26. Ethan
26
Ethan
T he street lay still as Ethan and Hero stepped from the truck and onto the curb in front of Walker’s Pharmacy. A faint buzz came from a nearby streetlamp, its flickering light sputtering like the last gasp of a dying star. As they reached the entrance, Ethan’s hand hovered over the door handle, but his feet stalled—right where he had last spoken to Whitaker.
The memory surged through his mind once more ...
Mr. Walker’s voice cracked as he grabbed Ethan by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the brick wall. His fist twisted in the fabric, pinning Ethan in place. “It’s your fault! You killed her! If you hadn’t been out with my daughter all night, none of this would’ve happened!”
“Killed who?” Ethan stammered, struggling to catch his breath. “What are you talking about?”
“Sarah,” he choked out, loosening his grip. “My wife ... she’s ... she’s gone. Forever.”
Ethan’s knees buckled. “What? No ... that can’t be. What happened?”
“Drunk driver. Last night. While we were out searching for you two ...” He paused. “And now Sarah’s gone ... because of your little overnight date.”
Ethan’s heart plummeted.
Sarah? Gone?
She had been like a second mother, always welcoming him, even when it felt like most of the world hadn’t. His voice cracked. “Where’s Kara?”
Whitaker’s face tightened. “After this? Kara doesn’t want to see you. She told me it’s over between you two.”
Ethan shook his head. “No ... no, she wouldn’t say that.”
“Oh, but she did.” Whitaker’s eyes narrowed. “And you don’t even know the half of it, do you, boy? That drunk driver who killed my wife? It was your stupid, lowlife father.”
Ethan felt the world tilt beneath him.
No, that can’t be right. He has his issues, but he wouldn’t have ... Would he?
“My dad’s at work. He’s still working.”
“It. Was. Him.” Mr. Walker’s words cut like ice. “Sarah’s gone, and you have the nerve to show up here? Listen close, boy. Stay away from Kara, from all of us. For your own sake. I’ll mail your last check. We’re done here,” he said, locking the door.
“Wait,” Ethan pleaded, reaching for Mr. Walker’s arm but he yanked it away. “I’m so sorry. I never ... I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I’ll do anything to fix it. Just let me talk to Kara. Please, sir.”
“Anything? Really?”
“Yes, I swear, I’ll do anything. Just tell me. Whatever it is. It’s done.”
“Well, then, if you want to ‘fix’ things, respect my daughter’s wishes. Respect what’s left of our family. If you had a daughter, wouldn’t you want the same?” He turned away. “Now get off my property. Don’t come back. I’ve got ... I’ve got a funeral to plan.”
Ethan staggered backward before stumbling to his truck, heart pounding. As he peeled out of the parking lot, his thoughts were a blur—Kara, Sarah, his dad ...
Arriving home, he screeched to a halt at the sight of a police cruiser blocking his driveway. Ethan’s stomach twisted into knots as he got out of the truck.
Wait. What in the world?
The officer approached and removed his cap. “You’re Ethan Bennett?”
Ethan nodded, his throat tight. “Yeah, that’s me. What happened?”
The officer’s face was grim. “Listen, son. There’s been an accident. Your dad’s okay, but the other driver ...
Hero’s low whine pierced the fog of memory, pulling Ethan back to the present. Ethan shook his head, trying to dispel the haunting images that clung to the corners of his mind. His chest tightened as he blinked, trying to ground himself. With a deep breath to steady himself, he pushed open the door.
The store was quiet as Ethan stepped inside, scanning the empty aisles. He ventured farther, rounding the corner—and froze. His heart pounded at the sight. Whitaker, Charlotte, and Kara stood by the front counter ... with a man holding a gun to Charlotte’s head.
Before Ethan could react, the man swung the gun toward him.
“Don’t move!” the man shouted, now aiming at Ethan’s chest.
Ethan slowly raised his hands, his mind racing as he assessed the situation.
The gunman’s focus snapped to Whitaker. “You—behind the counter, now!” He tossed a duffel bag onto it. “Fill it with Valium, Oxys, Vicodin, and Xanax. All of it.”
With a sharp jerk of his head, he turned to Kara. “You—empty the register. Get all the cash. Move!”
