Pounding on the door answered that question.
“Let me in. Michelle, are you in there?”
My phone started ringing in my purse and I reached for it.
“Don’t try it.”
“I know you’re in there. I’m coming in if I have to break the door down.” My hero, but how the hell was he going to do that? It’s an old building with solid wood doors. He was strong but not Hercules. There was silence and then banging against the glass window in the door. Smart man. God, I loved him. Please let us get through this so I can tell him again.
“Stop or I’ll shoot her.”
For a moment the banging stopped. “Go ahead and take the chance, but if you do I’ll rip you apart with my bare hands when I get in there.”
She actually gulped. After all his working out, Flame was more than built, and I bet he could actually rip her apart.
Suddenly everything sped up, I’d have expected the opposite like on TV but nope, it was in hyper-speed. The glass shattered in the door and Mrs. Pincher raised the gun and fired. Before I could move, Bob dived in front of me taking the bullet in his chest. He dropped like a sack of potatoes at my feet. My first instinct was to help him and I dropped to my knees and cradled his head against me. Blood was pooling beneath him and spreading on the floor. The copper scent permeated the room.
“How could you, Mother. I told you I loved her.”
If possible her eyes got even crazier looking and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t run now. She came to his side and took his hand, while still pointing the gun at me. Now time stood still. I flinched waiting for the bullet to take my life.
“Why, why would you be so stupid, baby boy? She is nothing but a slut. You are special. You could have done great things.”
“That was your dream not mine.”
“No, no this can’t happen. You fucking slut you killed my son. This is all your fault.”
It was time, they say your life flashed before your eyes as you’re going to die, but my future did. A house with Flame, children even a dog. All the things I’d dreamed of and never expected to happen.
If I wasn’t going to make it what did it matter what I said to her, she was more than a few fries short of a happy meal and after shooting Bob she really didn’t have anything left to lose. “You’re fucking crazy, you know that? If you’d just let me walk away none of this would have happened. I didn’t want Bob or your stupid school. Now you’ll have nothing.” She met my eyes but I don’t think she even saw me. Slowly she raised the gun.
Flame came through the door as her arm raised. He ran for her probably thinking she was going to shoot me. I wanted to tell him I loved him and I was sorry but I couldn’t make my mouth move. But instead of shooting me, she put the muzzle to the side of her head and pulled the trigger.
Just like that they were both gone. The blood and brains of the former principal of Crane Park Elementary covered the floor, chalkboard, and most of the classroom including me.
“Are you hurt, baby?” Flame pulled me away from Bob. I wanted to answer him but I still couldn’t to make my mouth form any words. “Michelle, talk to me. Are you hurt? You’re covered in blood.”
“It’s theirs,” I managed to croak out. I don’t think I’d ever been so scared and pissed off in my life. Or maybe it was shock. That sounded like a good option.
“Baby. Hold on, the police are on their way. I called as soon as I got here and the doors were locked.”
My raspy voice was barely above a whisper as I tried to explain but all that came out was, “thank you.”
Flame pulled me in to his arms and held me, rocking me slowly until the police got there. My brain couldn’t process the scene, I’d never been so close to a gun before, or heard one, and now I’d heard two, seen death twice and only survived by the grace ofGod and Flame. Details were a blur, and I started to shake, my teeth chattering. Thank God Flame was there to hold me. Too bad what you can’t remember during the day finds you when you close your eyes. I wish I could say I didn’t relive it in my nightmares but it would be a lie.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Flame…
As I pushed open the door all I could see was Michelle covered in blood with the guy lying in her lap and it scared the fuck out of me. Then turning in time to see the old lady blow her brains out was awesome. Yeah I’m a cold hearted son of a bitch, but she almost killed the love of my life. If she hadn’t done it I don’t know if I could’ve gotten the gun away from her. Hearing what I did through the door pretty much told me there was no way it would have happened. So good riddance bitch, you did us all a favor and saved the taxpayers of New York a shit load of money.
Michelle was out of it. Who could blame her? All the shit she’d been through in the last few days and then this. What the fuck is wrong with this world. Holding her close I rocked her, trying to get her to shop shaking, and I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight. I didn’t care what she was going to say about it either.
I’d finally gotten her calmed down enough to stop shaking when the police came in with guns drawn. Her body shook so hard her teeth were chattering. Luckily they’d brought an ambulance and they took her outside to be checked. Getting her out of the room was top priority on my list so I was all for it.
The EMT checked Bob and the old lady for life and I watched as he shook his head at the cop. Then I helped get Michelle on the gurney, which wasn’t easy since she didn’t want to let go of me. They were strapping her down and I reached for her purse to go with her when the cop stopped me.
“What do you mean I can’t go?”
