“Of course.” She held her hand. “Just give me the keys.”
Dev dug them from his pocket, and the metal jingled as he dropped them on her palm.
“I’ll be back in a jiff.” She raced for the door.
“Hold up.” Dev bolted past her. “Let me take a look outside first.”
He opened the door and poked his head out, turning it right then left, then slowly standing back. “It’s clear, but be careful. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual.”
“No worries. Any action at all in this sleepy little town will stand out.” She laughed and took off.
Dev closed the door behind her and marched up to Stella. “Can we use your back door?”
Stella took a step back, likely from the force he was projecting and opened her mouth to respond.
Gunshots rang out on the street, and she gasped.
Dev spun. “Down, Kinsley. On the floor. Now.”
She dropped to the vinyl, her heart hammering.
He faced Stella, now lying on the floor, too. “Do you have a room without windows?”
“The office.” She pointed to the open doorway.
“Kinsley, go in there with Stella. Lock the door. Move in as far away from the door as possible and lie on the floor.”
A violent burst of bullets coming from the street sounded like staccato pops, one then another in rapid succession.
Kinsley didn’t move. “But Jada?—”
“I’ll go to Jada,” he said. “But not until you’re safely in the office.”
Her muscles were like solid brick, but she managed to get to her feet and run to the back with Stella. They stepped into a small, orderly office holding a desk and chair along with a credenza. Barely any room for two people to lie on the floor.
“Let’s shove the desk against the door.” Kinsley didn’t wait for help but started pushing.
“Lock the door.” Dev’s raised voice came through the antique wood.
She turned the deadbolt and dropped to the dusty floor where Stella already lay curled in a ball. Wide and terrified eyes behind her thick-framed glasses peered at Kinsley. She swiped a trembling hand over her face. “Is this shooter trying to kill you? Does that mean he’s going to break in here and kill us both?”
If Kinsley hadn’t insisted on coming into town, Stella wouldn’t have to be going through this terrifying experience. Likely life-changing experience. And not in a good way.
Why, oh why, had she been so stubborn and insisted on a trip to town today? Obviously she didn’t really believe the parking-lot shooter had been gunning for her.
There’d been a reason for doubt until now. Zero proof existed that the shooter had intended her as the victim. That he wasn’t randomly shooting at anyone, and she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But today’s situation confirmed his intentions, didn’t it?
If a shooter was firing his rifle on Main Street in the tiny town where Kinsley had fled, she had to face facts. He was gunning for her, and anyone in her orbit was unsafe. That included Jada. Maybe Dev, too, and even this store associate. Kinsley was a pariah.
She gritted her teeth. From this moment on, she had to act accordingly.
She would follow each and every instruction Dev gave her. She would no longer argue. Not in the least little bit.
She got it now. Understood completely. Complying with his instructions could be the very thing that saved not only her life but the lives of those around her.
