Page 85 of Enchanted Hero
The man gave no warning. No pretense he was actually going to attempt murder.
He simply pulled the trigger.
The gunshot rang loud and clear. Shouts and cries, yells of pure anguish, sounded as everyone stared at their would-be-hero, searching for the telltale signs of blood.
There would be none.
“Are you all right?” a woman cried.
“Did he hit you?” a frightened child asked.
“Of course, I did!” the criminal yelled. But as everyone looked at Alexander, it was clear he hadn’t. Not after Alexander’s little enchantment.
He stepped forward. “It’s over.”
“No, it’s not.” The man fired once more, yet again no bullet flew. He glared at his gun, then at his cohort. “Tommy, shoot him!” With a growl, the burly man next to him obeyed. Though the gun roared, no bullet emerged.
“The guns are fake!” A hostage yelled. “Let’s go!” They started to rise, even as the criminals rushed forward. They may no longer be armed, but they were far from helpless, as they raced to stop their leverage from leaving.
Not today.
As the leader of the robbers grasped at a child, Alexander grasped him instead. “Nothing infuriates me more than a man who preys on children.” With his superior strength, he easily hefted the man into the air. He reached into his pocket, enchanting some handcuffs. Ten seconds later, the man was secured to a desk.
He turned to the second robber and restrained him as easily, then the third, fourth and fifth. A sudden commotion sounded as police burst through the door, guns drawn, yelling for everyone to get on the ground. Alexander raced back into the closet, pulling the door shut behind him.
That’s when he saw thesixthrobber.
“What happened?” the criminal cried as he exited the vault area, waving hisfully functionalgun in the air. Seeing the chaos before him, he pointed his weapon at the crowd of hostages.
It fired.
CHAPTER 15
The news alert flashed across Everleigh’s television screen, punctuated by neon yellow letters. The mysterious man had surfaced again, and this time he’d saved a roomful of hostages. The criminals were poised to shoot when the hero miraculously emerged from a closet, strolling out as if he’d stopped by to cash a check. After that, the criminals’ weapons mysteriously ceased working. It was unlikely, it was impossible. It was undeniablymagical.
Before the police could question him, he returned to the closet and slammed the door. The police opened it a second later to find it empty. No one knew where he’d gone, but there were a million theories. Most of them involved the supernatural.
Unfortunately, not everyone had been spared. There had been a sixth robber in the bank’s vault that was unknown to the police and newscasters. He’d managed a single shot before being subdued by police, but it was enough. A hostage had been hit. They weren’t sure he was going to make it.
Still, the carnage would have been far worse without the masked man, and once again he was being hailed a hero. Of course, they couldn’t thank him since no one knew his identity.
Unless she did.
A promotion for tomorrow’s press conference appeared on the screen. How could the conspiracy theorist get his own event? Did he possess evidence that convinced the news to take him seriously? Did he actually know the hero’s identity?
Was it Alexander?
She turned off the television. It was impossible. Alexander might seem all powerful, but no way could he really be all powerful.
Yet even the enchanter made mistakes. Tonight must have been devastating for him, the first save in which he didn’t prevent all disaster. Did he have anyone to talk to? Anyone with whom to share his worries?
She wandered aimlessly around the apartment, tracing surfaces, pacing in the small space. She gazed outside the window, at a sky that somehow seemed less brilliant without Alexander’s presence. She should go to bed, yet instead she grabbed her car keys and walked into the balmy night. She did not even contemplate her destination before entering her car.
What was she going to say when she reached Alexander’s home?In case you’re the hero who just thwarted a bank robbery, I’m sorry you had a rough night. Did you need someone to listen?Chances were she wouldn’t get past security.
But she did, just as he promised the first night they met. The guards didn’t even wait for her to speak before they opened the heavy gates and waved her through. She parked in front of the mansion and marched up to the massive doors. She lifted her hand to knock when the door opened.
Alexander Stone always seemed forceful, always powerful, yet he’d never been this intense. Like an uncontrollable force of nature, the sophisticated businessman was gone, replaced by dominance, authority and primal power. Raw emotion swirled, with too many facets to identify. She took a step back, or at least made the attempt, but he reached out so quickly he was like a blur. Suddenly she was moving forward, into his home.
