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.“Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed Travis by the cuff.“Go into the kitchen.”“Don’t touch me!” Travis shoved Miles into the wall.Mr.Nedlich’s nephew, Jake, stood and pulled out a pistol.He aimed it at Miles.“Everybody just shut the fuck up!” he shouted.Everything seemed to happen at once.Itai took one look at the gun, turned on his heel, and fled upstairs, locking the doorbehind him.Travis froze with his hands up.And Nic vaulted over the counter.He slid over the cold case and tackled Jake.The gunwent off twice, and someone screamed.The two other officers went for Nedlich’s youngernephew and the guest, but Nedlich wore an expression of sheer rage and looked like hewould rip out Nic’s throat.He reached into his jacket, and Miles glimpsed the butt of a gun.Fury and terror flooded Miles.He reached for the first thing he could lay his hands onand sent it flying at Mr.Nedlich.Hot habanero relish soared through the air.The plasticcontainer popped apart upon impact, spattering red oil and peppers across the old man’sface and into his eyes.Nedlich shrieked, falling back, clawing at his face.Another gunshot split the air, andthen Nic pinned Jake to the floor and was yanking the man’s arms back to handcuff them.The female officer came around with her gun raised.“Hands against the wall, now!” she yelled at Nedlich.He stumbled blindly for the walland put his hands up, fingers dripping with spicy pepper spread.Miles’s heart raced.Travis and he stared at each other in shock.Nic stood, wincing.“You got them, Clarkson?” he asked.The female officer nodded.“Yup.Calling backup.” She and the other officer directedNedlich, his family, and his client into the corner.Miles finally let out the breath he’d been holding.He noticed his hands trembled withadrenaline.And then he realized what the shattering noise had been.His espresso machine smoked,leaking water on the floor.“Shit!” He nearly ran to it when he also spotted blood on the tiles.He turned around.Nic leaned against the counter, clasping his left arm tight to his chest.“Are you shot?” Miles rushed to his side.Nic was pale.“Bullet ricocheted off the cold case.”“God!” Miles grabbed a clean rag from behind the counter and returned to Nic’s side,stanching the wound.He grabbed his phone to call for an ambulance.“One’s on the way already, Miles,” Nic assured him.He closed his eyes.“God.What can I do?”Nic’s mouth curved into a weak smile.“Don’t worry.It just grazed me; I’ll live.But thesame can’t be said for your cold case.”Miles looked at the case.The glass had shattered from one of the bullets, and the lightwas out.“Damn it!” He could afford to repair either the cold case or the espresso machine, butnot both.Travis approached shakily.“For fuck’s sake…” he mumbled, still pale.Miles nodded toward the upstairs doorway.“Go on, find your cowardly lover and getthe hell out of here.”Travis narrowed his eyes but nevertheless waited for Miles to fish out his keys, unlockthe door, and let him through.Miles slammed it behind Travis.And started laughing.Nic frowned.“What’s so funny?”“This day.” He wiped his eyes.“I break up with my boyfriend, get a gun to the face,blind a client of twenty years with habaneros, have my shop shot to hell, and end upwatching the man I’ve fallen in love with get hit with a bullet.”Nic snorted.He reached out with his good hand and gripped Miles’s.His palm wasbloody, and the blood transferred to Miles, who didn’t care.“You were brave, and you probably saved my life with those peppers,” Nic said.“You can make it up to me by getting out of the hospital fast.”Nic winked.“Oh, I will.And then I can think of half a dozen ways I’m going to make itup to you after that.”Chapter NineBeet-Pickled Duck EggsNic wasn’t released from the hospital until later that evening.Afterward he was detained at the police station for hours, cleaning up the aftermath ofhis investigation.Miles killed time by cleaning up the mess Itai had left upstairs when he’dtaken all his things, then cleaning the restaurant once the crime scene investigators weredone trashing the place.There was broken glass, chalk marks, fingerprint dust, bloodstains,and habanero drippings everywhere.When he returned upstairs at the end of the day, he took a shower and tried to find away to contact Farrah Chapman and see if she’d be willing to reschedule the tasting.Thestate of his deli, without espresso or a cold case, meant he wasn’t going to reopen anytimesoon.Miles caught news coverage of the shoot-out on the evening news, and after deciding itwas only a matter of time before his parents heard, even all the way off in Arizona, he madethat terrible call to inform them of what had happened.By the time he got off the phone, he had no energy to do anything, let alone cook.Hepicked up his phone to order pizza delivery, but the phone rang him instead.It was Nic.“Hey.” He sounded as tired as Miles felt.“You okay?” Miles asked [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.“Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed Travis by the cuff.“Go into the kitchen.”“Don’t touch me!” Travis shoved Miles into the wall.Mr.Nedlich’s nephew, Jake, stood and pulled out a pistol.He aimed it at Miles.“Everybody just shut the fuck up!” he shouted.Everything seemed to happen at once.Itai took one look at the gun, turned on his heel, and fled upstairs, locking the doorbehind him.Travis froze with his hands up.And Nic vaulted over the counter.He slid over the cold case and tackled Jake.The gunwent off twice, and someone screamed.The two other officers went for Nedlich’s youngernephew and the guest, but Nedlich wore an expression of sheer rage and looked like hewould rip out Nic’s throat.He reached into his jacket, and Miles glimpsed the butt of a gun.Fury and terror flooded Miles.He reached for the first thing he could lay his hands onand sent it flying at Mr.Nedlich.Hot habanero relish soared through the air.The plasticcontainer popped apart upon impact, spattering red oil and peppers across the old man’sface and into his eyes.Nedlich shrieked, falling back, clawing at his face.Another gunshot split the air, andthen Nic pinned Jake to the floor and was yanking the man’s arms back to handcuff them.The female officer came around with her gun raised.“Hands against the wall, now!” she yelled at Nedlich.He stumbled blindly for the walland put his hands up, fingers dripping with spicy pepper spread.Miles’s heart raced.Travis and he stared at each other in shock.Nic stood, wincing.“You got them, Clarkson?” he asked.The female officer nodded.“Yup.Calling backup.” She and the other officer directedNedlich, his family, and his client into the corner.Miles finally let out the breath he’d been holding.He noticed his hands trembled withadrenaline.And then he realized what the shattering noise had been.His espresso machine smoked,leaking water on the floor.“Shit!” He nearly ran to it when he also spotted blood on the tiles.He turned around.Nic leaned against the counter, clasping his left arm tight to his chest.“Are you shot?” Miles rushed to his side.Nic was pale.“Bullet ricocheted off the cold case.”“God!” Miles grabbed a clean rag from behind the counter and returned to Nic’s side,stanching the wound.He grabbed his phone to call for an ambulance.“One’s on the way already, Miles,” Nic assured him.He closed his eyes.“God.What can I do?”Nic’s mouth curved into a weak smile.“Don’t worry.It just grazed me; I’ll live.But thesame can’t be said for your cold case.”Miles looked at the case.The glass had shattered from one of the bullets, and the lightwas out.“Damn it!” He could afford to repair either the cold case or the espresso machine, butnot both.Travis approached shakily.“For fuck’s sake…” he mumbled, still pale.Miles nodded toward the upstairs doorway.“Go on, find your cowardly lover and getthe hell out of here.”Travis narrowed his eyes but nevertheless waited for Miles to fish out his keys, unlockthe door, and let him through.Miles slammed it behind Travis.And started laughing.Nic frowned.“What’s so funny?”“This day.” He wiped his eyes.“I break up with my boyfriend, get a gun to the face,blind a client of twenty years with habaneros, have my shop shot to hell, and end upwatching the man I’ve fallen in love with get hit with a bullet.”Nic snorted.He reached out with his good hand and gripped Miles’s.His palm wasbloody, and the blood transferred to Miles, who didn’t care.“You were brave, and you probably saved my life with those peppers,” Nic said.“You can make it up to me by getting out of the hospital fast.”Nic winked.“Oh, I will.And then I can think of half a dozen ways I’m going to make itup to you after that.”Chapter NineBeet-Pickled Duck EggsNic wasn’t released from the hospital until later that evening.Afterward he was detained at the police station for hours, cleaning up the aftermath ofhis investigation.Miles killed time by cleaning up the mess Itai had left upstairs when he’dtaken all his things, then cleaning the restaurant once the crime scene investigators weredone trashing the place.There was broken glass, chalk marks, fingerprint dust, bloodstains,and habanero drippings everywhere.When he returned upstairs at the end of the day, he took a shower and tried to find away to contact Farrah Chapman and see if she’d be willing to reschedule the tasting.Thestate of his deli, without espresso or a cold case, meant he wasn’t going to reopen anytimesoon.Miles caught news coverage of the shoot-out on the evening news, and after deciding itwas only a matter of time before his parents heard, even all the way off in Arizona, he madethat terrible call to inform them of what had happened.By the time he got off the phone, he had no energy to do anything, let alone cook.Hepicked up his phone to order pizza delivery, but the phone rang him instead.It was Nic.“Hey.” He sounded as tired as Miles felt.“You okay?” Miles asked [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]