Page 8 of Split Screen Scream
Chapter 3
Reed got out and closed his door. He stepped purposefully toward her. “Hey, Christie,” he said as he moved closer. “Let me give you a hand with that.”
He noted the bald man stopped, realizing Reed was with her, and then turned to walk back to his group.
Christie stood, looking way too fragile and feminine as her hand holding the card shook.
Her wide green eyes had looked up at him in surprise when he’d called out to her, but she seemed not to recognize him at first. Then her eyes widened. “Oh. Yes. Hello, Mr. Tindal”
“Reed,” he said. “Reed Tindal.” His hand closed over hers, and he held it for a moment to still the shaking. He noted that her hand was cold inside his, and he gave her a warm smile. Then glancing at the card, he said, “It’s backward.”
“Oh. Yes it is. Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” he said.
She pulled her hand away, turned the card around, and tried to insert it again, but her hand still had the shakes.
“Let me do that,” he said.
She handed him the card. He put it into the machine and then it asked for her code.
“Your turn,” he said.
She paused as if thinking, as a frown came over her face. Maybe she didn’t trust him.
He turned his head toward the men, giving her a chance to put the code in privately without him seeing the numbers. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Did those guys scare you?”
“Guys? What guys?”
He turned back to look more closely at her.
Christie is in bad shape if she hasn’t noticed the guys clearly watching her every move. Had she even heard that whistle? Seen the man approaching her less than ten feet away?
As Reed watched her, he noted she had no awareness of her surroundings; her only focus was on getting gas. He had to remind himself she was a civilian with likely no understanding of situational awareness. And the men were still watching her, and now, him.
“No problem,” he said. “Why don’t you go on and get in your car while I finish this.”
“Okay,” she said.
The men’s interest in her hadn’t waned, though they were quietly watching and talking among themselves and hadn’t made another step near her. He doubted they would, now.
Reed had found that after joining the SEAL team, few men messed with him. Only the rare asshole looking for a fight would pursue one. Usually, Reed could de-escalate things with his calm response. He didn’t want to fight unless he had to, but when he did fight, he fought to end things fast. His goal was to put the other man down fast so peace could resume. The calm confidence he displayed at all times could easily be read by any man with street smarts.
You never took your eyes off the calm man in the back, because that calm man was likely the one who would take you down fast and hard.
The group of men, though they watched, made no other move toward her or him. Likely, they’d also noted the sticker on his car, which let him drive his car on base, and knew he was military. Though nothing on his car said SEAL, the way he moved his body suggested it.
Reed watched her get into her car. She was safe once again. He put the nozzle into the gas tank and started filling it.
She rolled down her window.
He wondered why her hand had been shaking if she wasn’t afraid of the men.
Is she still shaken up after the shooting? She shouldn’t be out here alone like this on any night, let alone this one.
Now that her window was down, they could talk again.
“So, how are you doing?” He watched her, looking for signs of shock. The EMTs had been busy tonight with a theater full of people to check out, and maybe they’d missed seeing her. He’d been busy and hadn’t paid attention to what was going on with Christie. She hadn’t been shot and had seemed fine. She’d been right there by his side, helping him with triage, intently listening and following his orders, so he’d assumed she was fine. And maybe she had been then, but she clearly wasn’t now.
