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The man’s green eyes lasered in on Lucas. “Not quite all. I need a hostage, and the killer over there will do just fine. Remember, if you call the police, I’ll put a bullet in his brain.”
The man had already said he wanted retribution, so Lucashad no high hopes of escaping this alive, but at least Smirnov wasn’t trying to take Carly. That had been his biggest fear. His gaze locked with Carly’s, and she looked from him to her purse and back again. She mouthed something while Smirnov gloated over the egg again.
Gun?
He thought that’s what she meant. Had she managed to get hold of a weapon somewhere? He gave a slight nod. “Let’s get out of here if we’re going.”
Smirnov tucked the egg under his arm. “The rest of you go to the basement. I’m going to lock the door to give us some time to get away.” He gestured with the rifle to Lucas. “You lock them up.”
Carly began to cry. Tears poured down her face, and her nose ran with the fury of her sobbing. “I need a t-tissue,” she hiccupped. She grabbed her purse and dug in it.
Smirnov took a step toward her and raised the M16. “Put that down.”
“I just need a tissue,” she wailed. “The least you can do is let me wipe my nose.”
He spat out a foul word. “Get your tissue and get in the basement.”
Her eyes widened, and she looked out the window. Smirnov made a half turn to see what had startled her, but Lucas kept his gaze on her, looking for his cue. Her hand came out of her bag with a Smith & Wesson. There would never be time for him to get it and shoot before Smirnov turned and shot her.
Before he could fully form the thought, Carly pulled the trigger, and the shot went through the picture window. The killer half turned toward her, and she shot again. Red bloomedon the back of his left shoulder, but he was still moving and the gun was heading toward her. Lucas threw himself forward and tackled Smirnov before he could pull the trigger. They grappled together for the rifle, rolling over and over.
Smirnov got in top position over Lucas, squeezing Lucas’s neck.
Lucas flailed at the grip but couldn’t break it. Spots danced in his vision, and he fought back, getting his knee up to push the other man off.
He nearly managed to throw him off, but Smirnov slumped against him as pieces of what looked like pottery rained down.
Lucas rolled the limp body off and sat up. The remnants of the ceramic lamp lay around them, and Ryan held the base of it in his right hand. Lucas jumped up and rushed to Carly. She was so pale that Lucas thought she might faint, and he got up to steer her to a chair.
“Easy.” He pushed her head between her legs. “Deep breaths.”
Ryan was prodding the downed man with his foot. “He’s out.”
“Tie him up. There’s rope in the basement.”
Ryan nodded, and Lucas went back to tending to Carly, while Mary and Elizabeth rushed to help him. Mary put her hands on Carly’s shoulders. “My poor girl, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Carly got up in a jerky motion. “I have to get Noah.” The faint strains of hungry wails came from somewhere outside.
“I’ll get him,” Ryan said.
Mary pressed her granddaughter back in the chair. “You were so brave! How did you manage to shoot him like that?”
When Carly’s laugh came, it was shaky. “Eric had me hold his firearm a time or two, but the real advice came from Dillard. He told me to shoot for the largest target, which would be the chest. I missed the first time.”
“You did great.” Lucas didn’t want to think about how his heart froze when Smirnov swung his rifle her way. He pulled out his phone and called 911 to request assistance.
He watched Carly, who was beginning to regain her color. He couldn’t have lived if Smirnov killed her. That knowledge changed everything.
Forty-One
Brian Schoenwald put down the loupe. “It’s a genuine Fabergé egg.”
The small room at the bank felt claustrophobic to Carly as the confirmation sank in. She imprinted this moment in her memory—the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead, the distant murmur of bank customers and employees, the warmth of Lucas’s hand as he took hers and squeezed it, and the awe in Schoenwald’s dark eyes all coalesced in a moment of history.
He handed the provenance papers back to her. “It’s a shame the surprise couldn’t be found. I’m going to have you put the egg back in the safe for now. My security team will be here tomorrow, and we’ll take custody of it until the auction. I want time to circulate pictures and publicize it before the sale, so let’s plan a date out about three months. And we will, of course, keep your identity secret.”
Carly nodded. “I appreciate that.”
