Page 38 of Stunts and Sparks

Then there was a loud thud on the door, and another. A cracking sound told Heather he was succeeding in bringing the door down. “They’re here,” she told the dispatcher on the other end of the line.

The dispatcher responded with a question. “Are they armed?”

“Most likely,” Heather said. “They’re breaking down the door.”

“Sit tight. The police are only a few minutes away,” the dispatcher said, but Heather wasn’t all that comforted.

The door finally gave way, and a shaft of light burst into the room followed by the shadow Heather knew would be the bulk of the muscle coming through. Then he flipped the light on, and Cole fired his gun.

He didn’t hit the muscle. Likely, he was blinded by the light. But the sound of the weapon going off was enough to make the muscle and anyone else who happened to be at the door to back off fast. They hid around the outside of the door and shot once into the office — just to show they meant business, Heather imagined.

But Cole meant business, too, and though he had a limited number of rounds, Heather knew he would use them wisely. “I’ll take the first shot I can get!” he shouted to the men outside the office. “I’m through playing these stupid games! I mean it!”

His voice was so threatening, even Heather shuddered at the sound of it. She had to remind herself that it was him, in fact,who was the one protecting her. And as soon as she remembered that, she felt instantly more hopeful about her situation.

“They’re right outside our door,” Heather whispered into the phone. “They have weapons, but so do we. We’re in the office in the back. Please, hurry.”

“One minute away,” the dispatcher said, and Heather found herself holding her breath.

Without tearing his eyes from his target, Cole spoke to Heather. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, sweetheart, just in case I don’t make it out of this.”

“We’re going to make it out,” she assured him.

But he wasn’t listening. “I love you,” he said. “I love you more than anyone else in the entire world right now. And if I give my life to protect you, it will be my honor.”

“Cole,” she said. She could barely breathe. Then she heard the sound of hope outside — sirens coming closer.

“Can you hear them?” the dispatcher asked.

“Yes,” she hissed. Then she glanced back up at Cole and said, “I love you too, you dork, so don’t go doing anything stupid.”

A grin grew on his face, though he kept his weapon pointed at the door. “I never do anything stupid.”

“That’ll be a point of disagreement between us for a long time, I think,” she said under her breath. “And it’s an argument you’re going to lose one day.”

“Are you suggesting we’ll be together for a long time?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Obviously.”

“I’ll take those odds, then.”

Just then, she heard more voices. One shouted, “Police! Hands in the air!” And Heather knew it was finally over. Their kidnappers were definitely crazy, but they weren’t self-destructive or stupid. They dropped their weapons and showed their hands to the police, who rushed in to arrest them.

“How many of you are there?” the police demanded, but the kidnappers didn’t answer.

“There are four of them!” Heather answered. “Four!”

She heard a woman’s voice say, “Thank you.” Then one of the officers, the woman who had just responded, Heather thought, made her way into the office.

Cole laid his gun on the desk and put his hands up to show he had no other weapon. Heather also put her hands in the air because it seemed like the right thing to do at the moment.

The police officer said, “You’re both good. It’s over.”

And for the first time in what felt like weeks, Heather breathed a sigh of relief.

Cole and Heather sat together at the police station, waiting for their ride to arrive. They had both been interviewed for hours about the two incidents they suffered through, and the whole time, neither one of them would let go of the other’s hand.

They clung together on the couch in that chilly room until the door finally opened, and Heather gasped to see her momstanding in its frame. She leapt up and threw her arms around her mother’s neck.

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