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“I was just trying to help her.” Shakily, I drop to my ass and whimper when pain rolls through my blood.
My head whooshes with dizziness, and my eyes darken with stars. But as I glance around his legs, I glimpse the mom and her kid scrambling around to the other side of the counter. Archer frantically waves them over, and they move in silence despite my quickening breath telegraphing to the world that I see something.
Fortunately, Slade thinks nothing of my erratic gasps.
“Aubree is small,” I whimper. “She’s not strong, Parker. There was no harm in helping her to the door.”
“And I told you he was better left to lie down and wait. I told you she would drop him. And that’s exactly what happened.”
“He was dropped because of you! Because you ripped me out from under him.”
“And now you’re sad and feeling sorry for yourself.” He tilts his head to the side and cruelly stares. “Boo-fucking-hoo. My baby has been in pain for years, Mayet. In hospitals. Getting needles every fucking day. She can’t breathe on her own, and she hasn’t walked on her own two feet in months. But you have a sore shoulder now, and that asshole has a headache. Cry me a river, then get me an update on my baby’s surgery. Because no matter what else happens, she’s all I care about.”
“This isn’t who you are,” I choke out. Agony rolls through my stomach and leaves me breathless. Kinda pathetic, when I so rarely allow myself such weakness. “You’re just a dad who wants to help his daughter. But you’ve taken it too far.”
“There is notoo far,” he lowers into a crouch to sneer, while behind him, Archer waves the next group of hostages to cover. “There’s life and death, and I refuse to let my daughter explore the latter. She’stwelve! So forgive me for not giving a shit about a geriatric fucker who shot himself.”
“But when this is all over and Suzanne is feeling better, don’t you want her to know you’re still you? Her dad who can do no wrong. You’re not a killer.”
“I don’t really care what she thinks of me.” Slowly, he straightens his knees and pushes up to stand. “I just want her to be alive.” He points his gun toward Aubree, then flicks the end toward the door. “Get him up your damn self. Carry him out. Then walk back in here and shut the door. If you can’t do that on your own, he stays put and waits like the rest of you.”
Don’t turn around. Don’t turn around. Don’t turn around.
“Parker Slade.” A voice over a loudspeaker, then a flashing light beams through the plastic covering the front doors. They still can’t see in, but the light glares bright around the edges. “This is Captain Bower of the Copeland City Police Department. Can you hear me?”
Slade’s eyes flare wide, and his gun comes up, held in both hands.
“Can you let us know somehow that you hear us?”
“Don’t move!”
I don’t know who he shouts at, me or Aubree. Or maybe himself.
“We could shake the plastic on the doors or something,” Aubree murmurs. “Or I could give them a thumbs-up?”
“I said,” he shouts, “don’t move.”
Archer uses his distraction to bring more of the hostages around to the other side of the counter, so we’re down about fifteen. A noticeable difference, if Slade were to turn and do a headcount.
“If you can hear me,” Bower continues, “I want you to know I’m here to help you find the resolution you need. Whatever it is. Whatever you want from me.”
“Open the door,” he growls at Aubree. “Open it now!”
“O-okay.” Stammering, she lays Earl’s head back on the tile and stumbles to her feet. Her knees knock together and her arms flail with incoordination. But she flips the locks and wraps her hand around the knob.
“Just an inch!” Slade shouts before she can go further. “One inch, Doctor!”
“Okay,” she pants. And nods. And works to calm her movements. “Okay, that’s all I’ll do. I promise.”
“Don’t make promises,” he spits out. “I already know you’re a liar.”
“Mr. Slade?” Bower calls again. “Are you there?”
“I want video proof my daughter is okay!” He stays back from the door, out of range, so not even the most skilled sharpshooter can get him. “I want proof of life.”
“Alright…” Bower’s tone is certain. Calm. Confident, as he works to deescalate this situation. “We can do that right away. I’ll have someone head to the hospital now to see what they can do.”
“I want to speak to her!” he booms. “A live video call the second she’s out of surgery.”
