Jacked

It was unusually slow, and he had one other person available to cover the area, so he told Emily he'd be happy to help.

"Can I ride in the buggy?" Holly asked him.

"If your mom says it's okay," Hunter told her.

"She's a little big for that, I think," Emily said.

"I'm not big!" Holly informed her.

Hunter reached down and 'zoomed' her up in the air then sat her in the seat before her mom could say another word.

The little girl was laughing loudly as he asked her, "Okay, you ready?"

Holly nodded and Hunter gave the cart a quick push.

"Wee!" she said as he sped up then slowed down while swerving around just being silly.

Emily smiled as she watched them. Hunter stopped at the exit and waited for her to catch up.

"We're right over there," she said pointing and clicking her key fob. The car chirped and its lights flashed.

"Go fast!" Holly said.

"No, sorry. It's not safe out here in the parking lot. Safety always comes first," he told her.

"Ah! Safety is boring!" she told him making a pouty face.

"Yes, but safety is...safe!" he told her back causing Emily to laugh quietly again.

She opened the trunk and Hunter lifted Holly out and said, "Did you wanna ride home in the trunk with the paint?"

She giggled loudly and told him matter of factly, "I can't ride in the trunk! There's no car seat in there."

"Ah, good point," he said pretending he hadn't thought of that. He loaded everything in then closed the trunk. "You're pretty smart for being four years old."

"That's because I'm big," she said having no idea she'd just contradicted herself.

"You're all set," he let Emily know. "Thank you so much." He started to push the cart back inside then heard her speak.

"Hunter?" she said.

He stopped and looked at her but didn't say anything.

"Life really is an adventure, isn't it?"

"It can be," he told her with a very bright smile.

She put Holly in her car seat and buckled her in then said, "If...well...if you really were serious about you know, having dinner sometime, I don't suppose that would be the most terrible thing...right?"

Hunter tried not to laugh but was very much still smiling.

"Could you maybe tamp down the enthusiasm a little?" he told her.

She got ready to open her door then looked at him and said, "Please don't make me feel even sillier than I already feel. I went back and forth about this a hundred times just walking around so..."

"I'd like that very much," he said seriously. "And I really will paint your room for you. Free of charge."

"I...I wasn't asking you to paint my room," she told him. "I just thought it might be...interesting to try something completely new and different and having dinner with someone your age would definitely be very different."

Her warm, friendly smile told him she was at least possibly interested regardless of the ambiguity her words seemed to imply.

"I would love to have dinner with you, but I will come by and do this for you regardless of whether or not we go out," he told her. "If you'll give me your address, that is."

"Oh, right. That might help, huh?" she said.

He got out his cell phone and handed it to her.

"What's this for?" she asked.

He thought about saying, "You really don't date much, do you?" but decided against it.

"I should probably call before coming over so we can coordinate a specific time that works for both of us, don't you think?" he said without making her feel bad.

"Oh. Duh!" she said shaking her head. "I guess it's obvious I really don't go out much, huh?"

Hunter didn't reply as she put in her name and phone number and handed it back to him.

"Oh, okay. Emily...Conroy," he read out loud. "It was a pleasure meeting you...no, seeing you again, and I'm really looking forward to having dinner with you."

Emily felt silly for feeling the way his smile was making her feel, but she was feeling it so...

"Me, too," she said quietly. She smiled back then told him, "And it really was a pleasure seeing you again, as well, Hunter."

"I only have Saturday off this week so perhaps I could get the room painted during the day and then get cleaned up and take you to dinner later later on?"

"Okay. Sure. That sounds very nice," she told him.

"I'll call you on Friday and make sure that's still good for you, okay?"

"Yes. That's definitely okay. So...talk to you then?"

"You will," he said smiling again before pushing off.

Emily finally got inside and turned the car on. She looked at her daughter in the rearview mirror then said out loud to herself, "What in the world were you thinking?"

Hunter watched her back up, then smiled and waved at her as she put the car in gear. She began slowly moving forward when he heard two very loud voices getting louder and closer.

"That one! With the bitch drivin' and kid in back!" he heard one of them say just as Emily was getting ready to turn left out of the aisle she was in.

