Page 111 of Love Without Demands

I sank to my knees and gave her my best apology. Twice.

“What are your plans for the day?” I asked as we walked hand-in-hand out my front door sixty minutes later, my heart lighter than it had been in the past twenty-four hours.

“I’m going to Two Rivers Mall. They have that new sporting goods store, and I wanted to get some new workout gear.”

“Okay baby,” I said, giving her another kiss when we stopped beside her door.

“Mmmm,” she hummed, licking her lips. “You taste like me.”

I grin down at her. “You’re my favorite flavor, Tink. If I could get Ben & Jerry’s to make—”

She stopped me with a hand over my mouth. “Please don’t say anymore.”

We were three hours into our shift when Chris leaned his head back against the wall of the armored vehicle we were riding in. “Been a slow day today,” he commented.

Maverick punched him in the arm. “Shut the hell up, dude. You’re gonna jinx us.”

Five minutes later, Mav’s prediction was proven correct when we heard the wordsactive shooterover the radio.

“Shit,” Curly muttered. “What’s the location?”

My blood froze in my veins when the voice said those three little words. The most horrifying words I’d heard since I learned my father had died.

Two Rivers Mall.

Chapter 35

“We’re on it,” Curlyreplied. “We’re less than five minutes from there.”

It was the longest five minutes of my life. Fully armed and armored, we were met outside by the head of security, a guy named Carter, who debriefed us.

“The bastard started out on the first floor,” he reported, leading us through a side door and into the security office. “Two civilians have been injured, and he took out three of my guards. One is dead and two are alive but have gunshot wounds.”

“Where is he now?” I asked quickly, a red haze curtaining the edges of my vision.

Carter pointed to a monitor with a map on it. “Last spotted on the second floor. The first floor has been cleared of all shoppers and employees except for the injured.”

My eyes instantly went to the largest store on floor two, the one dead center. Dewitt Sporting Goods.

Fuck me.

“Are you sure it’s a single shooter?” Curly asked.

“Yep, a guy with a long brown ponytail. He's in full body armor, including a helmet, so if you want to take him out, it’s got to be a headshot from the front.”

“Who were the civilians?” I asked. Carter looked questioningly at me, and I specified with a bark. “Men or women?”

“One man, one woman,” he answered.

I cleared my throat, preparing for the answer to my next question. “What did the woman look like?”

“Um.” Carter glanced around at our group before landing back on me, probably trying to figure out what the hell was going on. “She has blue hair, shaved on one side.”

I guessed Curly saw my shoulders sag with relief, and he stepped directly into my space and snapped, “What the hell is going on, Estrada?”

“My girl is here. In this mall,” I admitted.

“Fuck,” he bit out, massaging the spot between his eyebrows. “Do you need to sit this one out Estrada? I really can’t afford to lose anyone. We need all hands on deck, and the next team is at least twenty minutes out.”

---