Brazen Tricks - Ali Dean Page 0,53

to make out what they’re saying. My body is pressed against the wall, not wanting them to see me the instant the door opens. The police will be here any minute, but I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this. A seriously unstable chick is in there with Jordan, and who knows what she’s planning to do.

I’m straining to overhear any word that might clue me in when two cops appear beside me. I didn’t even hear them approach. Damn, that’s a good sign they at least took my information on the situation seriously enough not to come charging in with sirens blaring. I get about one second of relief that this might turn out okay, and then we hear the gunshot.

The cops move at the same time I do, and the male officer cuts me off while the female one swings the door open, gun pointed.

I can’t see anything, the male officer now blocking the doorway, his back to me. It takes all my willpower not to shove him out of the way as I hear movements, grunts, and what I think might be a gun sliding across the tiled floor. Suddenly, the officer moves and I’m able to see the scene before us.

My eyes find Jordan first. She’s breathing heavily and kneeling on the ground. I go straight to her as I take in not Sydney, but Fliss, being restrained by the female officer while the other officer snaps handcuffs on her wrists. Fliss doesn’t say a single word, and her expression is eerie. Instead of the lovesick hero worship I’ve seen in the past on her face, she’s checked out, detached.

I move my gaze to Jordan and when I see she’s fixated on the scene in front of her, I start to pull her up. I’ve got the sudden urge to get her away from all of this, even if I know she’s safe now.

As I hold her by her elbows, my eyes scan her body, looking for injury. “You okay? Did she hurt you?”

Jordan shakes her head. “No, I’m fine.” Her eyes finally seem to focus on me and her body relaxes a touch. “You were waiting right outside, weren’t you?” she asks.

“I was against the wall because I didn’t know what was going on in here, but looks like the worst-case scenario I’d imagined. She had a gun on you?”

“Yeah. But it was knowing that you were probably standing out there that might have saved me. I almost opened the door like she wanted, but then suggested we use the back door. She seemed to have no problem shooting you if you were in the way, so I turned around to change direction. She was so close, I decided to just go for the gun. Well, I didn’t decide, it just happened.”

“Like the 720?” I blink a few times, reprimanding myself for asking such a dumb question when we’re talking about life and death.

But it makes Jordan smile. “Yeah, like that.”

“Is that when it went off?”

“It took a little but yeah, eventually I knocked it out of her hand and it went off. Were the cops waiting with you?”

“No, they arrived a second before we heard the gunshot.”

I don’t even realize I’m walking her backward toward the kitchen until her back hits the counter. Needing to reassure myself she’s okay, my lips move over her forehead and cheeks, brushing kisses as I pull her against me. “You’re all right.”

“So I know I was acting weird when you came in, but was it my fake phone call with my parents that tipped you off? I figured you’d know it was midnight there and they wouldn’t be calling so late.”

“No, actually that didn’t really cross my mind. Or I knew immediately from your expression that whatever you said was going to be off. I came back because I saw Sydney’s car in the lot. I thought it was Sydney hiding in here somewhere. Wait, do we know for sure she isn’t?” My arms tighten around Jordan and I swing my head around, looking up to the second story for movement.

“No, Fliss told me she was framing Sydney.”

I can’t get Jordan close enough, as if I’m the one needing comfort. Two more officers come in then and approach us. They have to take our statements, and I realize it’s not quite over yet, even as I watch the other two officers leave with Fliss. But at least we’re safe. Jordan’s safe. And we can finally do a