Carter Reed

him. He was gazing back at me, an intense look on his face as his fingers sped up.
    I fought against making a sound, but I couldn’t help myself. A soft moan escaped me.
    A smirk came over him and he reached around the back of my head. He kept a firm hold there, but it didn’t matter. I covered the small distance between us and touched my lips to his. A fuse was lit. It had already been lit, but when our lips touched, it erupted inside of me. I was burning up. His mouth opened and became more demanding. He commanded entrance. I gave it to him. I would give anything to him.
    I loved this man.
    I pressed harder against him. My hands clung to his shoulders, and I molded my body to his. I couldn’t get close enough.
    “Emma,” he murmured against my mouth.
    My tongue swirled up and brushed against his. “Carter.”
    It was at that moment the car swerved, throwing me to the side. I would’ve fallen against the door, but Carter caught me. He held me in place as he pushed a button on the ceiling. “Gene?”
    The same low voice from the club came over the intercom. “Sir, there’s three of them.”
    Carter held still for a moment, thinking. Then he slid me off his lap and pushed me until I was on the floor. A different look settled over him, a cold mask covered his face. He was no longer the Carter I knew, the one who held me and kissed me. This was the one who killed, and as that sunk in, everything changed. Time slowed until every second passed in rhythm with my heartbeat.
    The car slowed.
    Carter reached inside a hidden compartment and pulled out a gun. It was black, sleek, and lethal. It fit like a glove in his hand and he moved closer to the door.
    Then he burst out, exploding out of the car.
    I jerked up from the floor as our car slammed to a halt. Doors were thrown open, rocking our car from the force, as people charged from the front. Then I heard the screech of another car’s brakes. Shouts were heard. Shots rang out in the air. Someone screamed.
    I opened my mouth, trying to hear myself, but I couldn’t. It was as if someone had thrown a veil over me. I could see out, but I couldn’t hear, not fully. Everything was muffled. Then pain exploded inside my head, and as the ringing started to dull, I could hear again. I could hear too much now.
    “Cart-” someone yelled. That sounded like Mike, was it? My heart was pounding.
    I started to move closer to the door.
    Bang! Bang!
    I swayed to the side as someone flew against the car. Then, with a low grunt, he pushed off just as quickly.
    “Carter!”
    That was someone else, maybe Gene?
    My heart was pounding in my ears as I moved even closer. My fingers grabbed onto the leather exterior, but I couldn’t get a good grasp. I was still kneeling on the floor and moved over until I was at the edge of the opened door— bang! Bang!
    I jerked back, eyes wide. My heart jumped up into my throat. It was right there, ready to burst out of me, but then I gritted my teeth. I was a part of this. I was the reason for this. I had to see.
    As I stuck my head out of the car, three pairs of legs blocked my view. They had formed a living wall to my opened door, and I fell to the ground. A burning sensation registered with me, but it was so far away. I barely felt it. I would deal with it later. As I knelt there, I peeked between their legs. They had them planted with their arms raised and guns pointed outwards.
    I saw Carter in the distance. He was behind a car that had stopped behind us. Another was left abandoned to the side. All of its doors were open and a fire had started from inside. As the flames leapt higher, smoke filled the night sky. It was becoming overwhelming, but I couldn’t look away from Carter. A streetlight glowed above him, and I watched him lift a man to his feet, hit him with the butt of his gun, and let him fall to the ground, unconscious. Then he looked around. He looked calm. He wasn’t alarmed like me. But no, he wasn’t calm. He was enlivened. I sucked in my breath. His eyes narrowed. He raised his gun and thumbed off two bullets. A body fell against the front of the other car and slid to the ground. A gun scattered on the ground next to him. It slid all the way to our car and underneath. It was behind the tire closest to me and I reached for it.
    I didn’t know what I was doing. I just knew that I needed to help. I needed to do something.
    As I gritted my teeth, I stretched my arm out farther. The tips of my fingers brushed the metal. It was