Free 30 Seconds by Chrys Fey Page A

chin. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it.”
    “You better.”
    He gave her a long kiss. “Stay in bed where it’s warm.”
    “Yes, sir.” She winked at him. “Have I ever told you how sexy you are in your uniform?”
    “No.”
    She eyed him up and down. “Well, you are.”
    “Don’t look at me like that right now ’cuz I’d be tempted to stay. But do me a favor?” She nodded as he continued, “Keep that thought for when I return.” He planted a quick kiss on her lips and retreated.
    Lying in bed, she listened to his boots on the stairs, to the door close, and to the dead bolt slide into place.

Chapter Eight
    She was starving when she came down stairs after her shower. She fixed herself a hotdog topped with the works and a can of tomato soup with a spoonful of sour cream in the middle of the bowl. Full and content, she settled cross-legged on the couch with a tall, steaming cup of coffee and flipped through the channels. She grumbled. All that was on, at that time of day, were soap operas, talk shows, or game shows. None of them really appealed to her but she wanted to help the time pass. After a couple of flips through the channels, she settled on a popular soap with a ridiculously unrealistic storyline. In spite of herself, it consumed her attention in no time.
    A psycho had kidnapped a pretty girl and her hot boyfriend was coming to save her. The minutes were winding down and her boyfriend was so close to where the kidnapper had stashed her. Dani was on the edge of her seat when breaking news interrupted the show with five minutes left to the end.
    “Son-of-a—”
    “We have interrupted your regularly scheduled programming,” the reporter announced.
    “No kidding,” she muttered angrily. Now she wouldn’t know if the boyfriend got there in time.
    “Gunshots have been fired inside the Cleveland Police Station.”
    She stopped in the act of switching off the TV. “We’re going to Leslie Donald who is at the scene.” Her heart slowed when the image changed and she could see the police station. A dozen police cars were jammed in front of the building, their lights flashing. The doors to the police cars were open and officers huddled behind them with their guns drawn.
    “Leslie, what is happening?”
    “A group of twenty or so men stormed a Cleveland Police Station after one o’clock this afternoon with semi-automatic weapons, shot guns, and AK47s. There have been two explosions inside the building, possibly from grenades or other handheld devices. Many police officers were inside the building when the attack started, including the Chief of Police, Jackson Witten. The situation has been going on for over thirty minutes and it doesn’t seem to be letting up. Even now, you can hear multiple gunshots being fired. We don’t know yet if there have been any casualties”
    “Who are these men?” the anchor at the news station asked.
    “It has been confirmed that the men who stormed the police station are the ones responsible for killing ten police officers back in December.”
    Dani’s heart stopped. No, no, no.
    She watched the live feed, barely breathing. The gunfire never ceased, but every few minutes, it magnified as though a hundred guns were going off at once. A second S.W.A.T truck from a neighboring precinct arrived and heavily-suited men erupted from the back. Emergency vehicles were on standby.
    She sat in front of the TV, fear pumping through her like a drug, and her hands clamped around the remote because she was too afraid to let go of it .
    Maybe he’s not inside . Maybe he got stuck in traffic on the way to work. Maybe he was patrolling the streets when they attacked the station.
    So many maybes…
    She continued to watch as police officers from neighboring cities joined the chaos. They surrounded the building, stood beside their fellow men and women in arms, but no one went inside to help the officers fighting for their lives. They were waiting for the battle to end,