Page 68 of Clumsy in Love

Holly’s pulse flew into overdrive. The last thing she saw before the doors closed was Cruz turning his gun on Cole. The last thing she heard was a gunshot.

The doors sealed shut, and the elevator jolted upward on its way to the twelfth floor. Desperate to find out what had happened in the lobby, she punched at the tree of buttons, wanting off as soon as possible. The elevator stopped at floor five, and she exited.

If Cole shot Cruz, she would be fine. But if Cole had been hit, she would need to hide or find a way out of here. Was it possible she’d just witnessed Cruz kill a third cop? She prayed with everything she had.Please let Cole be okay. She repeated the mantra over and over.

She left her suitcase in an alcove by the ice machine and sprinted down the hall to the stairwell. Cautiously, she opened the door, peeking inside before slipping in. She descended the stairs to the first floor and waited, listening for any clue as to what was happening outside.

Realizing the stairwell wasn’t near the elevator, she slipped out into the lobby and came around from the opposite direction to the elevator bay. A crowd had gathered, and she couldn’t see past it, but she dared not go any closer. If Cruz was still alive, she had to stay hidden.

Finally, she heard his voice. Music to her ears. Cole! Thank God. He was barking orders, telling people to stand back. She pushed her way into the crowd and almost fell when she popped through the other side. Their eyes locked, and he froze. His shoulders visibly relaxed, and he reached her in two long strides.

“Holly.” He pulled her into his arms.

“Cole.” She exhaled into his neck. They stayed cemented together, holding tight until two uniformed police officers arrived. Cole let her go and held up his hands, letting the gun dangle from a finger.

“Off-duty PD,” he said. “Badge is in my front pocket.”

One of the uniforms approached cautiously and reached into Cole’s pocket, pulling out the shiny piece of metal that proved he was law enforcement.

“What happened?” the patrolman asked.

Cole told them quickly and efficiently. “Call the five-four. They’ll confirm.”

The policeman nodded, and he and his partner started pushing the bystanders back, asking for witnesses as they went. Holly knew she would have to give a statement too, but for now, she was laser-focused on Cole.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, looking her up and down. “You?”

“Fine.”

“When I heard you scream…” He shook his head.

“Knee-jerk reaction. Tried to scare him off like a bear,” she said, waving her hands in demonstration.

“Jazz hands don’t fend off bullets, Holly.”

“I’m not dead.”

He chuckled. “It did distract him long enough for me to get in position.”

“How did Cruz know I was here?” she asked. “He was supposed to be across town.”

“Don’t get me started,” he said, a hint of anger in his voice.

“What areyoudoing here?”

“I caught wind of this hasty, harebrained plan. When I found out they hadn’t assigned anyone to protect you, I came myself.”

“Oh. Well, I’m glad you did.”

“So, why are you here?”

“I decided to testify,” she said. “But they’d already let Cruz go. I was trying to help get him rearrested.”

“By using yourself as bait? Holly, do you know how dangerous that was?”

“Detective Flanigan said I’d be nowhere near him!”

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