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And the man with her had a gun.
There was another man behind them. Equally armed.
He took a look around. Saw the thinness of the crowd. His eyes met Sean's.
The man turned around and left the inn. Like he had never been there. Sean’s first instinct was to go after him, but with Devaney in danger and the small crowd, no.
His first priority was safety of the ones around him.
The first man dragged LaDonna's daughter toward the dining room.
Sean was already moving.
He looked at the beautiful woman behind the check in desk. “Call the police, Marin.Right now.”
“What is going on?” She was already grabbing for the phone. “What's happening?”
“Tell them Sean Sutton, US Marshals service, is on assignment at the inn. An armed gunman just entered the front doors, with a young woman as a hostage. Call, now.”
Sean pulled his service weapon.
And crept closer.
58
Dusty bit back a scream.
Okay. Maybe her parents weren't lying. That was the first thought Dusty had when her eyes met the man's in front of her. She had nowhere to go. The man had the gun pointed right at her. “What...do you want?”
Dusty's gaze landed on the woman held in front of him, with the gun right there to her head. Bright, terror-filled green eyes the same shade as her own stared back at her—from a face like Meyra's. “Who is she?”
Sheknew,though. With one look, she knew. The hair was the same color as Daisy's. The jawline was Darcey all over again.And the eyes? Those green eyes that were so distinctive on almost every Talley in existence—except Marin.
“Shut up, bitch. I need to think. I need to think. I didn't fucking want to come here.”
“Then why did you?” Dusty asked, trying to stay as calm as she possibly could. They had twenty-five guests in the dining room, five of those were checked in. The remaining were locals eating dinner at the inn. Including Nikki and Hunter. Nikki had screamed when she'd seen the gun. Nikki and Hunter and Ben—they were at the center table. She shot a look at them. Hunter had pulled Nikki under that table now. But she wasn't stupid, the chairs wouldn't provide much cover. But Ben—he was edging closer.
There were two employees in the kitchen—Meyra and Daisy—Dusty was hostessing, and Macy, their nineteen-year-old second cousin, was waitressing. They just had one waitress tonight. Dusty had helped out where needed. Nikki and Hunter had seated themselves with Ben.
Thank God it wasn't a Friday or Saturday night. That thought ran through her head when she looked around the dining room quickly. The room would have been packed.
“That damned Pryor forced me at fucking gunpoint, bitch. Now, I haven't got a choice. Close that door. Now. Or I blow her head off right now. Or yours.”
Dusty did as he instructed. She pulled the doors—the big, heavy wooden doors her great-grandfather had carved by hand one hundred years ago—shut.
“Lock them. I'm not stupid. Where are the other entrances?” He looked at Macy. “Kid, lock that door over there.”
“What do you want tonight?” Dusty asked. Somehow...somehow she was going to have to be the one to face him. But Hunter was moving closer. And...that was Jack Masterson there. To her left. He'd been eating dinner with his little sister Nora in the far corner. They'd been bickering about something. Just like Ben and Nikki did sometimes.Ben.
Benwas moving closer. Ben and Hunter and Jack—they all knew martial arts. They were strong and dangerous. They could stop this man.
But he had a gun.
And they didn't. She didn't think they had a gun.
Dusty bit back panic. He was right there, and he had a woman she wassurewas her younger sister in his hold. With a gun to her head. She looked so young and terrified right there. And she looked likeDaisy.Like Meyra, too. “Can you let her go a little? I don't think she's going to cause much trouble. Please?”
“You're one of Geena's daughters, too, aren't you, bitch?”
