Bruno squeezes my hand. I know he’s as scared as I am, but he’s putting a brave face on. He offers me his phone and I shake my head. If River doesn’t know what’s happening—and she might not know yet, since she’s on the other side of campus—I don’t want to worry her.
Mrs. Orcher, our teacher, wanted to go out there and talk to him. We stopped her. We convinced her if he knew where she was, he might kill us all. She cried and apologized over and over again—she mouths the words soundlessly—but her pain and regret hit me with the force of a sonic boom. It explodes in my chest and washes over me until her pain is my pain and I feel the weight of it, so heavy I don’t think I could have moved if I tried.
Shots.
Pop-pop-pop
On repeat.
Pop-pop-pop
Again and again.
Screams.
Shouts.
Voices, heavy steps on tiled floors.
Silence.
I clamp both hands over my mouth.
I want to scream.
I am screaming inside my head.
Screaming so loudly, my throat burns.
Burns with silence.
Burns with unshed tears.
Burns because I know.
I know Logan is outside the locked door, and I have no idea what I’ll find when we get out.
If we get out.
The other students move around me, our faces reflecting each other’s fears and unanswered questions.
Is this it?
Is it over?
Are we safe now?
We stay quiet and listen.
Steps running outside the door.
Voices. Snippets of words.
“Single shooter . . .”
“Suspect neutralized . . .”
“Officer down, officer down . . .”
“Check other rooms . . .”
People begin to move around but stay in the back of the room. Whispered questions wondering if it's over go unanswered.
Mrs. Orcher is crying openly now, no longer able to hold in her pain. Sobs wrack her body every few seconds, her shoulders hunched over as if she’s trying to cave in on herself and disappear. There’s guilt and sorrow written all over her face. She aged twenty years in a matter of minutes. I reach for her and squeeze her hand. She looks at me with gratitude in her watery eyes before turning away again and stepping to the side, away from the twenty-something students in her classroom. She’s my favorite teacher. Something tells me I won’t see her in this classroom again. Some people are texting furiously, letting their loved ones know they’re okay. I look at my bag in the front of the room. I dare not walk to it. In horror movies, this is when the blond heroine does something stupid and dies. I’m staying right here. Bruno has his arms around me. I could ask for his phone, but . . . what if it’s not over? What if I text River or Logan and something else happens? My mind is in turmoil. I can’t think straight. My body feels heavy and my head too light.
We wait for what seems an eternity. The muffled sounds outside seem to multiply. More footsteps, more indistinguishable voices travel through the walls. New sounds have us all looking at the door. It opens a moment later, with a loud bang against the wall. I jump.
The room fills with men in body armor holding guns pointed at us, and there are screams all around me as people retreat and look for cover. I stay rooted on the spot. My eyes are frantically searching the faces behind the guns until I find him . . . just before everything goes black.
Chapter Forty
The air is thick with gun smoke and the metallic smell of blood. So much blood, I can taste it. The suspect is down. He was cuffed and his body checked for more weapons. But he’s not going anywhere. He’s dead. We still have to wait for a medic to come in and pronounce him, but that will have to wait until the whole building is cleared and declared safe. As suspected, the duffel bag is full of ammo and more guns. Everyone in the building is very lucky he wanted to bargain with his wife first. I don’t want to think of the outcome if he didn’t.
His wife may be better off without him, but now his son has to live the rest of his life knowing what his father did. I feel sorry for the kid.
Dozens of officers are here now. The TSU team has arrived and taken over. They have to secure the area, check all classrooms, make sure this was a solo act. Three police officers were shot, including Mike. Flesh wound to the right thigh. He took that bullet instead of me when he stepped in my way. He and the other two guys were moved to a staging area outside the building. They’re probably on their way to the hospital. Now that the TSU is here, most of the guys moved outside to secure the perimeter. But I’m not going anywhere until I make sure Skye is safe. Steven is hanging behind with me. He’s reading me again, and I’m sure he can see how worried I am.
Processing the scene will take hours. Pictures have to be taken and everything documented before the scene is released to detectives, crime scene investigators, and forensics.
TSU is clearing the classrooms farthest away from the body. A tent was set up to keep the gore hidden from curious eyes. The last thing we need is cell phone pictures and videos. The media coverage will be crazy enough without the addition of any photos or videos to fuel it. Everyone is being taken outside. Their faces show shock and disbelief. Some have to be helped by their friends. As far as I can tell, this is one man going on an angry rampage because he couldn’t deal with his wife leaving him.
I still don’t know where Skye is. I paid attention as each of the other classrooms were evacuated and she wasn’t in any of them. My gut tells me she’s in room 307, with the suspect’s wife.
Jesus! Had the suspect known which room his wife was teaching in, the wife and every single student in that classroom could have been killed. Skye included. The thought makes me sick to my stomach. If I puke now, everyone will think it's because of the horrible scene at our feet. Everyone looks as if they’re on the verge of getting sick too. The coroner’s crew has arrived. TSU is going into 307 now. I follow them in even though I know I’m breaking protocol.
