“Drop your weapon!” an officer screamed as the other policemen streamed through the doors and positioned themselves around the front and side of the store.
“Sir, don’t move, and drop your weapon. Sir, move and I will be forced to fire.”
Dedrus’s wings fanned out, effectively concealing Maggie and Kinzer.
“Fire! Fire!”
The sound of gunshots filled the air.
Bullets ricocheted off Dedrus’s wings as he, Kinzer, and Maggie bolted up the stairs. Maggie held her baby bump as if her movement was about to make the baby drop out of her.
“The window!” Dedrus exclaimed.
On the other side of the store, a window stretched out, looking out at a shopping center across the street.
As they raced toward it, Dedrus’s wings tucked close. He slipped between Maggie and Kinzer. His wings fanned out again, curling in a ball around him as he threw himself into the window.
The glass broke into large chunks that crashed to the ground, hitting the pavement outside with a—
CRASH!
Dedrus flapped his wings, circling back into the bookstore.
The officers raced up to the second floor. Dedrus wrapped his arms around Kinzer and Maggie.
“Hold on,” he ordered.
“Oh, fuck this!” Maggie exclaimed.
Before she could object any further, she, Kinzer, and Dedrus were soaring through the air, gliding toward the shopping mall across the street.
