Page 74 of Since the Day We Kissed

“Do you think I care about your mutt? Maybe I’ll handle this little girly too.”

Charlotte screamed, burying her face in her hands as the sound of the gun being cocked echoed through the room.

Kara let out a cry as the robber swung the gun toward Charlotte. “No, please!”

In that moment, Hero sprang forward, placing himself between Charlotte and the gunman, his hackles raised. Ethan moved, trying to shield both Charlotte and Hero.

“Don’t even think about it!” the robber snapped, aiming the gun directly at Ethan. “Or I swear I’ll do it!”

“Don’t shoot,” Ethan said, forcing his voice to remain steady. He slowly lowered himself back to the ground, his eyes fixed on the robber’s face. The wild, unhinged look in the man’s eyes was all too familiar—Ethan had seen it before, in desperate men in Afghanistan. This wasn’t an empty threat—this man was truly dangerous.

The robber’s gaze flicked to Charlotte, and Ethan’s heart lurched as the barrel of the gun followed.

“Stay down! I’ll shoot all of you. I swear I’ll do it!”

Hero growled again.

The robber snapped, whipping the gun toward the dog. “What’d I say? Shut your mutt up or I will.”

Ethan’s pulse roared in his ears, his eyes glued to the robber’s finger twitching dangerously close to the trigger. One wrong move, and his best friend or his daughter could be gone. He took a deep breath, his military training kicking in—stay calm, assess the situation, wait for the right moment.

But time was running out.

“You two, behind the counter. Hurry!” the robber shouted.

“We’re trying,” Kara begged. “Please. Just don’t hurt anyone.”

The robber’s eyes darted to the bag on the counter. He ripped it open and stared inside. “This?” he snarled, slamming the bag down, crumpled bills spilling across the counter. “This is all you’ve got? You’re lying! Where’s the rest?”

“That’s all we have here.” Whitaker’s voice trembled as he spoke. “But I can go to the bank. I can get you more—anything you want. Just let us go, and I’ll bring it back.”

A flicker of madness glinted in the robber’s eyes as he shifted the barrel back toward Charlotte. “You got thirty seconds to fill that bag, old man. Or else.”

A memory from Ethan’s days as an Army Ranger surged through his mind—the crack of gunfire, the smell of dust and sweat, the crushing weight of life-or-death decisions. He’d been in situations like this before. But this was different. This was his family—and one wrong move could mean losing them forever.

He knew what he had to do.

Ethan’s muscles coiled, every nerve screaming as the robber’s finger twitched on the trigger. His breath caught—time seemed to slow, each second stretching out.

It’s now or never.

In one explosive motion, he launched himself forward, his fingers grazing the barrel as—

BAM! BAM!

The gunshots echoed in his ears, the room a blur of panicked screams. Ethan hit the ground hard, his head spinning. His vision swam as he tried to focus, to move, but the world had tilted sideways. He blinked, reaching out blindly, fighting against the growing haze ... Where were they? Kara? Charlotte? Hero?

27

Kara

TwoHoursLater

The flashing red and blue lights of police cars illuminated the pharmacy parking lot as officers bustled about, wrapping up their investigation. Kara sat on the cold metal step of an ambulance. The vehicle’s diesel engine idled, sending subtle vibrations through her legs. Next to her, Charlotte huddled close, both wrapped in scratchy gray blankets. At their feet lay Hero. His head rested on his paws, but his eyes remained alert, darting between them and the surrounding commotion. Every few moments, his ears would twitch at a sudden sound, and he’d release a low whine, as if he were trying to comfort Kara and Charlotte in the only way he knew how.

Kara’s thoughts spun as she tried to process everything that had happened. They had been so close to losing everything—Charlotte, Ethan, Hero, and even her dad.

How could things have gone so wrong, so fast?

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