Room 307 is the last occupied room. They wanted to make sure that Mrs. Orcher didn’t have a chance to look at what’s left of her husband before they tented the area around his body.
TSU moves in. I follow and pray this classroom will be a repeat of all the other ones we evacuated and no one is harmed.
Five TSU officers sweep into the room, guns raised, looking for anything other than the students and the teacher. A few of the kids scream and shuffle to the back before they realize we’re the good guys. My eyes search for Skye everywhere. I’m vaguely aware of the students being evacuated. I’m so frantic and filled with dread, I miss her the first time I glance over the left side of the room. Then I find her. Her blue eyes—huge on her pale face—lock on mine, her lips tremble, and her legs give out. Bruno is behind Skye and catches her just before she hits the tiled floor. I get to them a second too late. I’m both grateful he kept her from getting hurt and angry he has his hands on her, that he was here when I couldn’t be.
I take Skye from him and pick her up, burying my face into her neck. I breathe her in. I’m so overcome with relief, I can feel tears stinging my eyes. I can’t remember the last time I cried. When I was a kid, maybe.
It registers that I’m on my knees when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up and Steven has positioned himself between me and the other cops and discreetly hands me my gun. Fuck! I don’t even remember dropping it. He covered for me. I can’t work my throat just yet, so I nod my thanks and holster the Glock, making sure the safety is engaged.
“You know her.”
Steven’s voice is low. For my ears only. It’s not a question.
I nod again and find words this time.
“My girlfriend.”
“Holy shit, man. Did you know she was here?”
“Not for sure, but I suspected.”
“You were pretty cool under pressure out there.”
“I feel like I need a vacation.”
>
Steven laughs, but the sound lacks humor.
“Me too, bro. Me too.”
One of the TSU guys approaches, and Steven takes him to the side, explaining why I’m on the floor holding a passed-out girl in my arms, I’m sure.
We’re all relieved. This could have been so much worse. No innocent people died today. Just the asshole who thought it was a good idea to bring guns to the university to convince his wife not to divorce him.
I look around when a woman with an EMT uniform kneels next to us. The room is empty except for the five of us. Mrs. Orcher and the other students were quickly evacuated. Bruno lingers a few feet back, but Steven takes him out. It’s just me, Skye, and the EMT lady now.
She checks Skye’s vitals and asks questions I answer the best I can.
When Skye starts to come around, she whimpers, and the first word she says, even before she opens her eyes, is my name.
Chapter Forty-One
“Logan?”
“I’m here, baby. I got you. You’re safe. It’s over.”
I try to reach for Logan, but my arm is trapped in someone’s hand. I find a woman holding my hand, a stethoscope on my wrist and a blood pressure cuff on my upper arm.
I look at it. Logan reads the confusion in my face.
“You passed out. We’re just making sure you’re okay.”
“Her blood pressure is a little low, but I think she’s okay,” the woman says to Logan.
She looks at me.
“How do you feel, honey? Do you want to go to the hospital?”
I shake my head.
“No hospital, thank you. I just feel a little dizzy. I’ve never fainted before.”
“That happens sometimes when someone is under a lot of stress. Just take it easy for the next couple of days.”
“I got her,” I hear Logan say, and the EMT lady packs her things and leaves.
Just the two of us left in here now.
“Are you okay? Where’s everyone? Is anyone hurt? What happened? Is he . . . dead?”
Questions tumble out of my mouth, one after the other, so fast that Logan doesn’t have a chance to answer me.
He pulls me into his chest and holds me tight. His Kevlar vest digs into me, but I don’t complain.
I’m sitting on the floor, between his knees, and he’s completely wrapped around me. The heat from his body, his scent, his chest expanding as he breathes me in, his lips pressed on my forehead . . . it all calms me down, makes me feel safe.
I hold on to him.
I hold on, and I’m never letting go.
Chapter Forty-Two
I hold on to Skye and breathe in her orange blossom scent. I hold on to her as relief floods me. The weight of worry and not knowing where she was has been lifted off my shoulders, but the stress of it has made me so tired, I could fall asleep right now, like this, kneeling on the cold, hard floor with her in my arms.
We stay in that empty room for a long time as commotion slows and quiets outside the door.
I move her away from me, just enough that I can see her.
My eyes flit all over her face, drinking her in. Her blue eyes are bright with unshed tears. There’s so much love in them. So much want.
“Skye . . .”
I kiss her then.
Gentle at first.
Just a brush of lips.
A taste.
A lick.
A nibble.
I try to hold back. I do.
But the fear I felt before, the desperation when I didn’t know where she was, takes over and breaks free.
I kiss Skye as if my life depends on it.
I kiss her to make sure this is real, and she’s here in my arms and unharmed.
I kiss her because I cannot not kiss her.
And she kisses me back with the same intensity, with the same desperation and need.
Skye kisses me back as if her life also depends on it.
