Adam by Eve Langlais Page A

sweet, but she wasn’t the one who’d thrown herself in harm’s way. “I’m fine. The question is, are you all right?” she asked. At such close range, she found it hard to believe the shot fired had missed. Vision fuzzy without her lenses, she squinted but couldn’t discern any damage.
    “Fine. Just fine. Nothing a little bandage won’t fix. Where are your glasses?”
    Good question. As she stepped back so she could peer at her feet, she heard a crunch. “I think I found them.”
    “I don’t think they’re gonna work so well anymore,” he said with a rueful smile as he crouched to pick up the lopsided frames with a missing lens.
    Given this happened to her more than she liked to admit, she always kept spares. “I’ve got another pair in my condo.”
    “What do you say we get out of here then and go find them?”
    “But what about those guys?” She gestured to the muggers, out cold on the floor. “Shouldn’t we call the police or something?”
    “And spend the next few hours at a precinct answering questions? Gee, that sounds like fun.” He grimaced. “Let’s not forget that involving the cops means you’ll then have to go back a few more times to answer more questions, maybe even attend a trial. For what? So they can give these fellows a year or less for attempted robbery? Do you really want to waste your evening doing that?”
    When he put it that way… “But shouldn’t we do something to get them off the street?”
    “Let’s be honest here. Given our justice system, these guys will be back out on the street within twenty-four hours, forty-eight tops. Until someone takes care of them permanently, or they kill someone, I’m afraid society is going to have to put up with them.”
    “That seems rather harsh,” she said with a frown as he ushered her into the elevator. Her hand shook as she inserted her access card into the slot. He placed his steady hand over hers and helped her. The doors dinged as they shut, and the elevator lurched into motion.
    “I’m surprised you have such sympathy for dregs of society who wouldn’t have thought twice about hurting us, and for what? A few dollars, maybe a credit card?”
    “So your solution would be to kill them. Without mercy or a trial.”
    “Yes. What would you do?”
    “Give them a chance to redeem themselves. To show them another way, a way that doesn’t involve violence and give them a chance to change their lives.”
    He snorted. “An optimistic view. Let me ask you though, what would you do if they don’t change? What then? Incarcerate them for life? Make the taxpayers foot the bill? Let them loose to continually reoffend and escalate their crimes.”
    “I don’t know. Maybe this makes me a softie, but I think that even the most maligned deserve a second chance.”
    “Monsters should be killed.” He didn’t wait for her reply as the elevator door opened and he stepped out.
    Given the seriousness of the discussion and their disparity in agreement, she kept silent. In this case, he was probably right. Those thugs weren’t the type to easily change their path in life. But she couldn’t help remembering another time, and another man, a man who died without trial or a chance for redemption.
    Adam stopped without being told before her door. With her nerves more under control, she slid her access card into the slot the first time. With a click, the lock disengaged, but she wasn’t allowed to enter.
    Inserting himself between her and the door, Adam murmured. “I need to go in first and check for company. Since the hall seems clear, stay here. Only come inside if you see someone coming. Otherwise wait for my all clear.”
    All clear for what? Ah yes, the supposed threat. In a sense, she should count herself lucky he’d been with her tonight. While the muggers in the parking garage weren’t terrorists, they could have full well done her a lot of harm had she arrived alone. Single women didn’t fare well against gangs. She might have