I shove the door open.
“And I’m not letting her burn my town to get to my family.”
My family.
The words hit me as hard as the explosion did.
I don’t stop to think about them.
Outside is chaos.
Smoke pours into the sky fromMiller’s Hardware, thick black clouds twisting upward like something alive. Flames lick up the side of the building, spreading fast, hungry.
People are running.
A woman screams.
Someone is yelling a name over and over.
“Secondary could be anywhere,” Havoc says, scanning rooftops.
“Split,” I order immediately. “Cover the street. Evac first.”
Wolf and Havoc peel off in opposite directions.
I spotMrs. Kline from the bakerystumbling near the curb, clutching the side of her head.
I’m there in seconds.
“Hey. Hey. I’ve got you.”
Blood runs down her forehead, bright against her gray hair. Her eyes are wide, unfocused with shock.
“Where’s Tommy?” she keeps asking, gripping my arm. “Where’s my boy?”
I scan the street.
Smoke.
Flames.
People running.
Then I see him.
A little boy standing frozen in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at the burning building like his brain forgot how to move.
Not moving.
Not breathing.
Just standing there.
I’m sprinting before anyone else does.
The crack of a rifle shot snaps past my ear.
The bullet slams into the wall behind me with a sharp burst of concrete dust.
