My heart swells.
“I love you too, Caleb,” I say in a gentle voice. “But now, let’s kick some ass!”
With that, the action begins.
11
Caleb
If I’d thought I hit the jackpot before with Lori, then now I know that jackpot doesn’t even begin to cover it. After all, this woman is more than just smart and sassy. She’s brave, with genius-level intellect, and an ability to function under pressure that rivals the most experienced black ops tactician. I’m proud of Lori, and in awe of everything that this woman has done.
But now, it’s time to play some offense. I brace myself on the far side of the door, ready to pull the pin on the fire extinguisher at the right moment. I watch my girlfriend fiddle with the controls and then look up at me, her finger hovering over the ‘open’ button. In her other hand, she holds the open jar, ready to douse the flamethrower.
“Three… Two …. One … NOW!” she screams.
With that, Lori smashes a button on the keyboard and the door lurches open. That’s my cue. Letting out a roar of rage, I blast our assailants with the fire extinguisher, thick foam covering their faces as they sputter and wave their arms wildly, momentarily blinded.
Simultaneously, Lori takes aim and then tosses the jar of oppodium over the flamethrower. The green liquid flies in the air and then lands with a splat on the fearsome weapon. It sputters to nothingness, the barrel smoking, and I take that moment to douse the man with the flamethrower using foam. He, too, staggers back, surprised beyond words.
“Come on,” I hiss while grabbing my girlfriend’s hand. We shove past the men and dash out of the office, down the hallway, and then through the living room and out into the yard. At that moment, a SWAT van screeches up at the curb, and seconds later, a gang of men in heavy body armor has swarmed my front yard.
“In the back office,” I shout. One man nods, and then leads the others into the house, their firearms raised. Meanwhile, a uniformed police officer leads Lori and me to a waiting van.
“Sir, we need to evacuate this area,” the police officer says in a clipped voice while sliding into the driver’s seat. “Hang on.”
We careen through the streets of Great Falls, the suburb looking oddly normal after the hell we just experienced. But finally, I drop my guard and let my emotions take over. Next to me, Lori begins quietly sobbing, and I pull her into my arms and press a kiss to her brow, grateful that we made it out alive.
“I’ve never been so proud of someone in my entire life,” I whisper into her hair. “You saved our lives.”
She merely cries harder, and my heart melts. “I love you, Lorraine,” I say again. “It’s you and no one else. This situation was crazy, but I promise we’ll figure it out.”
The beautiful brunette looks up then, her chocolate eyes filled with tears.
“I know, Caleb,” she manages in a steady voice despite the sniffles. “You always take good care of your family.”
With that, my hand slips to her belly because my child is in there, and this is the best gift in the world. Unexpected, yes, but absolutely something that I want. After all, what could be better than starting a family with this incredible woman? My heart expands with emotion as I press another kiss to Lori’s lips, grateful for my unexpected good fortune.
12
Lori
I stroke the comforter on the hotel bed, processing everything that’s happened in the last day. I found out I was pregnant only to live through a hellacious experience that was straight out of a movie. In fact, wasn’t there a movie called Panic Room where Jodie Foster and her daughter lock themselves in a panic room after a home invasion? I haven’t seen the flick, but our experience was even worse, seeing that there were flamethrowers and chemical weapons involved.
But now, we’re safe. After being de-briefed by what felt like every single government organization on Earth, we’re now at a hotel. Caleb is standing at the door to the suite, talking with the last of the detectives. Looking at the man, I honestly can’t recall if he’s from the Department of Defense or the local sheriff’s office. He was nice enough because everyone who has debriefed us today has been nice, but exhaustion has set in and weighs heavily on my shoulders.
“It’s a surprise to us as well, sir,” the man says. “After all, Minor Consulting has been around a long time, so the intel was unexpected.”
Caleb shakes his head, his expression befuddled.
“Yeah, because I honestly thought the goons were after me. Not for one second did I question that fact.” He shakes his head again, seemingly unable to form any words.