Chapter 12

Emily filled my head for the next few weeks. Her able bodied, full-on, participation in our romp was exactly what a growing boy needed. Each time I caught sight of her and Nick coming or going from their home, she shot me a secret smile full of meaning. At least that’s how I chose to read her expressions.

Being nearly fifteen – again – with nothing of substance to do and no family around me was beginning to wear on me. Like virtually every other man on earth, I needed a purpose. Without one there was a real chance of going stir crazy. I searched for something – anything – to give me that purpose without success.

Then purpose came looking for me.

The Florida winter sky reminded me of the sky in North Carolina just before a heavy snow. I flinched as I headed from the house to the Jag. My personal fire hydrants were sitting this trip out, as I needed time to myself and they knew it. Just before pulling out of the driveway I put the car back into PARK and ran in to grab my Smith semi-automatic pistol. The larger of the two fire hydrants raised his eyebrow as I strode past, tucking everything in to hide the bulge. I smiled and kept right on walking. Being armed felt better to me.

As things turned out, that was a very good decision.

The Magic Kingdom didn’t do it for me, so I headed over to International Drive to see what there was to see. I was restless, aimless and feeling like a fish out of water. The taste and smell of Emily’s body was stuck so deeply in my head that I needed to find someone to help me kick it loose.

Having that nymph spend one night in my big bed had twisted me around so badly I was in danger of losing perspective. Emily was Nick’s wife. She was never going to be my partner, except for those stolen afternoons and evenings when we both tossed off our clothes and made wild, passionate love. What I needed was another woman to turn me every which way but loose.

Instead I walked into a blood bath.

Three rapid fire gunshots echoed down International Drive, and I could hear the first screams as people reacted. It seemed to be coming from outside of a luxury hotel at the next intersection. I checked to make sure my gun was right where I wanted it, and then sprinted towards the screaming.

As I neared the scene I could just make out a woman’s body on the ground in such a tortured looking position that she had to be dead, or the pain of lying like that would have forced her to move. Beyond her were four others huddled behind what looked like a concrete garbage can holder, obviously trying not to become the second victim. I could hear their sobs and, as I got nearer, I could hear some of what they were saying. Looking around for the shooter was the best choice I could have made, as an armed man wearing a knitted mask had just spotted me and was bringing his rifle up to sight in on me.

To break his concentration I fired four times, quickly, right at him. He realized I wasn’t running, and I wasn’t ducking for cover, so he fired and ran to my right trying to reach the ground floor doorway of the hotel. If he got in there it was going to give him a huge advantage and endanger a lot of other people, so I stopped running towards him, aimed carefully but quickly, and took him down with my sixth shot.

Good.

Problem solved, right?

Uhhhh ... not so fast grasshopper.

A second shooter opened up on me from the far corner of the hotel. He was using the corner of the building for cover, while shooting as fast as he could in my direction. From the sound of things, added to the fact that I wasn’t hit – yet – I knew I had time to dive, roll and find a safer place to return fire. Even as I dove, I saw the hotel door opening and an unsuspecting guest starting to walk right into the middle of our gun battle. My adversary saw it too and started to track the barrel of his rifle to take her down.

In that pregnant second from realization to action I knew that the gunman was way too tightly wound. His actions were sudden, jerky and lacked poise, which meant that his first shots were going to be wild. The woman exiting the hotel was stunning and looked very familiar! Her posture and breeding signified both class and beauty. Her hair was perfect, as was her outfit and jewelry.

What had my attention was her face.

Even as her expression registered the insanity erupting around her, I knew I was looking at Millie about thirty years younger! It was impossible but happening right in front of my eyes. I HAD to save her! No matter what, I had to save my Millie from this mass shooting.

So I did.

My heart demanded I go and wrap Millie in my arms and drag her to safety, ignoring the danger. My head told me to focus on the shooter. My body leaped off the ground and my legs propelled me directly at Millie’s would-be assassin.

