the door opened and he snapped his fingers at Callum and pointed at the front door. “She’s in trouble.” He bolted to the front door and prayed Callum would follow him.
The street in front of the bar was empty. Killian sprinted to the alleyway. Bekki was struggling with the man, who was trying to push her into a car. “Hey! Leave her alone!” He shouted the words as he pounded down the alley.
Callum’s blond head bobbed up and down as he raced up from the back of the bar, pinning the man and Bekki between them.
She twisted and screamed, “He has a gun!” The man’s head swiveled and assessed his situation. Killian wasn’t stopping, and he’d reach the man a few moments before Callum. The asshole pushed Bekki into the side of the building and pointed his gun at Killian, firing twice.
Killian ducked and dodged but kept running. The man jumped into his car and threw the machine into reverse. The rear fender caught his leg, and he lost his balance, falling into the car and bouncing off into a stack of cardboard boxes. He lifted up as Callum raced by, trailing the vehicle. The man careened into the street and stuck his arm out of the window, firing his weapon. Callum dropped and Bekki screamed. The car’s tires squealed as the man put the vehicle into drive and veered toward Callum. Taggart appeared at the end of the alleyway. He leveled a shotgun at the ass-end of the car and fired. The vehicle swerved erratically and then raced away. Taggart made it to Callum and Killian hobbled toward Bekki.
“Oh, my God! Is he dead?” She grabbed onto Killian, her body shaking like a leaf.
“I don’t know.” He pulled her into his arms, and they moved as quickly as he could manage to the street. His brain engaged about halfway there and he pulled out his phone and dialed 911. “I’d like to report an attempted kidnapping and a shooting. Tipsy Tavern, Longshore.” He covered the phone. “Taggart, how is he?”
Taggart didn’t look away from Callum but shouted so he could be heard. “Bullet grazed his arm.”
They hobbled closer and Bekki asked, “Why is he still down?”
Taggart sighed and answered although he still didn’t move his focus from his friend. “The weapons firing. Callum’s having a flashback.”
“What can we do?” Killian asked although the only thing he wanted to do was hold Bekki and keep her safe. She was still shaking, or hell, it could have been him. He was jumpy as fuck and his eyes kept darting around, looking for that asshole to come back.
Taggart finally answered, “There’s nothing we can do, man. I just need to be here until he comes out of it. He doesn’t need an ambulance. We can clean up that bullet burn.”
They moved a bit closer and Killian noticed Taggart struggling to hold his friend down. “Do you need help?”
“No, he knows me, he won’t hurt me. If he sees anyone else, it will get worse. Just give us a couple minutes.”
Bekki shivered and he pulled her into a hug. Her arms banded around him. He coaxed her to move away.
“What the hell?” Mikey flew out of the bar.
“Keep everyone inside. The cops are coming,” Killian said as she stuttered to a stop on the sidewalk.
“Shit, is Callum having a flashback?” She looked at Killian.
Bekki nodded against his chest and sighed, “Yeah.”
“I heard the guns and knew it. I just knew it. Did you call an ambulance?”
“Taggart didn’t want us to call one,” Bekki answered.
“Yeah, not for Callum, for you. You’re bleeding, dude.”
Bekki gasped and moved away from his side. He looked down and groaned as the dull pain he’d been trying to ignore ignited in a flash of agony. Shit. He glanced down at his jeans. There was a rip just above the knee. He put his fingers in and yanked. A red, dark furrow dug through his skin just above the knee on the outside of his leg.
“Were you shot?” Bekki dropped to her knees and moved the fabric around.
Mikey leaned down and whistled. “I think that’s as close as you can get to being shot without actually being shot.”
“He was hit by the car, too. Would you please call an ambulance?”
“I don’t need one.” Killian shook his head.
Bekki lifted up and stepped into him. “Please, if for no other reason than to ease my worry?”
Killian shook his head. “I’m going to be sore and I’ll make sure to keep this clean,