As I sprint across the room, time seems to slow.
I know what I need to do. I just need to reach him in time.
Arm chop. Leg sweep. Flip him over and bind him with the zip ties I never go anywhere without.
Then I can free the women. The babies. My precious Charlie and Sam.
I can have my family back. And if this works, I’ll make damn sure nothing like this ever happens again.
I’m less than six feet away from Lance when he starts to raise the gun. Rage suffuses his features. He snarls, “You fucking asshole!”
“Drop the gun!” I shout as I leap at him.
At the same time, the door flies open, crashing against the wall before ricocheting back.
Nora and Jack stand framed in the doorway, both of them with their weapons drawn.
Nora’s gaze sweeps the room, taking in Charlie and Georgia still handcuffed to the chairs, Hanna sprawled on the floor, the gunshot wound in my arm, and finally, Lance, getting ready to fire.
Fury lights in her eyes.
She doesn’t hesitate.
Spinning towards Lance, she fires.
A red hole erupts in his arm.
The gun falls uselessly to the floor.
Lance screeches in pain.
Jack leaps forward and snatches up the fallen gun with his sleeve. Then he trains his weapon on Lance and barks, “Don’t fucking move!”
Nora runs over, pulling zip ties from her pocket as she goes. “I’ll restrain him,” she says. “If he tries anything, shoot him again.”
While Nora and Jack are dealing with Lance, I hurry to Hanna’s side. As much as I’d like to get Charlie free, she’s unhurt, and Hanna isn’t.
Just as I’m kneeling beside Hanna, a ruckus of voices approaches from the hallway.
“What’s going on?” Zane asks. “Where is everyone?”
“I heard gunshots,” Finn says, sounding completely freaked. I don’t blame him.I’mfreaked, and Iknowwhat’s going on.
A muffled thump rattles a door down the hall. Then another. “We’re in here!” Maya shouts. “The storage closet!”
“Tango restrained,” I call out. “In the main conference room.”
Seconds later, Finn and Zane come racing into theroom. From behind them, Maya cries, “Cole! You’re here!”
A small, scared voice follows hers. “Daddy. What’s going on? Why did the mean man lock us in here?”
Then Leo’s rumbly voice. “Lily-bear. It’s okay. I’m here.”
Georgia bursts into tears at the sound of her husband’s voice.
In the conference room, Zane and Finn scan the scene, their expressions turning dark with anger.
Finn spots Hanna immediately, and he races over to her.“Angel.”He touches her jaw, where a bruise is already swelling. Then he flashes a murderous look at Lance. “Did he do this to you?”
