Especially when I thought of my phone conversation with Hector that morning.

Just the thought of that phone conversation gave me goose bumps, the good kind.

I’d let my guard down. I’d let him in. I’d shared my secrets. I’d opened a small door to a little place inside me and he’d slid in. I found he not only fit, he seemed comfortable there and I liked it.

But, better, it seemed he liked being there. Not just a little, a lot.

And sensing that, the severed edges torn apart in my heart that I thought would never heal felt whole again.

“No time for Vegas,” Jet said, taking me out of my thoughts. I glanced at her and she was looking out the window then her eyes came to me. “Double H is here,” she finished on a grin.

I rolled my eyes at her use of “Double H”, turned in my seat and looked out the big, front window to see Hector slamming the door on the Bronco. Fortnum’s was on a corner and he’d parked on the cross street, opposite the store.

I watched as he caught the light just right and started to jog across the four lanes of Broadway.

He looked good jogging. Natural, cool, casual, his body at his command and I liked watching him, so much, I felt my heart start to beat a little faster and my mouth began to form a smile.

That’s when the shots rang out.

I froze, heard startled cries but my eyes stayed riveted on Hector as his body jerked, he bent over, now running, his hand going to the back of his jeans, I saw him pull out a gun.

That’s all I saw.

I was lifted bodily from the couch. This surprised me and I let out a little scream, not only because of the surprise but because I was being carried away and I couldn’t see Hector around Bobby’s big body.

“Put me down!” I yelled, squirming in his arms until I could see around his massive shoulders. I caught a glimpse of Hector crouched in front of a car in front of Fortnum’s. He pulled up slightly, arms cocked and out in front of him, pointed upward, gun hand resting in his other palm and he fired once.

I lost sight again when my bottom was planted on the book counter and, without hesitation, Bobby put a hand in my chest and gave me a shove. As I fell backward, arms wheeling around to regain balance, I noticed movement all around the store. Indy was shouting at customers to stay in the store and move to the book aisles.

Then before I fell, strong hands came to my waist and I was yanked over the other side of the counter. My feet hit the floor and Duke pressed into me until we were both hunkered down, Duke’s big body mostly covering mine.

I heard pounding feet, more cries, more gunshots and, in a panic, I tried to surge up but Duke kept solid.

“Stay still!” he ordered.

“Hector!” I shouted toward the floor (which was my forced vantage point, Duke had my head tucked down with one of his hands) and I continued to push against Duke’s bulk.

“Still!” Duke repeated, pressing into me.

“Shots fired. Fortnum’s bookstore, Bayaud and Broadway.” I heard Tex boom from across the room, obviously on the phone then in a louder boom, “Loopy Loo, don’t worry about the customers, get to cover, now!”

“Oh my God,” I breathed and Tex continued.

“Hector Chavez is the target. He’s outside with Bobby Zanzinski, both are returnin’ fire.”

“Oh my God,” I breathed again.

I felt movement, Duke was jostled and I was able to lift my head a bit. I saw Jet shove a customer behind the book counter with us. They both got low, sat on their behinds, knees up, backs to the shelves.

“Bobby’s gone out,” Jet told Duke, her face pale.

I looked at Duke and saw his mouth grow tight as more gunshots could be heard.

My eyes moved back to Jet.

“This isn’t happening,” I told her stupidly because it was… fucking… happening.

“Stay calm, darlin’.” Duke’s gravelly voice came at me and my eyes sliced to him.

“You stay calm!” I snapped, again trying (and failing) to push at him. “My boyfriend’s out there!”

“He knows what he’s doin’ and there ain’t no way you can help him,” Duke shot back.

My heart racing, I glared at Duke, knowing he was right. Then I glared at Jet then at the trembling female customer who was huddled next to Jet and who looked like one of those grunge rock band people who needed a shower and shampoo.

Without any option open to me, I did the only thing I could do.

I made an empty threat.

“All I can say is, if this is a Balducci, I’m hunting him down and I’m going to rip his heart out with my bare hands and use it as a soccer ball!”

The Grunge Customer stared at me and slid a little closer to Jet.

I heard sirens and noticed that there weren’t any more gunshots.

“The shots have stopped,” I told Duke immediately.

“Stay low,” Duke replied.

“We need to see if Hector and Bobby are all right,” I went on.

“Sadie, stay low,” Duke repeated.

Even though I really didn’t want to, I stayed low and tried to deep breathe.

This was hard.

My eyes locked on Jet’s. She nodded reassuringly to me, put her arm around the trembling customer and pulled her close. I nodded back and pulled in more breath but no matter how deep they were, I couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen in my lungs.

We waited what seemed like four days.

Four long days.

Finally, I heard Bobby say from the front of the store, “Tex, Duke, Shirleen, we’re movin’ Sadie out.”

Before I could react to Bobby being back, Duke hauled me up and hustled me out from behind the book counter.

I saw Bobby, alive, no bullet holes or blood visible, seemingly fit as a fiddle standing at the door, gun in his hand. The black Nightingale Explorer was pulled up on the sidewalk right outside the front door.

“Hector?” I asked Bobby.

“He’s fine,” Bobby answered.

I pulled in more breath and finally felt oxygen hit my lungs.

Then, as if she couldn’t hear Bobby, I shouted toward the book counter, “Jet, he’s fine!”

“I heard! Get gone!” Jet’s voice shouted back.

“Indy?” I yelled.

“I’m fine, go!” I heard Indy yell back from behind the espresso counter.

“Tod, Stevie?” I called.

“Girlie, go!” Tod called back from somewhere in the bookshelves. “We’re fine.”

Before I could do any more, Shirleen, Tex and Duke got close and hurried me out while Bobby kept his gun up and his eyes peeled. In seconds flat, I was out the door, in the back of the Explorer and the door was closed. Shirleen climbed into the passenger side, Bobby behind the wheel and we took off.