Kara and Whitaker scrambled to comply, their hands trembling as they fumbled through the motions.
“You don’t have to do this,” Ethan reasoned. “You can put the gun down and—”
“Shut up!” the robber barked, slamming the gun against the counter with a deafening crack. Everyone flinched. “Hurry!” he shouted at Kara and Whitaker. “Faster!”
Charlotte whimpered as she watched the scene unfold.
“You two—on the ground. Now!” The robber gestured with his gun toward Ethan and Charlotte.
Ethan edged forward, glancing at Kara and Whitaker, their faces pale. He slowly lowered himself to the floor beside Charlotte, releasing Hero’s leash.
In an instant, Hero erupted into fierce barking.
“Shut up!” the robber yelled, swinging the gun toward the Hero. “Shut that dog up, or I swear I’ll—”
Lying on the floor, Ethan reached out, his hand trembling as he tried to calm Hero. “Easy, boy. Easy,” he whispered.
But Hero’s barks only grew more frantic, each one sharper than the last.
“Shut up! Shut up, shut up!” The robber’s face contorted. “Get that dog to stop, or I will!”
Ethan looked up at the desperate man. “If you just put the gun down, he might stop. You’re making him nervous—”
“Do you think I care about your mutt? Maybe I’ll handle this little girly too.”
Charlotte screamed, burying her face in her hands as the sound of the gun being cocked echoed through the room.
Kara let out a cry as the robber swung the gun toward Charlotte. “No, please!”
In that moment, Hero sprang forward, placing himself between Charlotte and the gunman, his hackles raised. Ethan moved, trying to shield both Charlotte and Hero.
“Don’t even think about it!” the robber snapped, aiming the gun directly at Ethan. “Or I swear I’ll do it!”
“Don’t shoot,” Ethan said, forcing his voice to remain steady. He slowly lowered himself back to the ground, his eyes fixed on the robber’s face. The wild, unhinged look in the man’s eyes was all too familiar—Ethan had seen it before, in desperate men in Afghanistan. This wasn’t an empty threat—this man was truly dangerous.
The robber’s gaze flicked to Charlotte, and Ethan’s heart lurched as the barrel of the gun followed.
“Stay down! I’ll shoot all of you. I swear I’ll do it!”
Hero growled again.
The robber snapped, whipping the gun toward the dog. “What’d I say? Shut your mutt up or I will.”
Ethan’s pulse roared in his ears, his eyes glued to the robber’s finger twitching dangerously close to the trigger. One wrong move, and his best friend or his daughter could be gone. He took a deep breath, his military training kicking in— stay calm, assess the situation, wait for the right moment.
But time was running out.
“You two, behind the counter. Hurry!” the robber shouted.
“We’re trying,” Kara begged. “Please. Just don’t hurt anyone.”
The robber’s eyes darted to the bag on the counter. He ripped it open and stared inside. “This?” he snarled, slamming the bag down, crumpled bills spilling across the counter. “This is all you’ve got? You’re lying! Where’s the rest?”
“That’s all we have here.” Whitaker’s voice trembled as he spoke. “But I can go to the bank. I can get you more—anything you want. Just let us go, and I’ll bring it back.”
A flicker of madness glinted in the robber’s eyes as he shifted the barrel back toward Charlotte. “You got thirty seconds to fill that bag, old man. Or else.”
A memory from Ethan’s days as an Army Ranger surged through his mind—the crack of gunfire, the smell of dust and sweat, the crushing weight of life-or-death decisions. He’d been in situations like this before. But this was different. This was his family—and one wrong move could mean losing them forever.
He knew what he had to do.
Ethan’s muscles coiled, every nerve screaming as the robber’s finger twitched on the trigger. His breath caught—time seemed to slow, each second stretching out.
It’s now or never.
In one explosive motion, he launched himself forward, his fingers grazing the barrel as—
BAM! BAM!
The gunshots echoed in his ears, the room a blur of panicked screams. Ethan hit the ground hard, his head spinning. His vision swam as he tried to focus, to move, but the world had tilted sideways. He blinked, reaching out blindly, fighting against the growing haze ... Where were they? Kara? Charlotte? Hero?