He thinks I’m still crouched down over there. And if can’t actually see me…
She risked a hidden peek over the top of the desk just as the shooter pulled his trigger again. Rather than poking his head out to actually see where his bullets were headed, the guy was keeping all but his hand and part of his forearm hidden while blindly pointing the barrel toward where he’d last seen her and pulling the trigger.
Another plan formed, and it was one she prayed wouldn’t cost anyone their lives. Not wasting time second-guessing herself, Raegan fired toward him again, hoping to keep him coming back for more.
With the very next bullet that flew from the jerk’s gun, she rounded the edge of the desk she was closest to now and began to move. Using near-silent steps, Raegan carefully made her way to where the shooter was hiding.
Her steps slowed to a cautious prowl as the hunter suddenly became the prey. Fear and uncertainty loomed thick in the air around her, and Raegan knew the deadly confrontation was about to come to a head.
Sneaking around the edge of the desk he was still hiding behind, she found herself mere feet from the man—thekid—who’d been trying like hell to shoot her. He was crouched down low with his back fully to her, and there was a small pool of blood collecting on the floor from where it still dripped from the wound in his left arm.
A cushioned, wheeled chair blocked the path between them, and the piece of furniture sparked an idea she prayed would pan out.
Please, please let this work.
The soft soles of her boots traversed the shiny tile floor a few inches closer. With her body low and her movements steady, Raegan held her gun at the ready and kept the breath in her lungs still. She was almost there, ready to put the last part of her plan into motion, when the would-be robber somehow sensed her presence.
He turned his head.
Their eyes became locked.
Raegan stood tall once again with a clear and concise, “Put the gun down and show me your hands.”
The man froze in place, his weapon remaining gripped in his tight, unmoving fist.
“There’s nowhere for you to go,” she told him truthfully. “It’s over. No one needs to die here today, so just put the weapon slowly on the floor and back away.”
Several long, tension-filled seconds ticked by before the guy moved a single muscle. When he did, it was the hand holding the pistol that wavered, and with Raegan’s next breath, the gun began to lower.
She was all but certain he was about to surrender. That he’d finally accepted defeat. But just as it appeared as though he was seconds from surrender, the asshole gave the chair between them a hard, quick shove.
The damn thing slammed straight into her shins, knocking her off her feet and onto her back. Her gun flew out of her hand and slid well out of her reach. Not bothering to waste time being pissed that he’d beaten her to the punch, Raegan didn’t even think about what she did next.
She simply acted.
Kicking out with her right foot as hard as she could, she struck the chair’s base with the heel of her boot, sending it flying right back into the ruthless teenager’s legs. He’d just started to aim his weapon straight at her when it struck him the same way it had her, and his arms flailed as he tried like hell to keep his balance.
The gun went off, its bullet flying wildly before striking high on the wall behind her. The shooter stumbled backward and fell, his gun slipping out of his hand and sliding across the slick floor in almost the exact same manner as hers.
Raegan jumped to her feet. Having already determined the perp and his gun were both much closer than her fallen Glock, she rushed in that direction. At the same time, the shooter began crawling toward his only remaining means of defense, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt…
He gets to his gun before I do…I’m dead.
She moved lightning fast, throwing her entire body onto the guy’s back to stop him. The kid was surprisingly strong, and for the next few terrifying moments, the two became locked in a battle for survival.
Raegan pulled and clawed at his good arm as he reached for the gun. The man jabbed that same elbow back hard, catching her square in the cheekbone beneath her right eye.
A flash of pain struck, and a hundred tiny, white stars filled her blurring vision. Her right eye watered, but Raegan used her left to keep track of the asshole’s movements. After several more hits, kicks, and jabs, she finally,finallymanaged to get the gun.
“Stop!”Her authoritative voice filled the bank’s interior as she held the weapon in a tight, fisted grip.
The kid’s entire body locked down the moment he realized he’d been beaten.
With adrenaline racing through her entire system, Raegan gave her next order through a set of painfully clenched teeth. “Put your hands behind your back,” she growled low.
Several began to clap as the guy followed the order, grimacing and moaning in pain from the strain the position put on his injured arm. With him on his stomach and her thighs straddling his lower back, Raegan kept the barrel of the prick’s own gun pressed hard against the back of his head with one hand as she grabbed her cuffs and slapped them on his wrists with the other.
Leaning down, she spoke only loud enough for him to hear when she warned, “Unless you really want to die today, I suggest you don’t even think about moving from this spot until you’re told to do so.”