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THE GUNFIRE FROM Rob Trilling and me only made the chaotic situation worse. There were at least eight injured people in the restaurant that I could see. Most had been hurt in the stampede to get out. Hearing gunshots didn’t help the people who were unable to move.

Celeste Cantor was on the floor of the restaurant. She was bleeding from her left shoulder and right side. At least that’s what I gathered from my position. She looked like she was conscious, and I wasn’t sure exactly where her pistol was.

I yelled to Trilling, “What do you see?”

“She’s on the ground and the pistol is near her right hand.” It sounded like Trilling was keeping his position by the bar.

I’d stepped out from the cover I had ducked behind as soon as I’d fired. Suddenly, the restaurant felt like the quietest place on Earth. Aside from someone crying near the front door, there was no sound at all. A piece of glass dropped from the window Wu had shot out. It fell like the blade of a guillotine and sounded like a car crash in the quiet restaurant.

An overturned chair was on the floor between Cantor and me. She made a sound, and as I stepped closer I could see the pistol just past her right hand.

Her eyes seemed to focus. She reached for the gun. I leapt over the chair and landed a couple of feet away. She grasped the pistol in her right hand and immediately stuck the barrel under her chin.

I literally fell on top of her. My free hand wrapped around her wrist. She felt remarkably strong, but I wasn’t sure if it was real or I was imagining it because I was so frightened. I managed to yank the gun a few inches from her chin at the same time she pulled the trigger. The sound of the pistol firing was stunning. The fact that it was only a few inches from my face and ears compounded the effect.

I couldn’t hear anything as I wrestled the gun completely away from Cantor. After reholstering my own gun, I dropped the magazine on hers and pulled back the slide, ejecting the round that was in the chamber. I secured her gun in my belt as my senses slowly started to return to normal.

Finally, I had a chance to check Cantor’s wounds. The shoulder wound wasn’t bleeding too badly. I immediately applied pressure to the bullet hole in her side. That one was oozing blood way too fast. I used both hands and leaned into it.

Trilling came over to check on me, but I shouted for him to help the customers on the ground.

Wu hustled in and started helping Trilling with a teenage girl who appeared to be pretty badly hurt. She was crying and her leg was bent at an awkward angle.

Cantor cleared her throat and stared up at me. I could see that her pupils were dilated. She might have been going into shock. She mumbled something. I leaned down slightly, hoping to hear her better.

She said, “Mike, Mike, what have I done? I screwed up so bad.”

Blood continued to pour out of her wound. It seeped between my fingers and started pooling on the floor.

I told her to hang on, help would be on the way soon. But Celeste Cantor just started drifting off.

I looked over at Trilling and Wu. They appeared to have the young woman settled and calmed down.

At almost the same time, we all seemed to remember Kevin Doyle. I jerked my head toward the booth as Trilling’s and Wu’s heads snapped in that direction as well.

The booth was empty.