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Under Jocelyn’s direction, Ben put a hand under Sharon’s shoulders as Kent held her hand and Jocelyn checked her back. “Let’s get you—”
The frail woman’s body heaved and another scream tore out of her. She was crying and pointing. She grabbed on to Jocelyn and hid behind her.
Ben glanced over, thinking he’d see Willoughby standing there. “What the—”
Colin and Ed both stood blocking the door. Ben remembered Connor taking Ed’s gun but he held a weapon. Colin’s restraints were gone. On closer look, they’d both found guns, which meant they had more than the ones they showed they were carrying before.
“She wasn’t supposed to wake up,” Ed said.
Joel shifted position, coming out from behind Connor and slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Guess we know the identity of Gary’s partner.”
“To be fair, Colin didn’t know until now, but he’s loyal.” Ed shrugged. “Which is smart because I plan to be the winning side here. I’ve been working on this for too long. There’s too much money at stake.”
“And Sharon can identify you,” Connor said.
Ed smiled. “Sorry, boys.”
He swung his arm around in an arc as he fired. Bullets pinged and chunks of plaster exploded from the wall. While firing, they all ducked and dived for what little cover the room provided. In the small space, something was bound to hit someone. Ben planned for it to be the bad guys.
Ed ran for the doorway but Ben’s bullet caught him in the back. Another from either Joel or Connor brought him down in a dead sprawl. Colin had a longer job getting to safety. With Ed gone, Colin’s shield disappeared but he kept firing even as he yelled.
The booming sounds came from every direction. Ben tried to pivot around the box as he shot. He had to get Jocelyn to safety. She’d thrown her upper body over Sharon and for a second Ben thought she’d been hit.
He reached her right as he felt a burning across his neck. That fast his vision blurred. His grip failed him right as his legs gave out. With one last lunge, he snagged Jocelyn’s arm and brought her to the floor. She fought him but he rolled her under the table, giving her the best protection in the room.
He scrambled away, trying to draw attention to himself. Shifting, he put his knees under him, thinking to get up and catch Colin before he snuck away, but the room flipped on him. The last image he had was of a shadow looming in the doorway.
Then his head hit the floor.
* * *
JOCELYN DUCKED UNDER the table. She wasn’t quite sure how she got there. Pieces of memories ran through her mind. Ben grabbed her. Sharon...poor Sharon. Even now Jocelyn could hear her shouting and begging to get out of the box.
Jocelyn peeked up through her arms and saw Colin make a final desperate run for the doorway as a bullet hit his thigh and Connor yelled at him to stop. Blood ran and a burning smell filled the room. Jocelyn blinked and saw boots. Her gaze traveled up until she reached Willoughby’s face. He stood there in full riot gear. When Colin made a final lunge, Willoughby cracked him in the head with the end of his gun.
He glanced around at the wreckage. Blood and broken supplies everywhere. “Someone going to tell me what’s going on?”
Connor stepped up carefully. One foot at a time, gun still raised. “How did you get here in time?”
“Was watching at the bank and followed you here.” Willoughby nodded in Joel’s direction. “Then I got a call from him and all I could hear was someone talking about money and the shooting started. We were a few hallways away and I followed the noises to here.”
“This is the one time it’s good someone else drove, since being followed helped,” Joel said as his shoulders eased and he abandoned battle mode.
“Okay.” Connor blew out a long breath. “Good thinking, Joel.”
Willoughby motioned behind him. “Got my men with me.”
Jocelyn watched the police officers file in behind Willoughby in the doorway. He’d brought everyone. He rushed in to help and she didn’t know what to make of that. At some point she’d have to apologize for assuming he was with Gary. It was an old reflex tied to the uniform.
“He’s the one?” Willoughby used the toe of his boot to nudge Ed’s unmoving arm.
Connor nodded. “Him and Gary Taub, who’s back at the bank. Dead.”
“A few of my men are there.” Willoughby waved his men in. “Secure this scene, too. Everyone you see moving in here is clear.”
Jocelyn struggled to her feet, still unable to believe Willoughby, the jerk who threw his weight around, had ridden in at the last minute to contain the situation. She looked at Sharon, who nodded and mouthed that she was okay.
