cry with relief, but instead, she sprayed again. Amy stood there with a hand over her mouth, clearly frozen in shock or fear - and Zara wasn't about to judge. No, not tonight. Right now, all that mattered was making sure that Deviant was still functioning tomorrow.
Then, "Police!" someone yelled, the sound carrying through a broken window.
"Everybody freeze."
"Hands where I can see them!"
An entire group of officers rushed into the building, all of them with their guns drawn. Zara's eyes hung on the closest one. Her heart stopped. Her hands went numb and the extinguisher clattered to the floor. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. No guns. She didn't like guns. She didn't do guns!
But these were the cops. They were the good guys, just like Jason. Forcing herself to pull in a breath, she belatedly remembered to lift her hands like everyone else, but the tears had just broken free. She could feel them sliding down her cheeks and fought the urge to flee as an officer approached her.
"Leave her alone!" Chance snapped. "Zara has PTSD triggered by guns, and she works here!"
"I'm not moving," she whimpered.
"Who else is in the building?" the man demanded.
"Just the owner," Zara breathed. "She's with Crysis - the dog."
Then the door opened again. "FBI!" The voice belonged to Bradley.
"Do not fucking aim your weapon at my girlfriend," Jason warned. "Lower the gun, officer."
The man turned to reveal both Jason and Bradley standing there with their FBI badges visible. The cop before Zara sighed as if relieved. "Please tell me you know what's going on?"
Between Zara and Jason, the entire group had their hands up or on the backs of their heads. A cop was cuffing one guy. Another was behind Chance, patting him down. Bradley just began pointing.
"These four work here. Those..." He paused, his lips moving as he counted. "Six are the vandals. There's another woman in the building. Do not touch her. She has mental health issues that we've been made aware of."
"Zara?" Jason asked.
She jiggled her head. "I'm ok. I think I put the fire out."
"Fire department's outside," he said, making his way over to her. "They need this cleared before they can enter." Then he turned back to the cops. "All six of them need to be arrested. I'll contact my supervisor and see if he wants them transferred. These people are terrorists."
"Fuck that," one man grumbled.
"No?" Amy asked. "Then what the fuck are you, Drake? Still just a drug dealer?"
Jason turned to her and lifted a brow. "You know him?"
"My ex," Amy said. "The same one Chance had arrested. Meth dealer, and just out of jail." She lifted her chin at the guy. "Guess Chance beat your ass again, huh? Feel like a real man now?"
"You fucking him?" Drake demanded.
Mark huffed out a laugh. "Nope, she's fucking me. Says I'm a step up."
"Get 'em out of here," Bradley ordered. "You four - five... Whatever! Deviant, to the back." And he pointed to make sure the cops knew who could leave.
Zara turned and headed back into the warehouse, feeling like a kid who was about to get scolded. Yet, one step through the door, Jason's arms wrapped around her from behind and he hugged her so hard.
"I'm pretty sure we broke a few speed limits," he breathed against her ear. "Are you ok?"
She turned to bury her face against his chest. "I was fine until I saw the guns," she admitted. "I tried to tell myself he was a cop so it was ok, but it's not the same as when you have one."
He just tilted her face up and kissed her. "I will never let anyone hurt you, baby. I swear it." Then he pulled her against his chest again. "Dez?" he called out.
"Your dog won't stop licking me," she yelled back.
"Crysis!" Jason commanded.
The dog trotted around the wall that hid the entrances to the rooms, looked at him, then turned back, clearly not ready to leave Dez. Zara pulled away from his arms and made it clear he should go help. Right about now, she didn't really need too many people, and Zara knew Dez trusted Jason.
But Bradley hadn't followed them into the room. Everyone else was a few feet away checking on each other. Amy was making a fuss over Mark. Braden was kissing Rhaven's hands, while Chance had her face in his palm, like he was fussing over her too. Zara stepped closer, almost feeling like she was interrupting, but Rhaven turned to her in