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Jaxon agreed. He gave Chance a look that said he had his back. “What is our plan? Fuck it, this is your woman.”
Chapter 16
Noelle was glad Quinn had stayed hidden in the back. By all the police cars outside, she had called for help. Noelle didn’t think all of them were needed though. It was causing a lot of attention, and she expected half the town out here any minute.
Carly’s hands were shaking. She looked at Noelle with real hatred. “When you are out of the way for good he will come back to me. I will give him the children he craves. You couldn’t even do that right.”
Noelle ignored the painful reminder of what she had lost and stayed quiet. Arguing with this crazy woman would just get her shot. She had dreams to fulfill, and today was not the day to die. “Carly, your parents have to be frantic right now. Stop this before you get in deeper trouble.”
Carly laughed but it was a laugh that sent shivers of fear through Noelle. “I can’t stick around this town. Me and Chance are starting over somewhere new.”
They heard Louisa Sanders yelling out for Carly. Carly turned toward the big picture window. She looked surprised. “Mama?”
The sheriff was holding Louisa back, and she was struggling to be let go. Carly opened the glass door. “Let her go, Sheriff.”
She waved the gun around. “I want my mother in here or I will shoot Noelle.”
The sheriff frowned at Carly but let Louisa go. Louisa ran up to the door. She hugged Carly and walked her back into the store. “Baby. I was so worried about you. I haven’t seen you in a week.”
Louisa looked her daughter over and looked very upset with her condition. “Stop this nonsense and come home. You swore you stopped drinking.”
“I did. My friend Peter gave me a few pills to help stop the shaking and achiness. Plus I couldn’t sleep either. I realized this morning why. I have to get rid of Noelle. I love Chance,” Carly said calmly, as if she wasn’t holding someone hostage. Noelle was worried her mind was truly lost. She was also afraid for her own life. She was counting on Chase, and hopefully Chance, to get her out of this. She had already tried talking to Carly calmly, but it was having no effect. As sorry as she felt for the woman, she had no desire to give up and die. Dreams and plans she made with Chance ran through her mind, and it gave her the strength to not fall apart and be hysterical.
Louisa looked at Noelle, who was standing behind the counter. She looked back at her daughter. “You can’t go around killing people, Carly. How to you expect Robert to ever get reelected if you persist in this crazy behavior? Chance made his choice. I know it hurts, but you have to accept it.”
Carly gave her mother an angry look. “Chance wants me, but he feels guilty. Noelle got herself knocked up. Then she lost it. He feels sorry for her. I know he really wants me, Momma.”
Louisa had no idea how low her daughter had gotten. The shock was clear in her expression. To Noelle, the words Carly was spewing were like an arrow to her heart. She felt the tears fill her eyes. She wanted to go around the counter and slap some sense into Carly. If only Carly wasn’t holding a gun, she would. Noelle knew violence solved nothing, but it would feel so good.
The phone began to ring. Carly ran to pick it up.
“I won’t come out, Sheriff,” Carly yelled into the phone. “Call Chance Brooks. Tell him if he wants to save his girlfriend he’d better show up in the next ten minutes.”
Carly slammed the phone down and kept her eyes outside. Noelle peeked into the back hallway and saw Chase and Jaxon. Where was Quinn? Hopefully Chase had gotten her out. She couldn’t bear it if Quinn got hurt because of her. If Jaxon was around was Chance? Noelle wanted him in here, but at the same time she was afraid Carly could get mad and shoot him, too. This was a nightmare. The sky turned darker, and the wind picked up. It matched her emotions. She just wished she was back at home with Chance.
A knock on the door made Noelle turn her head back to the present situation. Her being held hostage. Chance was standing in the door in his SWAT uniform. He must have come from work but how did he get here so fast? Carly asked her mother to let him in.
Chance walked inside with his hands up. Carly was smiling with satisfaction. Louisa stood to the side watching all of this. She looked at her daughter with sadness. Noelle wished they had seen what Carly was doing to herself and had stepped in before all of this. Carly was so spoiled and never took any responsibility for her actions.
“Fine, he is here. Can we stop this nonsense now?” Louisa said calmly, but her fingers were linked together nervously. “Give Chance the gun, and we will talk about all of this.”
“Your mom is right, Carly. Put the gun down, and we will talk.” He sounded so calm while her knees were shaking. She wasn’t sure if she could run if she had to.
“First I have to get rid of Noelle.” Carly waved the gun back at her. Chance stepped closer to Carly to get her attention. “I am here like you requested, Carly. Let your mom and Noelle leave us alone. That’s what you want, right? Me and you alone?”
“No more talking, Chance. I am asking the sheriff for a helicopter so we can run away together.” Carly smiled at him. “I stole money from my friend Peter. He sells drugs. He can get more.”
Louisa shook her head with horror. She looked ready to faint. “Jesus, Carly.”
“He’s a nobody, Mother. By the time he realizes it, I will be far away living a new life,” Carly told her confidently. Noelle stood and listened to all of this in a daze. She thought about sneaking away to where Chase and Jaxon were, but what if Carly shot Chance out of spite?
Chance hadn’t looked at her. She thought maybe he didn’t want to dra
w Carly’s attention to her. She hoped to hell they had a plan. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Jaxon and Chase coming down the hallway with rifles of some sort. When they got to the doorway that led to the store area they crouched low and hid behind the counter with Noelle. She was glad the counter was made out of wood and not glass. They were not visible to Carly. Noelle felt nervous, but she did her best to make her expression remain the same, as if two armed men were not hiding by her feet. Hopefully she wouldn’t faint and spoil their grand plan.
“The sheriff is going to ask you to let the hostages go before he gives you anything,” Chance was saying with his hands still up in the air. “Let them go, Carly. We don’t need anyone here but us.”
“He can’t tell me what to do,” Carly whined. She looked at her mom. “Tell him, Mother. Robert will make the sheriff listen to my demands. He is good friends with Robert.”
