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"Hey!"she bellowed, trying to catch the man's attention.When he didn't respond, she launched herself at him, using her full body weight to tackle him to the ground.The impact sent the hammer clattering across the floor, but Sheila couldn't allow herself even a moment of relief.
"Get off me!"the man snarled, struggling beneath her.But Sheila refused to let up, knowing that she had to keep him pinned down.
As the man continued to thrash beneath her, Sheila's mind raced with possible ways to subdue him until backup arrived.She couldn't risk letting him go, but she also knew that she couldn't hold him down forever.She slipped an arm around his throat, trying to put him in a chokehold.Just as she was about to do so, however, he drove his elbow hard into ribs, causing the breath to rush out of her lungs.
As Sheila fell back in pain, the man pushed himself off the floor and hurried toward the hammer, which he picked up.Armed again, he stared at her, looking puzzled.
"Who the hell are you?"he demanded.
"I'm with the police," she said."Drop the weapon and put your hands up."
A grim smile tugged at his mouth."If you're with the police, then where's your gun, huh?"
Before she could respond, he rushed toward her and, with a twisted snarl, aimed a blow at her face.She was unarmed, but her instincts and years of training kicked in.As the hammer whistled through the air, she ducked low, feeling the rush of air above her head.Her heart pounded in her chest, but she kept her focus on the attacker.
As the man lunged at her again, she sidestepped his blow, delivering a swift roundhouse kick to his ribs.The impact made him stagger, but he refused to drop the hammer.
"Give it up!"she shouted, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
The man ignored her and swung the hammer once more.This time, Sheila anticipated his move and caught his wrist in mid-swing, using her other arm to deliver a sharp elbow strike to his temple.
"Drop it!"she said, her voice strained with effort.
Her assailant gritted his teeth, refusing to comply.With a grunt of frustration, Sheila used her grip on his wrist to twist his arm behind his back, forcing him to release the weapon.The hammer clattered to the floor.
The man was stronger than he looked, however, and with a grunt he shoved Sheila away, breaking her grip.Then, perhaps realizing his attempts at overpowering Sheila were futile, his eyes darted toward the damaged door.With a sudden burst of desperation, he threw himself against it, the force sending it flying open.Before Sheila could react, he dashed into the room and grabbed the terrified teenage girl who had been hiding in the corner.
The girl was small and fragile-looking, her dark hair tangled and tear-streaked as she trembled with fear.Her wide brown eyes pleaded for help as the man raised the hammer above her head.
"Stay back!"he barked at Sheila, his voice shaking."I swear I'll kill her!"
The situation had escalated far beyond what Sheila had anticipated, but she couldn't let this man hurt anyone else.She halted in her tracks, trying to find a way to reason with him.
"Hey, just calm down," she said gently, her heart pounding in her chest."Let's talk about this.No one else has to get hurt."
His response was a wild, frantic shout: "I ain't going back to jail!I'm leaving this house a free man, or I'm dying here, and if I gotta die, I'm taking as many of you with me as I can!"
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
He means it, too,Sheila thought, swallowing hard.He'll kill us all if he can.
Her eyes shifted from the hammer in Ben's hand to the teenage girl Ben had one arm wrapped around as if he was pulling her in for a hug.The girl was terrified, that much was obvious—there was a hollowness in her gaze, a creeping numbness, as if she was already starting to check out.How else, after all, could she deal with the horror she was facing?
I can't let him hurt her,Sheila thought.No matter what happens to me, I have to make sure she's safe.
She had no desire to be a martyr, no desire to lose her life to this sociopath.But it would be a far better alternative to living with the knowledge that, because of some mistake or unwillingness on her part, a young, innocent woman had lost her life.
"Ben," she said, trying to keep her voice steady and calm."Let the girl go.There doesn't have to be any more violence."
"No?"he asked, looking a bit calmer than before—calmer, no doubt, because he felt he was gaining control of the situation.That was good.The more confident he felt, the better.
"You think this is going to end without further violence?"he went on, a hint of mockery entering his voice."You think I'll just surrender and go quietly?Do you take me for a fool?"
Sheila took a deep breath and met Ben's eyes."I don't think you're a fool, Ben.But I do think you're better than this.You don't have to hurt anyone.Just let the girl go and we can talk about this."
Ben's gaze flickered to the girl, then back to Sheila."Talk?You want to talk?You think that's going to solve anything?"
"It's a start," Sheila said, inching closer."We can figure something out.There's always a way out of these things."
