“This is highly unusual, Beau. Some of the bills are larger than you wanted. We didn’t have much time. Is everything okay?” The bald, officious-looking manager shifted nervously from side to side.
“It will be. Thanks for handling this, Jim. I knew I could count on you. I’d appreciate your discretion.”
“No problem. You know you can rely on Dallas State, Beau.”
Beau grabbed the bag, popped the trunk, which was small but big enough to hold the bag of money, jumped back in the car, and they shot off down the street. The chopper wassitting on the roof when they reached the top floor of the Tex/Am building.
The elevator door slid open and Cassidy spotted Frank Marino, red hair glinting in the lights around the helipad. The rotors spun gently as Frank ran over to help her climb in. Beau tossed the bag of money into the chopper and followed. Frank climbed in behind them and slid closed the door.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Frank asked as they strapped themselves into their seats. “Like I said, might be smarter to bring in the police.” Frank, a former police officer, had wanted to call in the authorities, but until they knew more, Beau refused to take the chance.
“No police,” he said as he had before. “Not until we’re sure they’re safe.” The roar of the engine and the whir of the rotors ended the conversation. They put on their headsets, but there wasn’t much more to say.
Cassidy looked at Beau and her heart went out to him. Beau had adopted Missy and Evie as part of his family. Aside from Linc and Carly, they were all he had. Beau felt responsible for what was happening to them, though it wasn’t really his fault. All he’d wanted was justice for his father. But Beau didn’t see it that way.
The eighty-mile, twenty-five-minute flight was the longest of Cassidy’s life, even with the chopper zooming at a hundred and seventy miles an hour over the darkened landscape. The blur of city lights faded to occasional pin-dots below as they traveled farther and farther into the rural countryside.
At Beau’s instruction, the pilot headed straight for the park across the street from the house on Shady Lane. The bad news was, when they got there, the outside of the house was lit up like a giant summer carnival. Red and blue lights flashing, half a dozen patrol cars were parked at various angles in the street around the house, uniformed officers crouched next to their vehicles.
Beau swore softly. Marino made a hissing sound between his teeth. And Cassidy flat-out cursed.
Adrenaline pumped into Beau’s veins, speeding up his heart rate. The last thing he wanted was for the guy in the house to panic. Crossing the grass toward the residence, he walked next to Cassidy while Frank covered from behind. He had just reached the opposite side of the road when a small group of uniformed officers stepped out of the shadows, blocking his way.
Beau recognized police chief Eric Warren, his solid jaw tight, clearly all business. Detective Tom Briscoe stood next to him, looking more worried than Beau had ever seen him.
“We’ve got a situation here, Beau,” the chief said. “Which apparently you’re aware of or you wouldn’t be here.”
“Are the girls all right? Missy and the baby?”
“Far as we know. The guy in there—he won’t talk to anyone but you. Told us he was waiting for you. Said you’d be here any minute.”
“How’d you know what was going on?”
“Neighbor saw a man wearing a ski mask through one of the windows and called 9-1-1. Neighbor said there was a woman and a baby in the house. We checked, found out Missy Kessler and her daughter had just moved in.”
Beau looked over at the house. All the shades were drawn, and only a single lamp cast dim light into the living room.
“We’re bringing in a hostage negotiator from Dallas,” Chief Warren said. “Might be a while before he gets here.”
“We don’t need a hostage negotiator. I’ve got the money he wants. I’ll talk to him, see if I can convince him to come out and get it.”
“You’re a civilian, Beau. You need to let us handle this.”
Beau shook his head. “No way. I want those girls safe. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make that happen.”
“Take it easy, okay? We all want the same thing here.” The chief surveyed his men. “We’re a little shorthanded.We’ve got some kind of stomach bug going around. County sheriff handles SWAT. They’re putting a team together now. Might take a while.”
“Jesus. The sheriff handles SWAT? Howler’s in charge?”
“Look, Beau, I know you and Sheriff Howler have some bad history, but SWAT falls under his jurisdiction. Like I said, we’re all shorthanded, so I don’t know how many men he can muster.”
The last thing they needed were more men. Beau couldn’t begin to imagine what was going on inside the house. And once Sheriff Howler arrived, he’d be in charge. Emmett Howler was the man who had arrested Beau the night he, Linc, and Kyle Howler, the sheriff’s son, had tried to rob that convenience store. Even though it had been Kyle’s idea, Howler still carried a grudge against Beau and Linc.
His stomach knotted. This was turning into a giant clusterfuck and Missy and Evie were going to be the ones to pay.
A feminine hand settled on his shoulder. He looked at Cassidy and the strength and resolve he saw in her pretty green eyes steadied him.
“They’re going to be okay, Beau. We won’t let anything happen to them.”
