Standing there, as good as a blind mouse, her sense of absurdity took over. Why else would she think about her apartment, and the plants that would die without her?
And, oh God, she was wearing under wear with a rip in the elastic. Her mother had warned her about that, hadnt she, about getting in an accident with torn panties? Now everyone in the hospital would know.
If she even made it to a hospital.
Her parents would be contacted and told the truth. Their daughter had died before becoming someone. Anyone. And shed died in old underwear.
It would kill them.
A shot rang out, and Angie automatically jerked. Then some thing slammed into her captor, hard enough to loosen his hold on her. The momentum sent her to her knees with a bone-jarring crunch. Someone screamed.
And screamed.
Pandemonium seemed to strike and Angie lifted her head, squinting like crazy, but it was no use-everything was out of focus.
She could hear and feel though, so that when she was scooped up against a warm, hard chest, her hair shoved out of her eyes by a big, callused palm, she somehow instinctively knew who had her.
Mr. Knock-Me-Over-Magnificent.
Her hero.
Are you all right? Sam OBrien demanded.
When the womans huge eyes just blinked up at him, he swore to himself. Heart thudding, he tipped her head back, his fingers running over her neck, looking for the wound as he went cold inside.
Amazingly enough, he found nothing but a slight scratch, and lots of warm, creamy skin with soft, satiny light brown hair that had escaped its confines.
You okay? he pressed, needing to hear her, his voice rough with concern and rushing adrenaline.
Again she blinked those big, dark brown eyes, then squinted. Icant see very well. Everything is fuzzy.
His heart wedged in his throat. Had she hit her head? Damn it, despite everything, had she gotten hurt?
It had been every off-duty cops greatest nightmare as hed stood in line watching the at tempted robbery take place. Hed had no backup, no radio, nothing but the comforting weight of his own gun at his back.
And too many possible victims to count.
Hed been forced to wait until the punk with the knife had turned away, knowing if he moved too soon the woman would die right in front of his eyes.
So hed held his breath while shed been cruelly shaken and manhandled, biding his time so that he didnt get her killed.
Finally hed had his moment and hed fired.
The bad guy was now bleeding, unconscious on the floor, and this wide-eyed beauty in his arms appeared to be going into shock.
Get an ambulance, he barked to the growing crowd, but he could hear the siren in the distance. Good. Okay, he said, squeezing the womans arm. Theyre on their way, youre going to be fine.
Im not hurt. I just cant see well. Is hedead?
Sam glanced over, saw the chest rising and falling on the perp. No.
Using Sams shoulder for leverage, she sat up and pushed at the hair falling in her face. She reached down to pull at her torn sweater, then patted her hands on the floor, searching while still wrapped securely in his embrace.
What are you doing?
I need my glasses.
Sam glanced around him as police stormed the building. The customers seemed to be still shell-shocked and only started moving when the police ordered them to walk single file out of the bank.
Do you see them? she asked, her voice full of worry that was probably not related in the slightest to her lost glasses, but more to shock.
Inches away, next to the body sprawled out and now moaning as he was being worked on by paramedics who just arrived, were the glasses. Crushed.
She let out a soft sigh when he handed them to her, then she leaned back to rest against his strong, sturdy frame. This is turning out to be a really bad day, she said, looking calm, too calm. In-shock calm.
You were nearly killed. He remained sitting on the floor, the fragile beauty in his arms and gestured to a paramedic, who held up a finger to indicate hed be right there. Its okay to fall apart a little.
I dont fall apart. And yet her voice wobbled in the growing din around them. My glasses
I dont fall apart. And yet her voice wobbled in the growing din around them. My glasses
Can be replaced. Your life sure as hell cant.
Yes. Yes, youre right. You saved my life. I cant thank you enough for what you did.
Its okay, he said, not giving a damn about a thank-you.
But I have no idea what would have happened if you hadnt jumped right in. You were wonderful, so brave.
Obviously she was completely unaware he was a cop and, as such, paid to be brave.
In fact, let me- She shifted against him and fumbled for her purse, which by some miracle was still hanging off her arm. I want to give you
Was she for real? She wanted to pay him?
But the tremor that racked her was very real and she went suddenly, absolutely still. Im sorry, she whispered, clutching her purse to her chest with a heart breaking expression. In her fist she held something that she smoothed out.
A paycheck for 198.00 made out to Angie Rivers.
I never got to make my deposit. She squinted at it. I have my tips, but theyre not much.
