Matt fell into the door, more than anything else, feeling the wood shatter under his weight and deposit the two of them on the floor. He rolled his companion under him as bullets smashed into the wall above their heads. Splinters of wood rained down on them as the bits of lead ripped into the bedroom wall. A break in the volleys gave him the moment he needed. He lifted his body off of hers just enough so that he could grab her hip and urge her forward.
He kicked what was left of the door back into the frame and scrambled after Emily into a back closet. The door to that small room creaked closed as he slid over to where she was leaning against the back wall. Her long auburn hair was falling in waves to her shoulders, framing her beautiful pale face except for the small gash over her left eye. His back made contact with the wall giving him a chance to breathe. Emily was breathing heavy with her eyes closed and her hand clutching tightly to a long slash in her other forearm. In this moment she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Desperation was beginning to set in as he realized just how screwed they were. They were trapped in a tiny room with only one exit and at least ten armed men were waiting for them. He'd put her in danger, the thing in this world that meant more to him than anything else, and he'd failed her. He felt her jump as something hit the door.
It had all started when a negotiation had gone south. A man had walked into a school and taken twelve children hostage, seemingly for no other reason than because he could. After thirteen hours of trying to get him to just walk away a group of men had driven up behind the FBI team and started shooting. The HT had taken the distraction to run to one of the SUVs and get away. In a stupid act of pride Matt had jumped in the car, with Emily behind him, to chase the bad guys. All of these fateful events had led to the two of them being boxed in with no hope of a rescue, because no one knew where they were.
His arm wrapped around her shoulders of its own accord and pulled her up against his body. Another thud against the door resounded in the small space. The smell of her shampoo and the pure essence of Emily filled his nostrils, if he was going to die this would be the last thing he wanted to feel.
"I love you," his voice was soft and rough, but he knew she heard him.
Another thud hit the door, followed by silence. He didn't care if she felt the same way or what, all he cared about was that he had told her. All that mattered was that she knew how he felt before…before something happened.
"I love you too, Matt," her voice was soft, too, but it was filled with emotion.
Matt closed his eyes as something powerful flooded through him. She loved him, the idiot who had gotten her into this mess. It didn't matter what happened next, she loved him.