Page 16 of See You There

At the sight of guns, the screaming escalated around them, and several of the casino guests ducked behind the tables. Petrov stood defiantly in the middle of the room, his face purple. Men, she assumed were security, came rushing from the kitchen, drawing their own weapons. But with all four guns pointed at Petrov, they obeyed the intruders’ commands to throw away their weapons.

Instinctively, Dahlia grabbed the back of Jace’s shirt and pulled him to the ground with her. She could feel his body tremble and could practically read his thoughts. The first of the gunmen was only a few feet from them. Crouched behind Jace, she whispered in his ear.

“Stay still. Do what they say, and they’ll leave. No one needs a hero.” Dahlia knew he heard her, and thankfully, he didn’t move.

If only she’d been standing with Chandler. As the gunmen advanced into the room, walking up to Chandler and Petrov, she saw Chandler roll his shoulders back.

Fuck! He thinks he really is an action star.

“Everyone! Phones on the ground.” A bulky man dressed all in black swung his gun inches from Petrov’s face. “Where’s the cash?”

At first, Dahlia thought Petrov wouldn’t answer, but then he jerked his head at one of his men. One gunman, his weapon still raised, followed the security guard out of the room. They returned moments later with two bulging duffel bags. Dahlia’s eyes found Matt, who, unlike everyone else in the room, seemed strangely calm.

“You will die for this. Do you know whose money you’ve taken?” The violence in Petrov’s voice made Dahlia shudder.

Three of the gunmen backed out of the door, but the one standing in front of Chandler and Petrov shrugged.

“You have to find me first.” He laughed and ran for the front door.

He had just reached the threshold when Chandler let out a roar. “Not while I’m around.”

Oh my god, the idiot thinks this is a movie!

Chandler charged at the man, tackling him out the door. Petrov and his men chased after them but stopped in the doorway at the sound of a gunshot.

Someone outside of the house screamed, and then multiple gunshots sounded. Petrov dove to the side as gamblers ran from the room or took cover behind furniture. Dahlia scuttled backward, away from the narrow windows on either side of the door. Petrov slammed the door shut, flipping the deadbolt while yelling in what sounded like Russian.

Around her, casino employees flew into action, gathering what they could carry, and headed toward the back of the house.

“I’ve called 911,” someone yelled.

Matt appeared next to her and grabbed her arm, dragging her to her feet. His mouth was moving, but her brain couldn’t seem to process what he was saying over the blood thudding in her ears. Like an overloud rush, his words broke through as he yanked her arm with one hand and took her purse and phone out of her numb fingers.

“We have to go before the cops get here. We don’t need this publicity with the movie coming out.”

A guest yanked open the front door, and several others rushed after him even as sirens sounded in the distance. The night filled with car doors slamming and screeching tires as everyone fled. Matt towed her along behind him.

“Chandler!” she managed through dry lips. “Where’s Chandler?”

Matt stumbled to a stop halfway down the sidewalk. “Oh shit! Fuck! Let’s go!” He ran, but Dahlia lost her footing and tripped. Matt dropped her arm. “Lia!”

But Dahlia had seen where Matt’s gaze had lingered, and under the landscape lighting, she saw the glow of Chandler’s white T-shirt against the grass.

Dahlia gasped as she ran to where Chandler lay on his side. She put her hand on his shoulder and rolled him to his back, her lungs seizing when she saw the front of his blood-soaked shirt. “Chandler!”

Dahlia pulled her over-shirt off and pressed it to his side, where it seemed like most of the blood was coming from, but the gauzy material did little to stem the flow.

Chandler’s eyelids fluttered, but even in the dim lighting, she could see his face was parchment white. Blood soaked through her shirt, and Dahlia trembled, feeling helpless. Jace crouched next to them, shoving his sport coat at her to use.

“I don’t know where it’s coming from?” Dahlia wailed.

Jace jumped to his feet, waving his arms above his head. “Over here! We need help! He’s been shot!”

Someone pulled Dahlia away from Chandler’s side and led her to a police car. She watched from a distance as a group of people clustered around Chandler trying to help him.

“What an idiot,” she choked out.

“I’m sorry? I missed that.” The officer taking her information peered down at her. Dahlia lifted her eyes to his expressionless face.