I pressed my lips together as the sadness started to become too much. “He didn’t deserve that. None of this makes sense.”
“You think he knew? You think he knew he was dying?”
I shook my head quickly, blinking away the sting in my eyes. “Don’t. Please. I can’t think about that right now.”
We stood there for a moment, both of us silent, just breathing in the metallic smell of blood that still clung to the air. On the other side of the window, every sound made my nerves jump all over again.
People got killed every day in “Chiraq,” so we should’ve been used to stuff like this. But hearing about shootings and death was social media and the news was nothing like witnessing it with your own eyes. I was lucky to still have my life after what just happened.
And that’s exactly what the police officer told me as he interviewed me fifteen minutes later.
“You’re lucky to have your life. Can you tell me what happened?”
I rambled off my account while constantly checking my phone. Rah still hadn’t responded, so I texted my cousin, Kahlani, and promised her gas money to pick up my kids.
“Did the suspects look familiar? Have they been in the bank before?”
I didn’t feel like answering. I was irritated, hungry, and had a pounding headache. Still, I calmed down and tried to cooperate. “They didn’t look familiar. And, to my knowledge, they haven’t been in the bank before.”
“How did they look?”
I scoffed, “Like a gun. I didn’t see anything but the barrel in my face…and hoodies. They had on hoodies. The most I saw was dark skin. I barely saw their faces.”
Officer Riggins asked a few more questions I couldn’t answer before giving me his card and telling me I was free to go, though they might have more questions later.
Within seconds of finishing with the police, I was charging out of the bank, forgetting that Priest was there waiting for me. Everyone else had already been released, so I was the last employee to leave. The scene outside was still chaotic. People were standing around watching with their phones, recording the scene. Squad cars were blocking the street. The flash of red and blue lights reflected off the bank’s glass doors and walls.
I had almost made it to the sidewalk when I felt Priest behind me.
“You okay to drive?” Priest’s deep voice rolled over me, and for a second, it was the only sound I heard.
“I’m fine,” I lied, not slowing down.
I needed to get away from this bank… and away from him, away from the sexy dominance radiating off him.
Before I could take another step, his hand wrapped around my elbow. That simple touch was enough to freeze me mid-stride. He tugged me toward him and closed the space between us until my chest nearly brushed his.
Then I smelled him.
God.
It was that rich, intoxicating scent that men only seem to have when they don’t even try. It was something clean, expensive, and threaded with his skin, sweat, and the faint bite of gunpowder from earlier. It filled my head and made my knees feel untrustworthy.
“You sure you’re okay?” His voice was softer now, but it still vibrated through me like it was coming from somewhere inside my body instead of in front of me.
My body betrayed me. It melted into his solid chest like I’d been craving it. His arms locked around me, shutting out the flashing lights, gawking crowd, and sound of radios crackling from nearby squad cars.
When his lips pressed to the top of my head, my legs threatened to give way. “You’re okay,” he murmured, like it was a promise he’d make good on if it killed him.
And for a few stolen seconds, I believed him. I wanted to stay right there, in that little bubble of heat and safety, more than I wanted to breathe.
That’s when the guilt came roaring back. I pried myself out of his arms. My skin missed his warmth the instant it was gone. “I have to go,” I said, but it came out breathy and way too soft.
“Solae—”
“Thank you for being here,” I cut him off, before his voice or his touch could pull me right back in. As I hurried the last few steps to my car, my pulse still tripped over itself.
I jumped in, slammed the door, and gripped the steering wheel, like holding on to it was keeping me from crashing out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him still watching me.
