Then a commotion came from the emergency exits off the main ballroom. A shout I couldn’t make out, what sounded like the scrambling of feet, and a loud bang.
I froze.
Before my brain could catch up, Hayes was already moving, his actions swift and decisive. One second, I was standing, and the next, his arm was around me, pulling me down behind the table I’d just been sitting at. My breath hitched, and my palms lay flat against the carpet as his weight pressed close, shielding me. From what, I had no idea, but my heart rate kicked up anyway.
A shrill alarm screeched through the space, then was silent.
There was a gun in his hand. I didn’t even see where it came from.
“Stay down,” he whispered, voice low and steady. His eyes met mine for half a heartbeat before he turned away, positioning himself between me and whatever was out there.
My heart hammered so hard it hurt. The floor was cold beneath my knees, theair thick with an anticipatory silence.
“What’s happening?” I whispered.
“I don’t know yet but I’ll protect you,” Hayes murmured. “Just stay quiet.”
His tone left no room for argument, and for once, I had no intention of ignoring his rules. I might tease him about sleep schedules and my caffeine intake, but when his voice dropped like that, the rest of the world narrowed down to one truth: listen to Hayes.
I swallowed hard, muscles rigid for whatever would come next. All I could hear was my own breathing. Someone whispered,Probably nothingbut I wouldn’t believe it until I heard it from Hayes. Then another sound. Metal on concrete, a hard sound that made me flinch.
Hayes didn’t move. Every muscle in his body was coiled, waiting. His hand hovered near me, not touching but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him. The air between us was tight. Fear and something else I had no name for.
My lips parted to say his name, but before I could, he shifted. The tension in his shoulders eased.
Then, as quickly as it started, he rose to his feet, scanning the room. He reached down, hauling me up but keeping me tucked tight against his side.
A security guard appeared near the emergency exit, breathless. “Sorry, folks, there was an issue in the alley out back, and the door alarm got tripped.”
“What the hell was the bang sound, then?” I said, looking at Hayes.
“Door hitting the wall when it opened, probably.”
I let out a breath and slumped against his side. I didn’t care what it looked like if someone took a photo right now. Thathad freaked me out.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, just, I thought something awful was really happening.”
He nodded. “Hard to be sure in the moment.”
“Thanks for reacting so fast. I just kinda froze.”
“It’s my job.”
I nodded, still clinging to his side. He didn’t seem in any rush to push me away. “Come on, let’s go to the hotel.”
******
Back in our room, the scene that had played out at the convention went through my head on a loop. Whatever adrenaline had been pumping through my veins was long gone, leaving me shaking and buzzing at the same time.
Hayes had talked to security and gotten the rest of the story.
It was nothing. A few people were fighting behind the building, and the security guard went out the door to stop them. The door had banged against the wall, and someone had been knocked into a dumpster. There was yelling and shuffling of feet.
It was a loud noise and nothing more.
Through it all, Hayes had been as steady as a rock. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t been there even though the danger wasn’t real.