The two men split up with one of them going to the passenger's side and the other to the driver's side. Hunter's blood ran cold when he saw the one on her side draw a weapon.

"Jesus Christ!" he said as he instinctively crouched, drew his own weapon and chambered a round before moving toward the vehicle. An older woman screamed when she saw what was happening under the soft glow of a street light in the parking lot.

"Get the fuck out, bitch!" the large, younger man yelled as the car came to a sudden stop.

Hunter was now close enough to see the terror in Emily's eyes as she threw her hands up.

"Get the fuck OUT!" he hollered.

Blackman took the weapon off safe and could now clearly see the face of the other man on the passenger side who was laughing loudly. With just ten feet between him and the guy screaming at Emily to get out, his friend saw Blackman and drew his weapon.

Blackman fired two rounds in less than a second striking the thug in the chest both times as before continuing his approach. The first punk slowly raised his hands with the weapon still in it as he sensed the heat of steel barrel on the back of his neck.

"Very slowly lower your right hand and let go of the weapon then get down down on your knees and place your hands on your head with your fingers interlaced," Blackman calmly told him.

The big man with the gun did exactly as he was told. Hunter kicked the weapon a good 20 feet to his right then said, "Face down on the asphalt, asshole."

Blackman put his knee in his back and kept the muzzle of his handgun on the guy's neck.

Emily was shaking with fear but managed to roll down the window.

"Oh, my God!" said, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Call 911," Blackman calmly said, "and tell them to send an ambulance."

A small crowd was now gathered around him and Blackman said, "Someone bring me some duct tape—now!"

Within a minute, a fellow employee handed him the tape and Blackman said, "No. I'm holding the weapon. You tape his hands together."

The other guy was maybe 35 and although he was also clearly afraid, he did what Blackman told him to do. "Now his feet."

When the bad guy was secure, he ran around to the other side to check on the man he'd shot. He was still breathing, and Blackman could hear the sound of sirens approaching.

The police arrived first and told everyone to get back. Blackman held his weapon out to his side with two fingers as both officers had their weapons drawn.

"Lay your weapon down, now!" one officer shouted.

"He's the good guy! He shot the car jackers!" another man called out.

Blackman slowly bent down, set his weapon on the asphalt then side stepped away from it.

"There's a wounded man on the other side of the car," Blackman told them. One officer went to check on him, his weapon still drawn.

Two more squad cars pulled in at the same time an ambulance pulled up.

"He's alive," the cop called out to his partner. He radioed the ambulance driver who was almost on top of him as to what needed to be done.

They began treating the man with the gunshot wounds then put him on a gurney and loaded them in the ambulance and left with the siren blaring.

Blackman could see Holly crying and Emily still shaking and he desperately wanted to comfort her but the first officer directed him to put his hands on the car hood so he could search him for other weapons. Finding none, he holstered his then demanded information.

Emily finally got out and immediately grabbed Holly and pulled her out and held her.

"It's okay, honey. It's okay," she said. "We're okay."

"Ma'am? Are you with this man?" the officer asked as she stood next to Blackman.

"Yes. No. I mean...we were just..."

Blackman calmly explained how they knew one another as a part of what had just happened.

"Do you have your concealed carry permit with you?" the officer asked.

"Right here," Blackman said slowly removing his wallet with two fingers.

"Are you okay?" he asked Emily as the police officer checked his permit against his drivers license then went to talk to dispatch.

"No. I'm...I'm not okay," she said. "I'm scared to death."

"But physically. You weren't hurt, were you? Or Holly?"

"No. No, we weren't hurt," she said still shaking.

"Is...is that other man..."

"No. At least not when they took him away," Blackman told her.

"I have never been more afraid in my life," she said. She was bouncing Holly both to calm her and to help relieve stress when she finally realized how lucky she was to be alive and holding her daughter.

"How did you...where did you learn to..." Emily began asking as the police officer came back toward them.

"Here you are, Mr. Blackman," he said handing him his permit and license. "Former Navy SEAL, eh?" That information would have been available via a background check and Blackman didn't bother asking the officer how he knew.

"Oh, um... yeah," Blackman said quietly.

