Page 86 of Jam and Jingle Bells
He grabbed my wrists and held them. “I’m fine. I’m okay, just take a breath,” he ordered, breathing with me in and out several times.
“Addie Collop, Bells Pass Police!” came a voice from outside. “Addie, it’s safe to come out. It’s Officer Dennison. Turn the lights on if you can,” he ordered.
Ellis fumbled for the door lock and reached around with his hand to flip the lights on before we stepped out of the bathroom. Gabe and his partner were standing by the shattered door, their hands on their guns.
“We’re fine,” I called as soon as they saw us. “We’re okay.”
I skirted the glass on the floor the best I could to get to the door. “Don’t reach in, let me unlock it,” I said, afraid they’d cut their arm on the glass.
Before he could say anything, his radio crackled to life and we heard four words no one ever wanted to hear. “Shots fired! Officer down!”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I sank to the couch and put my head in my hands, both of them still shaking. There was a knock on the door and then my mom’s voice could be heard loud and clear. Ellis whipped it open and my mom rushed in, followed by Stan. She was hugging me before I could even stand up.
“Baby,” she whispered, her voice choked. “It’s okay,” she soothed, rubbing my back to calm my shaking.
“Mom, it’s not okay. They shot a cop!”
“Shhhh,” she whispered, her cheek on my head. “I know. I checked before we came over and he’s in surgery, but he’s going to live.”
Ellis sat down on the other side of me and Stan rested his butt on the coffee table. We were all silent, unsure of what to say, think, or even do.
“I was just giving him his birthday present,” I stuttered, my breathing ragged. “They started shooting.” I moaned in frustration, the anger making me shake as much as the fear. “What the hell is wrong with people?”
Ellis rubbed my thigh calmly. “Addie, I want you to stay up here while Stan and I go down and board the windows.”
I grasped his shirt in my hand. “No, don’t go down there. The shooters got away!”
“Honey, we have to protect the salon. We don’t want people walking in off the street.”
Stan knelt and tipped my chin up. “We got you, Addie. Just relax. They shot a cop. They’re long gone and not coming back. Let us protect the salon and then we’ll take you to our place.”
I had my hands over my mouth, my mind racing while trying to sort out what had to happen first. They were right. The door first, then everything else. “I don’t know where to get plywood,” I said, as we heard a faint noise on the stairs.
Ellis stood as pounding and yelling ensued that could only be associated with one person. Ivy. He opened it to an anxious Ivy, Mel, and Holly, who had definitely been rolled out of bed. Ellis stepped aside to let them in and we heard a screw gun from downstairs.
Ivy was next to me instantly, her arm around my shoulder. “Mason and Shep are covering the door right now. Don’t worry about a thing. We’ve got you,” she promised, her voice soft and calming.
“Thank you,” I whispered into her ear. “Has anyone gotten an update on Officer Wilson?”
Ivy shook her head slightly and my mom checked her phone, nodding as she read a text. “He’s out of surgery. Through and through of his left leg. He’s already asking when he can get out of there to help his partner.”
I leaned my head back on the couch and sighed. “Thank God. I can’t believe he got hurt because of me. This is so unfair.”
Ivy grabbed my arm forcefully until I made eye contact. “He didn’t get hurt because of you. He got hurt because of some asshole who thought he was above the law.”
“Ahem, language, Aunt Ivy,” Holly scolded from where she stood by the Christmas tree. “Santa’s watching.”
We burst into giggles and had to take a moment to compose ourselves. Leave it to a child to bring the only bit of levity to the situation we were in. I held my arms out and she ran to me, vaulting over the coffee table and into my lap where she hugged my neck.
“I’m sorry your door got broken, Addie. I’ll help you clean up the glass after Dad and Uncle Shep finish putting the board up.”
I rubbed her back and inhaled the scent of her lavender shampoo. “Thank you, baby girl, but it can wait until morning. I don’t want anyone to get cut on the glass in the dark.”
That was a lie. I didn’t want anyone down there any longer than necessary. I couldn’t risk someone getting shot again. The rest could wait until tomorrow when the sun was out and everything wasn’t dark and scary. She rested her tired head on my shoulder and I stroked her hair as much for me as her.
There were footsteps on the stairs and Mason stuck his head in. “Gabe is back. He’d like to talk to you.”