The sudden assault took him completely by surprise and the bullets I let loose did the rest. My finger continued to pull the trigger after the shooter collapsed and the magazine was empty. Intellectually I knew the danger was passed but the adrenaline pounding through my veins had me far too excited to think logically. Only seeing Millie kneeling in horror got me moving. I ran to her and smothered her with my body to protect her in case there were other shooters. As we tumbled to the grass beside the sidewalk, just outside the hotel side door, I said, “Stay down, I don’t think there are more than two, but it’s impossible to know.”

Millie shook like a leaf and huddled against me. Her eyes were wild with fear and something more. Following her look, I saw Jim and a little girl that had to be Colleen staring shocked at us from just inside the doors. I waved at them to remain back from the door, and down. Of course, Colleen would be very young in nineteen-eighty-four. Rebecca would be too. Millie looked utterly terrified, and I looked around for more shooters.

Without ammunition, I knew we were sitting ducks, so I half ran half crawled to the body of the closest killer and unburdened him of another gun in a belt holster and two extra, fully loaded magazines. Armed at least, I felt like I could protect Millie and keep Colleen and Jim from certain death if there were more assassins.

When no more shooters appeared I took a chance and hustled Millie to the hotel door. Jim saw us coming and threw the door open wide just as we arrived, grabbing Millie and wrapping her in a bear hug, both of them talking a mile a minute. Colleen huddled against her mom and dad, clearly frightened out of her little mind. Jim held her as tightly as he held Millie, and I kept watch at the door for more danger.

Finally we could hear sirens coming from both directions and hotel security arrived from the hotel interior. The guards took in the sight at the door and started to run out to confront the danger, but quickly thought otherwise when I said, “There were two. I took them both out, but don’t know if they had back-up, or a driver. I didn’t hear a vehicle speeding away but that means nothing.”

The guard nearest me spoke. He seemed like the boss. “You four OK? We got the call and came as fast as we could but the hotel is spread out and it took a long time to get here. We didn’t dare come from the front entrance because it would have made us targets...” He spoke without giving any of us a chance to reply, so we let him talk.

Eventually police cars converged on the hotel and fanned out looking for the shooting. Once it was established that the immediate danger was passed, they began their painstaking process of clearing the building and grounds so those who had been trapped out in the open could be moved somewhere safer. Their supervisor rushed to our door and crammed inside, shoving the guard nearest the door, out of his way.

He was big. I’m talking six foot seven, or more. His shoulders were broad enough to balance a small car on, and he spoke with a voice that sounded like rolling thunder. Or maybe I was too scared to think clearly but he did seem like a walking building.

“Sir,” He said to Jim. “Can you tell exactly what you saw? We need to figure out what went down here before we can figure out if it’s safe to move you.”

Jim looked at Millie, and said, “My wife and I were taking Colleen outside for a walk. Colleen lost her shoe and I stopped to help her while Millie went on out to get some sunshine. She was cold in the building and even on a cool day the sun feels warm. My back was turned when I heard shooting from over there,” he pointed at the cluster of officers surrounding the first shooter.

“I kept Colleen behind me and when I saw the woman fall I knew Millie was out there in the middle of things. I wanted to rush out and carry her back in here to safety but had to protect our daughter. Then a complete stranger runs out of nowhere and shoots the man who killed that woman. He saw Millie trapped out there and started shooting at the other one, causing him to forget about killing my wife long enough to get shot...” Jim’s face was ashen, and I wondered if he was about to faint, so I put my arm around him and helped him to the floor, where he could talk and get himself back together. Millie came right along, dragging Colleen with her and all three sat huddled in a tight little ball while Jim told his side of the story.

The Captain wanted more, and said, “What happened next?” He was breathing hard but controlling himself, just the same.

Jim thought for a few seconds and then went on, “Once the shooting stopped, our young savior ran to cover Millie in case there were more people shooting at her, but when nothing happened he helped her up and ran her in here ... and here we are.” He hugged Millie and Colleen, done talking for a little while.