Page 82 of Crossing Paths
Right as she was about to point him out to Dash, the guy’s chin tipped up, revealing his face.
Zach Fridley!
Before she had time to do anything except suck in a shocked breath, he pulled his hand out from under his jacket. The lights of the bar made it hard to see what was in his grip, but her stomach seemed to know even before her brain did.
“Gun!” This time, the word made it out of her mouth as Zach’s arm extended, pointing the pistol at the man right in front of her. Dash seemed so vulnerable, set apart from the crowd, with nothing between him and the weapon in Zach’s grip, nothing but useless air to slow down an oncoming bullet.
Before she could even think of what to do, her body burst into motion. She sprinted toward the side of the stage, her mind blank except for an all-encompassing need to keep Dash alive. She’d just found him. There was no way she was letting him die, not if she could stop it.
Time seemed to slow as she ran, as if her legs were caught in quicksand. She saw every detail, Zach’s squint and twitch as he extended the gun in front of him, his head slightly cocked as he sighted down the barrel, a small, ever-so-evil smile touching his face. Someone’s scream set off another, but it sounded muted to Norah, all her narrow focus pinpointed on Zach and the gun pointing at Dash.
Reaching the end of the stage, Norah didn’t plan, didn’t hesitate, but just flung herself off, diving straight toward the man about to shoot Dash. Her arms, outstretched in front of her, hit Zach in the chest first. He grunted at the impact as they both tumbled to the ground, the world spinning and jolting around her as something exploded with abangright next to her ear.
There was no time to think. Her body went on autopilot, muscle memory kicking in from all those sessions with Dash. When she finally went still and took what felt like her first breath since she’d spotted the gun in Zach’s hand, she realized she had him pinned on his back.
For a moment, she just stared into his angry eyes, shocked that she’d actually managed to subdue him, but then Dash was there.
“Good job.” Although his voice was calm, there was an extra gravelly growl underpinning it that told her how much he wanted to rip Zach’s head off. “Mind if I borrow him for a sec?”
She didn’t look at him, not wanting to be distracted from the guy on the ground. “You can’t kill him, Dash.”
“I don’t see why not.”
“I don’t want you deadorin prison.”
A couple of bouncers bent over them. “We’ve got him.”
Norah let Dash help her to her feet as the two security guys grabbed Zach none too gently. Before she could even steady her knees enough to support her, they weren’t needed any longer. Dash pulled her against his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her. At first, Norah thought she was the one shaking, but then she realized he was too.
“Are you okay?” She couldn’t get the image of the gun pointed at Dash out of her head. She ran her hands over whatever parts of him she could reach, checking for bullet wounds.
“AmIokay?” He barked out a rough laugh before clutching her closer. “You’re the one who dove off the stage and tackled someone holding agun—” His voice broke on the last word,and then his hands were on her shoulders, setting her back just enough so that he could see her. “Are you hurt? The gun went off. Did you get hit?”
She took the opportunity to look him over as well, her body sagging with relief when he appeared to be wholly unharmed. He gave her shoulders a small shake, and she looked back up at his face. “Oh, sorry. I’m fine…I think. Zach broke my fall, and he’s pretty doughy.” Glancing down at herself, she saw the skin of her upper arm through a hole in her sleeve. “Oh, my shirt’s ripped.”
Dash’s hand smoothed over the tear as if soothing an actual hurt. His fingers were trembling. “I thought we agreed this would be anonviolentdate.”
“Well, I couldn’t just let himshootyou.” Giddiness bubbled up in her now that she was starting to realize she’d done it. Dash hadn’t been shot, and she’d escaped without any obvious injury. She hugged him convulsively, trying to reassure herself that he wasn’t hurt. “Besides, I owed you a save. It was your turn to be tied to the railroad tracks.”
His laugh was more of a growl as he hugged her back. “No more. This is the last time. Can we agree on that?”
Leaning back, she frowned. “I don’t know if I can promise that. If you keep hanging out with me and my family, things tend to get a little…chaotic.”
“Well, I plan to keep hanging out with you,” he said. “Just try to keep the near-death scares to a minimum.”
“I will if you will.” Despite everything, she couldn’t hold back a smile. “So does that mean you want to try again to see if we can have a nice, nonviolent date?”
“Well, yes.” He sounded as if any other answer would be ridiculous. “I love you. Of course we’re going on more nice, nonviolent dates.”
“You do?” Her smile grew to a beam, even as he, Dash Porter, Mr. Stoic, actuallyrolledhiseyes.
“I already told you this.”
“When?”
“In the alley behind Dutch’s,” he said. “Do you not remember? Youwerepretty out of it.”
“Oh, I remember.” She remembered the many embarrassing things she’d said while under the influence of whatever Laken had dosed her with. “I just thought you were humoring the drugged girl.”
