Page 12 of Killer Notes

Connor belts out a laugh. “Alrighty then.”

Luckily, the restaurant’s not far from the studio. Before my stomach begins to revolt, Tobias pulls into the parking lot behind the building. Connor tells him to park in one of the VIP spaces. Since we come here often, those spots are designated to us.

I get out at the same time as Raef, who’s humming a tune I haven’t heard before.

“What are you humming?” I ask him.

“Nothing yet,” Raef says quietly, like he’s keeping a secret. “But I’ll let you know once I’m done.” It’s so like my friend to keep a song to himself until he deems it ready.

“Damn, you’re brave,” Bobby tells Tobias, then his eyes shift to me. “Your skin’s a little green, man.”

“Fuck off.” I push the keyboardist out of way and walk around the building to the restaurant’s entrance. As I open the glass door, a loud bang reverberates around us.

“What the fuck,” someone shouts.

I don’t know who’s shouting, but my ears are ringing as though fireworks went off right in my face. Then the next thing I know, I’m flat on my back, the wind knocked out of my lungs, and a hulking body is covering me.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” That’s Connor frantically yelling. “Danny!”

“Get in the fucking building,” John yells his demand.

“Don’t move,” Tobias growls in my ear.

I don’t move a millimeter—I don’t even take a breath. My entire body is frozen from the terror of being nearly shot.

“Count of three. Then I’m going to get up, pull you with me at the same time, and get you safely out of the gunner’s range.” Tobias’s voice is hard and commanding.

I give him a barely perceptible nod. I hold my breath as he does just that. But he now has me against the wall on the side of the building, his back to my front.

A full thirty seconds go by before Tobias turns around and his face is inches from mine. “Are you okay? Hurt anywhere? Bleeding?”

I slowly meet his amber-green eyes, trying to find my voice. “I-I think I’m okay—ouch.” Pain radiates from the back of my skull when I shift slightly to the left. “My head.”

“Hold still,” Tobias commands as he cautiously looks around. “John!” he shouts.

“Right here,” the other bodyguard responds.

“Assess,” Tobias counters.

I hear crunching sounds. Glass, maybe.

“Not crystal,” John says.

“What does that mean?” I ask, feeling my hands turn ice cold.

Tobias looks back to me with such intensity that my body shivers with alarm. He doesn’t answer my question. “I want you to follow my lead. We’re going to run into the building. I’ll be covering the entire time. And Raven?”

“Yeah,” I say shakily, feeling even colder.

“Don’t stop.”

“Okay,” I utter, but panic has me in its grip and my teeth start chattering.

“Breathe,” he commands, at which I inhale. The back of my head thrums with a dull pain and my vision’s swimming.

“Clear,” John calls out.

“On three, we run inside.” Tobias carefully looks around the corner, then he says three and he hastily shuffles me inside the restaurant.