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“That’s the bore from the butt.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind,” Gunner bit out. It sounded like he was running, the way he was breathing hard. “I’ve got to acquire wheels, and then I’ll have to move in cautiously, clear the area before I make my approach to your position. I’ll text you when I’m about to breach the building so you’ll know it’s me. Hang on, dude. I’m almost there.”
The wash of relief that flooded his gut was overwhelming. Not much longer now. He continued rocking the toddler, murmuring nonsense to her, but the rigidity never left her little body. Still, he took comfort from her presence, and goodness knew having someone else to focus on helped him not obsess about how freaked-out he was.
It was perhaps twenty minutes later when his phone vibrated with an incoming text.Cardboard over a busted window?
He texted back,That’s the place.
Coming in.
In an abundance of caution, Chas stayed under the desk, waiting in an agony of anticipation to hear Gunner’s voice on the other side of the door. He, by God, wasn’t unlocking the thing until he knew for sure it was safe out there.
A quiet knock made him jump violently. Dang, he was on edge.
“Chas, it’s me. You can open up now.”
“Just a sec. Gotta move the desk. It’s against the door.”
“I can help with that.”
Chas crawled out from under the desk and watched in shock as the door lock clicked and the door began to slide open. A large dark shadow filled the doorway, and the beam of a flashlight abruptly illuminated the space. Familiar dark hair. Same dark eyes. The tan was deeper now. And that face—
He raced forward, baby and all, and shocked himself by throwing himself against Gunner. The man was a living, breathing wall of muscle, and every inch of him felt like safety. Strong arms came up around him, forming a cage of protection that he huddled within. He realized his whole body was shuddering.
Gunner mumbled, “I’ve got you. You’re safe now. Or at least safer.”
“What’s going on outside?”
“Town’s locked down. Cops are crawling all over the police department and your house. What the hell did you get mixed up in?”
“Nothing. I was sitting in my living room having a beer when I heard noises outside. And then my neighbor died on my porch and—” He broke off, the horror of his memories too graphic for words.
“Ready to blow this Popsicle stand?” Gunner asked gently.
“Is it safe to go outside?”
“Probably, but we’re going to assume otherwise for now and be ultra cautious.”
Chas stepped back out of Gunner’s hug, startled at how bereft he felt. Good golly Miss Molly, he was a mess.
“How did you unlock that office door?” he demanded as he shifted the baby in his arms and followed Gunner out into the main storeroom.
Gunner shrugged. “It was a simple interior lock. Used the tip of my knife to turn the lock mechanism from the outside.”
Belatedly, he realized Gunner was holding a bigass knife in his right hand. The blade was squarish and black and looked positively lethal. He watched as Gunner slipped the blade into an ankle sheath and pulled his pant leg down over it. He was shocked at how comforting the mere presence of another human being was. Particularly a big, capable, armed one.
“Any black SUVs with blacked-out windows cruising around?” Chas asked.
“Nope. Is that what the hostiles were driving?”
“Yep.”
“My guess is they skipped town a while ago. Probably when the police started rolling in from surrounding towns.”
“Are there lots of police?”