Free Everything to Lose by Katie Reus Page B

constricted at the thought of Sean hurt or wounded. After counting to five and saying a short prayer, she eased open the door and peered out.
    She tightened the grip on her gun as she stared at the backside of a man moving down the stairs in a perfectly measured pace. Her first instinct was to shout at him to get his attention but she had to make sure Sean was okay. If he came running to help and the other man shot him, she’d never forgive herself.
    Crouching low, she used the dim lighting to half walk, half crawl to the top of the stairs. The man in front of her was so focused on what he was doing, he didn’t even sense her presence. She wanted to shout out and alert Sean but couldn’t afford taking him off-guard.
    When the man reached the bottom of the stairs, she picked up her pace and practically slithered down the stairs trying to keep up. She could hear Sean talking, then there was silence and what sounded like a thud.
    Screw being quiet. She rushed around the corner and instinct took over. A man she didn’t recognize had both hands raised in defense and Sean was on the floor. She had no clue if he was injured and another man stood over his body.
    He heard her not-so-quiet entry and turned, gun raised. She fired first.
    She clipped his left shoulder. The impact threw him to the floor and his gun fell from his hands. Thanks to Sean she’d trained and practiced shooting but part of her had always wondered if she’d ever be able to actually shoot someone. Now she knew.
    “Son of a bitch!” he howled in pain and clutched his bleeding shoulder.
    Without bothering to ask questions, she pulled the handcuffs from her back pocket and threw them at the other man. “Put these on now and go sit in that corner!” she shouted and pointed to the area next to the front door.
    Eyes wide, he just nodded and did as she ordered. She’d never been so terrified or at a loss of what to do in her life. Careful to keep her distance from the man still groaning in pain, she bent down and felt Sean’s pulse.
    Her heart leapt. It was strong and he had no visible wounds. Since there wasn’t a house phone and she wasn’t about to leave the two men unattended she pulled out her cell phone to call the police.
    Then she realized she didn’t know where the hell she was except for somewhere in southern Georgia.
    Her heart seized as panic finally set in. Yeah, she wasn’t cut out to be a cop. Helping victims she could deal with. Shooting people? Not so much.
    Still crouching down, she gave Sean a few light slaps. He needed to wake up. She needed to know he was okay.
    The bleeding man tried to sit up and she aimed her gun toward him. “Don’t even think about it.”
    He mumbled a few curses and laid his head back down on the wood floor. She glanced at her cell phone and tried to think of a plan if Sean didn’t wake up soon. Screaming in frustration was the only thing that came to mind. She’d always kept her cool under pressure but for the first time in her life, she was absolutely panicked.
    Sean groaned and some of her fear subsided. His eyes opened into two slits and he smiled at her. “Shit Caitlyn, let go of my hand. You’re crushing all the bones.”
    She glanced down and realized she’d been holding on to him in a death grip. He pushed up took assessment of the situation and took the gun from her.
    He also took her cell phone and started making phone calls. For once, she didn’t mind him taking control.
    * * * * *
     
    Caitlyn pulled the blanket Sean had retrieved tighter around her shoulders and sat at the kitchen table. She wasn’t particularly cold but she couldn’t stop shaking. Her emotions were a tangled mess swirling around in her head. When it really counted, Sean hadn’t stood by his word. The reality broke her heart.
    One of the police officers brought her another cup of coffee. She vaguely remembered him introducing himself as Joseph earlier. Wrapping her fingers around the warm mug grounded her and helped to