"Former Marine here," the police officer said offering him his hand. "We'll need to take everyone's statements, but there won't be any charges assuming everyone else's story corroborates yours."

Blackman led everyone the police wanted to interview inside as the crime scene guys showed up to do their part of the investigation.

It was nearly nine o'clock before the last witness had finished making her statement and the police cleared everyone to go home.

Emily had stopped shaking, and as she listened to the other witnesses, she began to fully appreciate what had just happened.

"That guy's a hero! He saved her life. They might have killed that little girl." Several other similar comments were also made as people discussed what they'd seen within earshot of Emily as they waited to be questioned. It was human nature to talk out any event, especially one that involved fear or the possible loss of life, and people were definitely talking.

The last thing the police officer said to Blackman was, "The other guy looks like he's gonna make it. He's still in surgery, but my contact at the hospital says she thinks he'll pull through. We've got someone there waiting to cuff him as soon as he's in recovery. I guess I should thank you, Mr. Blackman. We can't be everywhere all the time and if not for you, well..."

They shook hands one more time and that was that.

Emily was sitting down and just staring at him.

"Hey, are you gonna be okay?" he asked her as he sat down beside her.

"Yes. I...I believe I will," she said after several moments of thinking about his question.

"I need to wrap things up here, but I could take you home or follow you, if that would help," he told her.

"I got you covered, Hunter. Go ahead and take off and don't worry about coming in tomorrow morning. Take whatever time you need, okay?" the assistant manager told him.

Hunter was grateful his father hadn't been there at the time. "Thank God for small favors, right?" he thought to himself.

"Would you mind?" Emily asked.

"Do you want me to drive you or just follow you?"

"I'm...I'm not sure I can drive right now," she told him.

"Once the CSI folks are done, we should be able to drive your car. I'll take you home in it then call a cab to bring me back here."

"Thank you," she said, her eyes staring right passed him.

"I'm just glad you're both okay," he said with a faint smile. Holly had finally fallen asleep in her mother's arms and was sleeping soundly.

They went back outside and the night air sent a chill through Emily. Her car was still sitting exactly where she'd left it. The engine was off and the doors were closed. A police officer and a CSI tech had stayed behind to keep on eye on the vehicle and he officer handed the car keys to Blackman once Emily let him know he'd be taking her home.

"Former Navy SEAL, I hear," the man about his age said.

"I guess the word is out," Blackman said wryly as he took the keys.

"I hear this guy saved your life," he said to Emily.

"Um...yes. Yes, he did," she replied quietly.

Blackman had seen several people in a state of shock before and thought Emily might be in a very light state herself.

"Come on. Let's get you home, okay?" he said very kindly to her.

"I want to hold my daughter," she said when Blackman reached for Holly to put her in her car seat.

"Okay," Blackman responded knowing why. He wasn't about to tell her how dangerous it was to hold a child in a moving vehicle after what she'd just been through.

He helped Emily get in then pulled her seat belt around her so she didn't have to let go of her sleeping angel. He closed her door then went around and started the car.

No one spoke the entire way home except to give directions.

Blackman pulled into her driveway then into her garage after hitting the door opener. He went around to help Emily get out, but she couldn't stand up with Holly in her arms. Blackman carefully picked the girl up and laid her head on his shoulder before offering Emily his other hand.

He handed her the keys so she could open the door and let them in. Blackman followed her to Holly's bedroom where Emily turned down the covers then stepped back. Blackman held her while her mom unzipped her coat and pulled off her shoes.

"Could you lay her down here for me, please?" she asked quietly.

Blackman held her neck and gently laid her on the bed. Her mouth was open and she was breathing deeply, her rosy red cheeks barely visible in the dim light coming in from the hallway.

Emily closed the door most of the way then led Blackman back to the living room.

"Would you maybe like a drink?" she asked. "I rarely ever have one, but I could really use a drink right about now."

"I don't have to drive so, sure, I'll join you. In fact, if you'll let me know where everything is, I'll bring it to you. Why don't you go sit down and relax or at least try to, okay?"

"Um, yes. That...that sounds very nice," she said before showing him where the glasses and liquor were located.

