Page 60 of Married to Murder
Gordon inched closer, stepping in front of Tanner and earning an angry look from Crater. “Listen, I can make you a very, very rich man. All you have to do is walk away and not hurt anybody.”
Crater scowled. “You’re missing the whole point, buddy. This isn’t just about the fucking money. It’s about my rep. My brand.”
“Yeah, but if you’re rich enough, who the fuck cares what your brand is?” Gordon gave a stiff smile.
“I care,” snapped Crater. “Now move back, or I’ll just shoot you both.”
“No.” Gordon shook his head. His face was flushed, and his fear radiated off him, but he stood his ground.
Crater rolled his eyes. “What the fuck? I don’t have time for this hero act.” He cocked his gun. “Move.Now, old man.”
“Gordon, you should move,” Tanner said softly, his voice shaking.
Gordon ignored him. “I called 911 the minute you came in, Crater. Just FYI.”
Crater’s face flushed and his angry gaze glittered. “Excuse me?”
“I knew you were trouble the second you came in, so while you were acting all tough for these two, I dialed 911 on the phone near the register and just set the receiver on the desk.”
Stepping forward, Crater scanned the cash wrap. When his eyes stopped on the phone with the receiver lying on the counter, he pulled his lips tight over his teeth, fury sparking in his dark eyes. “That was fucking stupid.”
“I figured even if you killed us, at least you’d get caught.” Gordon leaned heavily on his cane, his breaths coming quickly.
“You think you’re a fucking hero, Grandpa?” Crater snarled, lifting the gun and pointing it at Gordon’s face.
“Don’t. Please.” My voice shook as terror rippled through me.
Gordon moved so fast I don’t think Crater saw it coming. He swung his cane around and cracked it against the side of Crater’s head. The blow seemed to stun the gunman for a split second, and Gordon took that opportunity to lunge at him, tackling him to the ground. The two men landed on the hard floor with a grunt, and they started wrestling for the gun.
I was frozen for a moment, fear and shock warring with each other. But then I moved forward, just as Tanner did the same. I knelt beside them and punched Crater’s face, hoping that would make him drop the gun. But he just cussed at me and kept hold of the weapon, slowly twisting his wrists until the gun was pointing at Gordon. Tanner grabbed Crater’s hands, trying to aim the gun away from Gordon’s body.
“Drop it,” Tanner growled, still struggling to control the direction of the gun.
“Fuck you,” hissed Crater.
There was a loud bang and Gordon’s body jerked. The smell of sulfur filled my nostrils, and panic gripped me as Gordon slumped off Crater. “Gordon!” I yelled, moving toward his crumpled body.
Tanner punched Crater’s face over and over. “You fucking asshole,” he snarled. “God damn you.”
The front door of the shop banged open, and two cops came in with weapons drawn. “Keep your hands where we can see them, and get on the ground,” one of them growled.
I ignored them, instead hovering over Gordon. I rolled him over, and his eyes were open but glassy. “Gordon, shit.” I pressed my hand to his shoulder where there was a hole in his shirt and a red stain spreading. “You better not die. God damn it, Gordon.” My eyes welled up, and I didn’t care when a hot tear streaked down my face. “Please, Gordon.”
Crater was behind me cussing and snarling as the cops struggled to subdue him. I had to trust they had things under control because I was focused on Gordon.
Gordon blinked up at me, giving me a weak smile. His face was so white it was unsettling, and his eyes seemed black against his pale skin. “Are you two okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. You better not die, Gordon.” I pressed harder on his shoulder. “We need an ambulance!” I yelled to the cops.
Tanner appeared beside me, looking horrified. “Shit, Gordon.”
“He’s bleeding so much,” I muttered, my gut aching with fear.
“They called for medical help. He’ll… he’ll be okay.” Tanner sounded firm, but I caught the glimpse of fear in his gaze.
“I’m so sorry, Tanner,” A tear slipped from Gordon’s eye. “I wish I could go back in time and fix things.”
A lump rose in my throat when Tanner touched Gordon’s forehead. “Shhh. Don’t think about that right now. Just think about getting better.” Tanner’s voice was soothing.