When we break apart, her lips are red and swollen. My own feel the same.
“Skye—God—this is not how I imagined saying this. Not at all, but I can’t wait any longer. I can’t hold it in for one more second.”
My thumbs graze her cheeks as I hold her face up to mine.
“I love you. I’m crazy in love with you, Skye. And I was so scared something would happen to you and you wouldn’t know. You wouldn’t know how much I love you. How important you are to me. How big a part of my life you are.”
Her eyes fill with tears and spill over. I catch them with my lips. I kiss her tears away.
“Shh, don’t cry, don’t be upset.”
“I’m not upset. It’s not sadness spilling out of me. It’s love. Love for you. I love you too, Logan. I’m crazy in love with you.”
She repeats the words I said to her, back to me. They form around a watery smile, and I catch them with my mouth. I taste love and tears in her lips. This might be the absolute worst place and time for a love declaration, but if anything, this horrible situation serves to show me time is precious and short.
Love should never be held back, contained, or denied. Love is a wild animal. It does not belong in captivity. It needs to be freely given to grow and thrive.
I’m done holding back. It’s time to let go and trust.
“I’m all in, Skye. I’m all in.”
Chapter Forty-Three
We finally make it outside after Logan tells me not to look at whatever they’re doing in the hallway. No worries there. I have no intention of seeing anything. I’ve heard enough, and my imagination is filling in whatever I didn’t see. Logan doesn’t say, but I know the guy is dead.
There’s some kind of tent blocking part of the hall, and someone made a pathway with a long tarp along the wall. Logan said it was to evacuate the students and staff as fast as possible and not contaminate the crime scene. The little I saw reminded me of a movie. Lots of people wearing gloves, taking pictures, the little yellow number thingies—whatever they call them—all over the floor.
We walk quickly, and now that I’m free of the building, I want to find River. I dig through my bag to find my cell phone when I hear my name. The whole area around the building is closed off. Metal barriers and yellow tape. Cops everywhere. It takes me a few seconds to locate River. She ducks under a stretch of tape and runs across the street. A cop tries to stop her, but Logan waves him off and I’m already on my feet, running to my sister. We collide in a hug and tears.
We don’t say anything for long minutes, just hold each other and sob. The other cop is saying we have to move. I can feel Logan nearby. His arms come around me and River, and he hugs both of us for a few seconds before gently guiding us to the side.
“Are you okay?”
River’s words are filled with worry and love.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just tired, so tired.”
“I was so worried. I must have sent you a dozen texts. You didn’t answer me.”
“I didn’t have my phone with me, and I was afraid to let you know what was happening.”
“Word got out fast. The whole campus went on lockdown, and when we heard it was the Jane Austen building . . . gosh, Skye. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. You should have texted me.”
“I almost did, but then I pictured you running into the building and trying to take the guy down with your bare hands and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t risk it.”
“I’d probably try to do it, too.”
Logan’s hand goes around my waist.
“I hate to do this, but I have to get back in there. And it will probably be hours before I can leave.”
I disengage from River and throw myself at Logan. His arms hold me tight.
“Thank you. Thank you for saving me.”
He kisses the top of my head.
“I’m just glad it’s over.”
Logan looks at River.
“Can you take her home? Make sure she rests? Stay with her?”
“Yes, of course. All classes have been canceled today a
nd tomorrow.”
His hands cup my face.
“I’ll come to you as soon as I can. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He kisses me then, restrained but full of promise. Then he turns away and walks back into the building.
River is looking from me to him, pointing back and forth between me and the building Logan just walked into.
“When did this happen?”
“Come on, let’s go home. I’ll tell you everything. And I have to call Mom and Dad too.”
“I called them already. Bruno texted me and said you were okay and Logan was with you. I told Mom you’d call as soon as we get back home.”
A pang of guilt hits me. I forgot all about Bruno. My best friend. The guy who tried to comfort me when we were trapped in that classroom. As soon as I saw Logan, everything else fell away. I have to talk to him too. But first, I need to go home. I desperately want to take a hot shower. My skin feels grimy, as if what happened today made me dirty somehow. I just want it off me.
River has her arm around me as we walk through the parking lot and find the car. She opens the passenger door and I get in.
I guess I’m not driving today. I know she has questions, but I don’t want to talk right now. All I want is to close my eyes and forget what happened today. Well, everything but Logan telling me he loves me. That, I’ll remember forever.
Chapter Forty-Four
Minutes tick like hours and hours tick like years. It took another seven hours to process the scene, file reports, and clear the building.
Logan: Liam . . . I don’t know how you do it every day.
Logan: I died a thousand deaths today.
I desperately want to go to Skye, but I make my way home first to shower and change. I need to wash this day away, and I stay in the hot shower longer than I normally would. I’m tired, hungry, and something else I can’t identify. I dry off and dress in sweatpants and an old T-shirt, clothes I wouldn’t normally go out in, but they’re comfortable and I need that right now.
Because of Logan Page 19