He poured them both a shot of vodka on the rocks then handed one to Emily before sitting across from her.

"It helps to talk about it," he told her as he watched her sit there staring into space.

He saw her blink then look down at her glass.

"Thank you," she told him for making her drink and bringing it to her. She tossed it back in one quick gulp, shuddered from the burn, then set the glass down.

"It all seems so...surreal," she finally said. "It's almost like I watched it happen on television or something."

Blackman didn't say anything. He just sat there and waited for her to talk it out.

"I...I didn't even see those two men until...then there was a gun in my face and I was so afraid. I mean, I was scared, but mostly I was afraid for Holly."

"I thought you were pretty brave," he told her taking a small sip.

She blinked a few more times then finally looked at him.

"No. No, I wasn't brave at all. I'm still afraid," she said. "But you...you were...you were...you saved my life. You saved my daughter's life. Hunter, you..."

Raw emotion overcame her and Emily began to cry. Softly at first and then much harder.

Blackman set his glass down then moved around the coffee table and sat down beside her. She was positively racked with sobs, heaving and crying as she fell into his arms.

"It's okay," he assured her as he wrapped his arms around her and rested her head on his chest. "I'm so sorry that happened to you."

Emily couldn't speak so Blackman talked.

"Holly is too young to remember this. It was dark and confusing and her mind won't retain any of this if you just avoid mentioning it, okay?"

Emily nodded as she continued to cry.

Blackman's cell phone rang. He looked down and saw who was calling. He wouldn't have answered it, but he saw it was from his father.

"Excuse me," he said keeping one arm around her while listening with the other.

"Hey, Dad," he said quietly.

"You're on the 10 o'clock news, Hunter," his dad said calmly.

"I didn't see any camera crew there tonight."

"Someone recorded some of what happened on video with his cell phone.They're using some DoD photo of you in uniform. Says, 'Navy SEAL saves woman and child from carjackers.' Are you okay, son?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad. How's Mom?

"She's a little shaken up, but as long as you're okay, she'll be fine."

"I meant to call you. I'm...I'm with the young lady who was driving. She's a little upset."

"Ah, okay. That makes sense. I was wondering who that was crying. Is her child okay?"

"She's fine, Dad. They're both fine. And tell Mom I'm fine, too."

"I heard that!" he heard his mother say.

"I got you on speaker phone, Hunter. Okay, well, we just had to call and check."

"Sorry, I should have called sooner, I just..."

"No, we understand. Had you not taken care of this poor woman and her child that wouldn't have been like you, son. Okay, we'll let you go. Will you be home tonight?"

"I'm not sure, Dad. Don't wait up. She's still pretty upset. I'll stay with her until I'm sure she'll be okay."

Emily's sobbing had turned into something less, and she was mostly shaking from all the crying.

Hunter grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around her.

"Thank you," she said, her voice still shaky.

"You're welcome," he said as he pulled her close.

"You saved my life," she said again after several seconds of silence.

"I don't think they would have hurt you," he said having no idea what they might have actually done. His big concern was Holly as it seemed unlikely they'd have given Emily time to pull her out, but there was no way know that, either, and he certainly wasn't going to bring it up.

"I'm...I'm really tired now, Hunter," she told him.

"Okay. I'll call for a cab and head back then," he told her.

He went to get up when she reached for his hand.

"No. I mean...would you mind staying with me tonight?"

She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot from crying and black from the mascara that had run down her face leaving some long, nasty streaks.

"Okay. Sure. I can sleep here on the couch."

"Would you mind?" she asked genuinely concerned.

"Of course not," he told her. "If you've got a blanket and pillow, I'll be better off than many other places I've slept."

He smiled but Emily was too drained to smile back.

"Come here," Hunter said as he put an arm underneath her and lifted her up as he stood.

"Let's get you to bed."

Emily put her arms around his neck and let herself be carried to the bedroom. He reached down and pulled her covers back with one hand then laid her in bed just as he had Holly.

"Good night," he told her.

Emily grabbed his hand again then pulled him back down and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"I'm just glad everyone's okay," he told her.

She was still holding him close to her so he kissed her forehead then stood up. "I'll be on the couch in case you have a bad dream or anything."