At the sound of gunfire, I ducked down, rolling to safety. To my relief, Emil was already by my side.

“Are you okay?” we both asked at the same time.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“Yeah.” I nodded.

Bang!

I jumped, the bullet piercing through the floor only a few inches away.

Emil grabbed my hand, hoisting me to my feet. Ever so faintly, I could make out a figure in the gloom.

Roxanne. It had to be.

“Come out. I want to play,” she taunted, firing another bullet, this time into the ceiling.

We looked at each other. “We have to rush her,” he whispered, so low that I could barely hear him.

I nodded.

“I can hear you…” she called out. “And I have plenty of bullets to spare.” She laughed, the sound deranged. She had completely lost her mind.

Suddenly, Emil shot forward, tackling the woman to the ground.

They grappled, but Roxanne was in a frenzy like I had never seen before. Even in the darkness, I could see the veins spiraling across the whites of her eyes.

She managed to kick Emil in the crotch, incapacitating him. He groaned, rolling to the side.

Roxanne sprang to her feet.

I took my chance, running forward to meet her.

She grabbed me by the wrist, shoving me into the wall, but I grabbed her at the last moment, bringing her with me. We crashed, creating a hole in the wall. Pain shot through various parts of my body, but I ignored it, knowing that even the tiniest lapse of attention could cost me my life.

With her long, red nails, she went for my eyes, but I acted quickly, jabbing my elbow into her side.

She gasped, winded.

From behind, Emil grabbed her, his arms wrapped around her in a bear hug. He picked her up off the ground while her feet kicked hard.

I snatched the gun off the ground, emptying the chamber.

“Let go of me!” she screeched. “I swear to God, I will kill you both! Mark my words!” She spat venom at us, but Emil held her tight, carrying her outside where members of VanGuard had just pulled onto the scene.

Technically, we were supposed to have waited for them, but we had jumped the gun.

At least all’s well that ends well.

Carefully, Emil placed the irate woman on her feet.

Instantly, she tried to make a break for it. She was quickly surrounded, handcuffed, and pushed into the back of Cruz’s car. There, she screamed, banging against the thick glass. Clearly, something was wrong with her. She needed help. Medical help.

“You two should have waited,” Cruz chided. “You could have gotten hurt.”

“Sorry, boss,” I said.

Cruz shook his head, running his fingers through his dark, curly hair. “Just don’t do it again. I can’t afford to lose some of my best agents.”

“Wait… agents?” I repeated. “As in, plural?”

Beside me, Emil looked just as surprised as I felt.

Cruz smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a badge. “Welcome to the team, Emil.”

“You mean…?” He hesitated to take the offering.

“Go ahead, Cassandra, take off the anklet.”

With a bright smile on my face, I grabbed the key from his other hand, bent down, and took off Emil’s ankle monitor.

He moved his foot as if in disbelief.

Despite his injury, Cruz had insisted that Emil continue to wear the monitor until he could prove himself. The time had finally arrived.

I smiled up at him.

In reaction, Emil took me into his arms and spun me around and around, happiness painted all over his face.

“I’m so proud of you, baby…” I said.

His smile intensified before he leaned down to kiss me. It didn’t take long for it to grow hot and passionate, our tongues tangling together.

“Ahem,” Cruz cleared his throat behind us. “A little decency would be nice.”

We pulled away, blushing hard. “Sorry, boss,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I guess we got a little carried away.”

He nodded. “Your assignments will be ready for you on Monday.”

“Yes, sir.” Emil nodded. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.” He winked. “Besides, I know Cassandra will keep you in line.”

Emil chuckled. “You’re right about that one. You know, she made me wait three months –”

I jabbed my elbow into his side.

“Ow! What was that for?”

I glared at him, my finger pressed against my lips to signify that he should be quiet.

“Oh.”

“Anyway, I should probably get her situated before she breaks the window,” Cruz said with a sigh.

“What’s going to happen to her?” Emil asked, his arm wrapped around my waist. “You aren’t just going throw her in jail, are you?”

“No. We are going to try to get her some help.”

Emil nodded.

“Everyone deserves a second chance.”

* * *

When we got home, Kimmy ran right into my arms. “Mommy!” She nuzzled her face into my shoulder. “You’re home!”

“Yes, I am.” I laughed, ruffling her head.

She looked up. “Hi, Emil.”

“Hey, Kimmy. What are you still doing up? Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?”

“But it’s Saturday! Sally said I could stay up a little longer…” she protested.

“It’s alright. Emil’s just giving you a hard time, honey,” I explained before handing her off and paying the babysitter. By the time I was done, Emil and Kimmy had disappeared into her room.

Already, he was reading her a bedtime story, giving each character their own unique voice and acting out certain parts until Kimmy curled up into a fit of giggles.

I watched from the doorway, a smile on my face. I was so grateful that they were able to get along so well. I should have known from the start that Emil had a heart of gold.

“Mommy! Join us!” Kimmy called out.

I laughed. “But Emil is doing so well without me.”

“But it’s the part about the princess next.”

Knowing I couldn’t deny her puppy dog eyes, I sat down on her mattress, peering over Emil’s shoulder.

“And then the princess woke from her deep slumber,” Emil announced in his narrator's voice.

I took over. “When she opened her eyes, she saw the most handsome prince in all the land. She fell in love, her heart beating fast.” As I spoke, I couldn’t help but look at Emil. We weren’t the perfect fairy tale, but he was definitely my knight in shining armor.