Page 115 of The Good Girl

“What the fuck is happening?”

“Don’t know. I’ve got a prospect outside, though, and a brother on the far side of the room.” I pull out my cell and text Dice and Capone to head my way.

“You armed?” he asks me as I shove my cell phone away.

“No. Funny enough, I didn’t think I’d need a gun at a fucking book signing.”

“Shit.”

I spot Kate, the girl who just took her photo with us, lying on the floor crying with what looks like a bullet wound on the leg.

“Fuck. Gotta move these people out of the way. They’re sitting ducks.”

Ambros looks around and nods. We both move, keeping low. I scoop the girl up and move her behind one of the overturned tables. I run back out to grab another as Ambros moves pastme with someone in his arms. Most people have hidden, so it doesn’t take us long to get the rest of the people out of the way.

Capone drops down next to me with Dice in his arms.

“Oh fuck.” I rip Dice’s prospect cut open and see a bullet hole in his stomach. His gray T-shirt beneath is rapidly turning red.

“Hachette,” Dice spits out.

“You sure?”

“Him and four others,” he murmurs before he passes out.

I look at Capone. I must have fire in my eyes because he swallows hard.

“Keep pressure on his wound. I gotta check on Nevaeh.” I turn to Ambros. “Call an ambulance. Tell them there are multiple casualties.”

He nods and yanks out his phone as I crawl back to Nevaeh with my phone in my hand. Once I’m out of sight of the others, I fire off a text.

Go time.

I delete it.

I lift the tablecloth and find Nevaeh leaning over Ella. “You guys okay?”

“She’s bleeding. I think a bullet winged her arm.”

“Here, let me see. Ella, you okay?”

“I think so.” Her voice comes out shaky.

“Help me tug her out this way, Nevaeh. Stay behind the table. They might have stopped firing, but that doesn’t mean they’re gone.”

“They?”

“Sounded like more than one gun firing,” I answer smoothly.

Once we get Ella out, I check her arm and agree with Nevaeh. “Just a graze. Doesn’t mean it won’t hurt like a motherfucker, but you’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Okay, that’s good. And I get a cool story out of it right?”

“Right.”

“Ella?” Ambrose skids across the floor to land next to his sister.

“She’s fine. A bullet clipped her arm, but the bleeding has almost stopped already.”

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