Quinn was seeing red. “Are you desperate enough to kidnap a child or kill a man?” She gritted her teeth.
Madison’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No. Never.”
Quinn wanted to yell at the girl across from her, but she took a deep breath.Lord, give me patience.
“Blackmail, maybe?” Reid said. “You notice Quinn has a reliable deposit and find out where it’s coming from, and there’s a lot more. So, you decide to do a little kidnapping for ransom.”
Madison shook her head vigorously, and tears pooled in her eyes. “No. I swear.”
“Andrew says you dumped him for a bigger paycheck.”
Her eyes narrowed. “That weasel. I didn’t dump him. He left me. Took all the money we’d earned with him.”
“So, you were able to find new employment, then?”
“Look. Andrew and I worked with a man. He wouldn’t let us go. Then, one day, he’s picked up on some murder charge. Andrew and I were free—only, Andrew wanted to keep working. When I told him no, he skipped town. I liked this town, and I already had a job. So, I thoughtWhy not?”
They were going in circles. First, it was Andrew, but then, it wasn’t, and now, they were back to Andrew.
A throat cleared behind them. Quinn turned. The lobby had filled up since they showed up. “I’ll take that in twenties.”
Madison finished the transaction and counted out the cash.
Reid tapped the counter. “One final question. Who was the man?”
“I don’t know his real name. We called him Ben.”
“Thank you.”
“Come on.” Quinn patted JJ on the head.
They exited the bank and made their way to the car. There was a loud pop. Pain exploded through her leg, and she hit the ground. Her vision went white and then black.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Quinn!” Reid watched her crumple tothe ground after a gunshot. He pushed JJ down onto the ground and shoved him against a parked car. “Crawl under there.”
JJ did as he was told. “Mommy!” he cried.
“Stay there.” Reid crouched, using the car as a shield. He peered over the hood of the car, and another shot rang out. He ducked back down. Quinn needed help. He couldn’t tell where she’d been shot. All he knew was that she was lying motionless.
He crawled to the front of the car. She was about two feet in front of it. If he could just grab her ankle, he could pull her to him. He steadied himself and prepared to reach for her. He could barely hear sirens over his heart pounding in his ears.
Quinn stirred. She was alive but wouldn’t stay that way if she started moving around.
“Quinn,” he whispered loudly. “If you can hear me, remain perfectly still. If they think you are alive, they’ll shoot. I’m going to draw the gunfire away. When they start shooting, take cover.” He prayed she was able to hear.
He switched directions and crawled toward the opposite end of the car, taking a moment to reassure JJ. He continued to the end of the car, took a deep breath, stood, and ran as fast as his legs would take him. A series of pops and shattering glass followed him. Then, the gunfire stopped. He ducked behind another car and took inventory of the situation. He’d made it about 150 feet. Quinn had pulled herself behind the protection of the car and lay on the ground next to JJ.Thank You, God.Not something he’d ever thought he’d say.
The police cars stopped about a hundred yards on the other side of Quinn and about fifty yards from him, setting up a perimeter. Had the shots stopped because the police were here or because there wasn’t a target to shoot? He didn’t want to wait to find out. Every minute they waited was a minute Quinn may not have.
He braced himself and stuck his hand up in the air, making it visible over the hood of the car. No shots. He let out the breath he’d been holding. He was going to stand and reveal his location. He’d be vulnerable, and it may be the last thing he did, but if he did get shot, it would give away the shooter’s position. Then, it would be only a matter of time before the person was taken down. He took a deep breath, ignoring the pulse pounding in his ears, raised both arms, and stood.
Complete silence.
He turned and faced the officers closest to him. “There’s a woman down.”
There was another shot. Reid closed his eyes and waited for pain to start or darkness to claim him. But it didn’t.
