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Ro
She almost smiled. “I don't usually carry a gun during the day, but I knew I'd be with you.”
“Is that an insult?” I asked.
“No,” she said, “reality.”
I couldn't argue with that. I sat down on the cool stone steps; my knees felt weak. The adrenaline was draining out of me, like water from a broken cup.
Bruce was in the doorway, ice pale. “He … he tried to kill you.” His voice cracked with fear.
“Do you recognize him?” I asked.
He shook his head over and over again, rapid jerky movements.
“Are you sure?”
“We … we do not … condone violence.” He swallowed hard, his voice a cracking whisper. “I don't know him.”
The fear seemed genuine. Maybe he didn't know him, but that didn't mean the dead man wasn't a member of the church. “Call the police, Bruce.”
He just stood there, staring at the corpse.
“Call the cops, okay?”
He stared at me, eyes glazed. I wasn't sure if he heard me or not, but he went back inside.
Ro
“Jesus,” she whispered.
“Yeah.” I still held my gun loose-gripped in my hand. The danger seemed to be over. Guess I could put away the gun. “Thanks for pushing me out of the way,” I said.
“You're welcome.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “Thanks for shooting him before he shot me.”
“Don't mention it. Besides, you got a piece of him, too.”
“Don't remind me.”
I stared at her. “You all right?”
“No, I'm well and truly scared.”
“Yeah.” Of course, all Ro
I heard the distant whoop-whoop of police sirens. They must have been damn close, or maybe it was another killing. Possible. Would the police believe he was just a fanatic trying to kill The Executioner? Maybe. Dolph wouldn't buy it.
The sunshine pressed down around us like bright yellow plastic. Neither of us said a word. Maybe there was nothing left to say. Thank you for saving my life. You're welcome. What else was there?
I felt light and empty, almost peaceful. Numb. I must be getting close to the truth, whatever that was. People were trying to kill me. It was a good sign. Sort of. It meant I knew something important. Important enough to kill for. The trouble was, I didn't know what it was I was supposed to know.