Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“Okay, okay, I got it, Straighty. How about I call the police so we can file a report and do something about this?” I held the gun up.
“Yeah, okay.” He clearly wasn’t in a talkative mood, which I totally understood, and I didn’t press.
While I called the police, Ethan rested his back against the side of Wreckage, gazing off like he was thinking very hard about something. The cops arrived ten minutes later and took our statements. One ushered me into the car to talk while the other questioned Ethan outside. Said they didn’t want our stories to influence each other’s. When I told the cop talking to me what I’d done, he gave me some guff about not needing to be a hero in a situation like that, which I went along with for the sake of not getting into an argument with the guy. He was just doing his job, after all.
The cop questioning Ethan, a woman with her hair in a ponytail, rapped on the window.
The one talking to me, Officer Baxter, rolled the glass down.
“Yeah, um,” the other cop said as she rested her arms on the door and glanced back at Ethan, who was still sitting against the wall. “Can we get an EMT out here to check on this guy? We might have a fainter.”
“Sure thing,” Officer Baxter replied.
They called an EMT, and when the ambulance arrived, I heard Ethan fussing a bit. Telling them he was fine and he didn’t need anything.
“I’m okay. Let’s get this over with,” Ethan said, his voice loud and clear.
“We’re just trying to make sure you’re all right, Mr. Harris,” the EMT said.
I couldn’t help but chuckle, but I also felt bad for the poor guy. He really didn’t want anyone rescuing him that night, and it seemed to be a recurring theme since I met him just a couple of hours earlier.
After the commotion died down and Ethan finally managed to convince the EMT and cops he was fine, I assured them I would make sure he got home all right before they left us. But Ethan was still seated on the sidewalk, not looking much better than he had right after the attack.
I couldn’t tell if he was still worked up from that asshole with the gun or from the hour of being questioned by the cop and EMT.
“Glad you didn’t pass out,” I teased, but he just glared at me. “You know, I don’t live very far from here if you want to swing by?”
“No, no. I’m good.”
“Okay. Just to chill. I’m seriously a block from here, over in Skyhouse. I’m not like tricking you into coming over to my place for a BJ, just so you know. I mean, there is that saying about people who go through traumatic experiences together and all, but I promise I won’t take advantage unless you let me.”
Despite the cheeky grin I was making, his expression didn’t shift.
“Sorry,” I said, squatting beside him and setting my hand on his shoulder. “That was another joke. I’m just trying to get you to lighten up. But I was serious about if you needed to just chill for a bit.”
He shook his head. “No, no. I’m good.”
I got the feeling he wanted to be left alone. That after the attempted robbery and having to relive it with the cops, he just needed to get away and regain his bearings. He seemed like the kind of guy who had his shit together most of the time, and I could respect that, considering I always wanted people to see my A-game. I was shaken up, too. That kind of shit didn’t happen to me every day, but hell, I’d been training for a scenario like that since I was fucking eight years old, so I figured we weren’t exactly in the same boat.
“Well, it’s an open invite, just so you know,” I said.
“I’m going to take an Uber back to my place like I wish I would have been able to do an hour ago.”
“Well, then I’ll wait for the Uber with you, I guess.”
“Thank you,” he said. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and called the Uber. We waited in uncomfortable silence until it arrived, and he hurried into the car.
“Guess…uh…it was nice meeting you then,” I said.
“Yeah, you too.”
He shut the door, and I knew that was the last I was going to see of Mr. Ethan Harris. I whirled around and started back to the main street. Clearly, I wasn’t going to be going to Voltage. A little too much excitement for one night.
I headed back to my place and watched some Netflix instead.
3
Ethan
I had a knight in shining armor.
Okay, maybe that was pushing it a little. I didn’t want anyone to take care of me, but Sean had come to my rescue twice last night.