14 MAY—4:34 P.M.
Swinging an AR-15 rifle to his left, a six-five, muscle-bound man dressed in black tactical clothing—including helmet, goggles, black balaclava, and a chest rig loaded with spare magazines—glimpsed the watch face on his inner wrist. “Sixty seconds!”
Standing on Six-Five’s three o’clock, also wearing tactical clothing and gear, a short and slim black-clad individual pivoted right while scanning the prone customers from behind the sights of an identical AR-15.
*******
FIFTY FEET AWAY...
Her right cheek pressed against the cold tile, her palms flat to the floor on either side of her head, Julia stared wide-eyed at her boyfriend. Don’t. Don’t do it, Todd.
In a mirror opposite pose from Julia, Todd spied her and clenched his teeth while sliding his right hand across the tile and down to his right ankle.
The terror she had felt a minute ago now eclipsed by a newfound fear, she managed to shake her head at him while mouthing the word ‘No’ multiple times. This is not your fight.
Fifty feet away, Six-Five’s voice: “Thirty seconds!”
*******
FIFTEEN SECONDS LATER...
In clothing and gear matching that of their two companions but with bulging duffle bags slung over their shoulders, two people hurried from the back of the bank and into the main lobby.
Spotting them, Six-Five twirled an upturned index finger in the air. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”
The newcomers and the short, slim operator headed for the sliding glass doors.
Six-Five backpedaled toward the entrance while keeping the muzzle of his rifle trained on the patrons.
“Freeze!”
Their backs to a commanding, unfamiliar voice, the men with duffle bags stopped.
Six-Five whirled around and brought his weapon to bear on a man already pointing a pistol at him.
“Drop your—”
‘Slim’ rotated right and sent a barrage of gunfire downrange.
Ten 55-grain 5.56mm bullets perforated the man’s chest and neck.
His torso convulsed and twisted clockwise. His trigger finger twitched, and his Glock 43 fired once.
The eleventh 5.56mm projectile sped by his face, exited the building through a window, and struck a woman in the back of her right thigh. She grabbed her leg and went to one knee before collapsing onto the sidewalk.
The man with the pistol fell to the floor.
“Todd!” Her screams rising above those coming from panicked customers, Julia pushed away from the floor and scrambled on hands and knees to her fallen man. “No—no—no,” she slipped her left arm under his head and neck while covering his many bullet wounds with her free hand. “Hold on. You’re,” she quickly shifted her now bloodied palm from one dark splotch on his chest to another, “you’re going to be all right. Just stay with me, baby. Just...”
His arms laying limp on the floor at his sides, his right hand still clutching his Glock pistol, Todd looked up at Julia. “Jewel, I lov—” a gurgling sound accompanying his words, he swallowed.
“Save your strength, sweetie. Help is on the way.”
The robbers bolted out of the bank.
Julia whipped her head toward the other patrons and yelled, “Somebody call an ambulance,” before coming back to her man. “We’re going to get you to a hospital. You’ll see. Everything will—”
“I,” he coughed, and a line of red shot out of his mouth and landed on his chin. “I,” he gasped, “love...”
“It’s okay.” She wiped away the blood. “It’s okay. You’re going to be—”
His eyelids drooped.
“No—no. Stay with me. Stay with me.”
He closed his eyes, “...you.” His head lolled away from her a tick later.
Seeing the life flow out of him, her lower lip quivering, her eyes filling with moisture, Julia brought his face to her chest, and squeezed him. Three whimpers later, she threw her head backward and wailed at the ceiling.
∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞
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