

“One shot? One fucking shot!” he shouted, then flinched. “Somebody fires one fucking random shot and hits her? Christ, they must’ve been after me and got her instead.”

Judith and Zac continued to work on Belinda as the sound of sirens filled the air, mingling with the cries of others. The paramedics pushed past everyone, but Aaron refused to let go of her hand even though his was soaked in her blood.

“Sir, you need to move out of the way?—”

“Not happening,” he growled. “Do what you gotta do, but I’m holding on to her.” As long as he had his hand wrapped around hers and his forefinger pressed on her wrist, he could feel her pulse. As long as he could feel her pulse, he knew she was fucking alive.

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