Page 2 of Not a Perfect Save

I adjust my stance slightly and force my brain to recalibrate. Okay. I can do this. I took years of self-defense classes.

You took those classes in a controlled environment.

Still, I could try a groin kick…

He has a gun.

A head butt?

He has a gun.

But if I drop my weight and bend over—

But. He. Has. A. Gun.

The gun shifts away, and I let out my breath in a slow exhale. A pause. Breath monster releases a small grunt. And licks my neck.

I instinctively rear back and crack him on the chin with the back of my skull.

Head butt it is then.He yelps and his grip falters as he staggers. I spin around, ready to knee him, scratch his eyes out, when the blond man lunges. And fumbles. He crashes and I’m catapulted forward. My foot slips, my ankle twisting, and I cry out as my head slams against the corner of a shelf.

I register a groan and an oof. My cheek is cold and clammy against the wet muck on the floor. I rotate my head slowly and see the blond man wrestling the perv. The gun’s just out of their reach.

I slither across the floor on my belly and grab it. Lifting my head and arms, I train it on them.

“Stop!” I croak. They freeze. Before the thug can get his bearings, blondie knocks him out, redeeming himself slightly. There’s a shout from behind the counter and I swing the gun in that direction just as the first goon runs out. Wild eyes veer from his friend on the ground to me as his own gun shakes in his hands. He tenses but then stumbles a few steps before turning and darting outside just as I hear the welcome wail of approaching sirens.

I slowly, slowly set the gun down, close my eyes, and then roll onto my back, still huffing.

A few seconds later, someone prods at my shoulder. My heartbeat ratchets back up, terrified it’s one of the thugs again.

“Hey, hey there...you okay?” Blond hair swims into my vision.

“Yeah. Fine.”

The last few seconds rush back.

“You got in the way.”

Chapter Two

CONNOR

“What?”I blink, taken aback. I lean in closer, not sure if I heard her right. How hard did she hit her head?

“When I was taking the guy down. You got in the way.”

So I did hear right.

My mouth opens, ready to argue, but aggrieved green eyes glare up at me. She’s kind of right. My lip twitches. “I was trying to help.”

She crawls to her knees, muttering something about ‘wannabe Boy Scouts’. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep a full grin off my face.

But then her eyes swing to mine. “There was a pharmacist.” She points at the back shelves, and I’m about to haul myself up when said pharmacist dashes out from behind it. His eyes go wide when they land on us, then he swings his gaze to the assailant on the ground a couple of feet away. “Get help,” I order. Mutely, he nods and runs out the front.

My attention shifts back to the woman. We stay still for several moments and catch our breaths. “Can you stand?”

“Yeah,” she says. “Give me a minute.” But her lids drop instead.

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