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Dane headed to the kitchen without questioning Boozer, and Craig cursed under his
breath.
Leigh slipped her arm around Craig’s shoulders and pressed, and the reassurance
gave him strength. He turned to her and caught an equal fortitude in her eyes.
The swinging doors opened violently, and Dane rushed through. “Boozer! Brick is
gone and so is everyone from the kitchen. The back door is open.”
Most likely that explains the police out front.
Boozer spewed a string of curses that burned even Craig’s hardened ears. The brutal
gang member rushed to the kitchen, his face twisted with feral anger. Shouting and more
frustrated curses issued from the kitchen. Craig couldn’t stop the sick feeling in his
stomach that this would hurt their situation. Either Brick let the people escape, or they
overpowered him. Either way, Boozer might take it out on the remaining hostages. Craig
decided he’d have to feel good that at least a few hostages had managed an escape.
Leigh remained quiet, but when Craig glanced at her, the millisecond-long twinkle in
her eye told him she savored that hostages had escaped.
“Why aren’t the cops helping us?” One man’s voice harped from near the left side of
the restaurant.
From this angle Craig couldn’t see the man, but he recognized the voice. Few people
could have a more condescending and superior attitude than the mayor’s brother, Shubert
Ross. He’d been teased unmercifully as a kid and called Sherbet. In his fifties, married,
and with three college-aged kids, the lawyer believed push and shove had gotten him to
the top, as well as a very clever way to disguise it when he stepped on anyone to get
there.
Fantastic. All we need is someone like Sherbet in the restaurant.
Before Craig could form a sentence to calm the man, another man said, “Maybe
they’ll just leave us in here, then come rushing in and shoot the bad guys after we’re
already dead.”
Holy shit. Did people really think that’s what SWAT did?
Sherbet grunted. “The mayor and I think Gold Rush should have its own SWAT
team and not rely on the county.”
“Shut up back there,” one of the gang members at the front said.
For once Craig agreed with the gang member. While Craig wanted to march over to
Sherbet and tell him to shut the fuck up, he wouldn’t. It wouldn’t help their situation, and
he couldn’t afford to cause more problems in the middle of this already problematic
situation.
As Boozer burst back into the main restaurant, Leigh started and gripped Craig’s
bicep with both hands. Was she scared? Or afraid that Craig would do something rash?
Rash wouldn’t be a good idea this point.
Boozer came at them and Craig instinctively swiveled in the seat so Leigh was
behind him. Once more she felt her hand on his back. Steady man. Steady.
Boozer snarled, “What the fuck did you do?”
Craig wanted to smile at the ridiculous question, but now was not the time for
bravado. “Nothing. I thought it was kind of strange how quiet it was back there, but—”
“Get up!” Boozer spit the demand in Craig’s face.
Reluctant but knowing he didn’t have any choice, Craig stood slowly. Behind him he
thought he heard Leigh’s voice whisper softly, “No.”
Boozer slid his weapon off his shoulder and aimed at Craig. Craig didn’t hold up his
hands. Instead he stayed calm in the face of possible death. Please God, if he shoots,
don’t let him hit Leigh.
One of the other gang members came to Boozer’s side. “Boozer, the old man ain’t
doing so well.”
Boozer swung toward his friend, murderous intent clear on his face. “Do I look like I
give a fuck?”
“Hey man, it’s murder one on our heads if he dies,” the gang member said. “Why
don’t we just let—”
“Say another word and I’ll shoot you myself,” Boozer said to the boy, gesturing for
him to go away.
The phone rang at the front desk.
Chapter Nineteen
Leigh’s heart drummed in her ears as a wave of stark fear battered her. Boozer kept
his automatic weapon pointed at Craig, and the thought of Boozer hurting Craig sent her
stomach into a violent roll. She put her hand over her mouth.
When the phone continued to ring, Boozer yelled up to the front, “Hobo, answer the
fuckin’ phone and tell whoever it is to fuck off!”
Craig remained standing, unmoving, his body strong and appearing braced for
anything.
Please, please be safe.
Boozer turned back to Craig. “Sit down, SWAT boy. I’ll deal with you later.”
Craig slid back into the booth. Leigh eased her hand over his thigh. His muscle
flexed under her touch. Once more his arm slid around her shoulders and drew her close.
His lips brushed her temple. She closed her eyes and sank into his affection and
protection.
Boozer took the phone from Hobo. “Yeah, this is Boozer. I run the Dragons. I ain’t
interested in fuckin’ around. Yeah, we got a SWAT fuck here and an old man with a
heart attack. You try anything and they’re both dead. Everyone in here is dead.” Boozer
stalked back and forth near the counter, the cordless phone allowing him to move in a
wide arc. “This is what we want. We’re going to take MacGilvary and do whatever the
hell we want with him. Then you can have back the rest of these douche bags.” Boozer
slammed the receiver back into the base.
Not good.
“Just let us go,” the annoying man who’d barked earlier was talking again. “You’ve
got MacGilvary over there. He’s the one you want.”
She wanted to tell the man to stick it up his ass, but refused to become part of the
problem.
“Shut that guy up,” Boozer said to Hobo.
Hobo made tracks to the man’s area. A second later a cry, a grunt, gasps of outrage.
A woman cried out. “Don’t!”
Leigh tensed, but Craig’s arm tightened. He whispered into her ear. “Easy. We’ll get
through this.”
When she dared look at him, Craig’s eyes showed confidence and a keen desire to
reassure.
“I know.”
Leigh closed her eyes. God, how long would this nightmare continue?
Dane stayed in the booth the entire time, his eyes growing wider by the minute.
Maybe the boy understood now what the revenge plan might do to more than Craig.
“It wasn’t suppose to happen this way,” Dane said.
“What did you think would happen?” Craig asked in a modulated voice untainted by
anger.
“I didn’t mean for all these other people…” Dane shook his head. “And Leigh…”
“You didn’t think a violent, illegal act such as this would hurt anyone other than
me,” Craig said as his arm slipped from around Leigh.
“Yeah,” Dane said, shame returning to his voice.
At least now the boy understood how his betrayal could cost all their lives and not
just one.
“Please, this man is going to die,” the nurse said. “I’ve done all I can for him.”
A soft sobbing came from that direction. The man’s wife. Leigh’s heart twisted.
Empathy filled her eyes with tears. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]