She looked as though maybe she didnt ever have much, but he held his tongue as an unwelcome wave of emotion washed over him.
He hated this, he really did. All hed wanted to do was to shift some money to his checking account, then head over to his partner and best friend Lukes house for pizza and beer.
Instead hed stopped a bank robbery, and now he sat on the floor, holding the most amazing woman, feeling everything hed trained himself not to feel.
Finally the paramedics descended on them, taking the still shell-shocked woman from his arms. Sam rose to his feet, thankful to be free of the victim.
Even if his arms felt empty.
He had no idea why he followed her. She was sweetly arguing with the medics that she was fine, that she needed to hurry up and deposit her check and get back to work, she had tables to wait.
The on-duty officers stopped her. They needed her statement, which she gave. Then it was his turn, and they pulled him aside from where hed been standing, watching over her.
When it was done, in front of all the wit nesses and far too many blood sucking reporters that had come out of the wood works, Angie reached out for him and hugged him. I just wanted to thank you again, she said, pulling him close, nearly squeezing the very life out of him with her nervous, awkward embrace.
His arms wrapped around her before he could stop himself, and when she placed a loud, smacking kiss on his cheek, he sucked in a hard breath, shocked. He, Sam OBrien, shrewd detective and hardened, cynical cop, who was never shocked by anything.
She swiped at what he could only assume was lip gloss, which smelled like a bowl of peaches and cream. Sorry, she whispered, then beamed at him, her fingers still on his cheek, and because she was so close, he couldnt help but feel her fingers tremble, see her smile wobble.
Ah, hell. Youre not okay.
Yes, I am. Really. But her smile was definitely shaky around the edges. You were my hero today. I wish I could say I hadnt needed one, but I did, and thank God you were here. I only hope someday I can somehow return the favor and do some thing this big for you.
Before he could so much as blink, she was walking away.
Only to be mobbed by the press.
Sam watched them deluge her with questions, shoving their microphones in her face.
Just walk away, he told himself.
But Angies expression went from shock to lost, and he let out one pithy oath before striding over there. Go, he said into her ear, his hand at the small of her back, giving her a little push. Ill hold them off.
That won him a smile that stopped him in his tracks.
For some reason-it couldnt be anything as simple as her smile-Sam stood there long after shed fled. Long enough to get him his own mob of reporters.
As a rule, he really hated the press. Most cops did. His dad had. It was one of those things he remembered about him. That, and how much his dad had loved everything else about being a cop. One of Sams first memories was of standing in front of the mirror, wearing his fathers police hat and holding up his fingers in a solemn vow to serve and protect.
Hed been four.
His conviction had held stead fast, even after his father had been killed in the line of duty during a routine traffic incident gone awry that same year.
So while Sam stood there, being thanked for his quick reactions, being hailed a hero, he felt only a bone-deep weariness.
He wasnt a hero, not even close. He was just doing his job.
When Sam finally made it home to his modest, quiet condo, he realized hed for got ten to go to Lukes.
Hed for got ten the beer, the pizza.
Hed for got ten every damn thing, which was very unlike him.
To add to the insult, he dreamed about soft, creamy, satiny skin, and chocolate-brown eyes. Dreamed about her lithe yet curvy body and how it had felt against his. Dreamed about her voice, the intoxicating mix of sweet innocence and wild sexiness.
Dreamed about the woman to whom it all belonged.
Angie Rivers.
Chapter 2
When Angie woke up the next morning, every single light in her apartment was glaring. Wincing, she rolled over and hid her eyes from the brightness shed used to ward off her silly fears during the night.
So shed nearly been killed. So what? Shed survived, hadnt she? And the bad guy had been caught, so she didnt really need to send her electric bill through the roof.
But shed probably do the same tonight.
She really wished shed somehow managed to save herself yesterday. Then shed have felt stronger during the night. Invincible.
Maybe next time.
Getting up, putting on an old pair of glasses to replace the broken ones, she took comfort in her small, cozy and slightly messy apartment. Small and cozy being nice words for what was really postage-stamp sized.
But cluttered or not, it was clean, it was her home, and she refused to let anyone frighten her here.
There. Take that, monsters. Im not frightened.
In the bathroom, she gave herself a good, long, hard look in the mirror. She appeared to be the same as yesterday, average height, average body, average everything.
But she wasnt the same, not at all, and wouldnt be ever again. You know what? No more simply existing, she told her reflection. Thats not good enough for you.