He didn’t really want to die.
She wished she dared turn on the kitchen light, but she didn’t think Alan would be happy about that.
“All right, Alan,” she said, using her most reasonable tone of voice. “What will it take to get you to let the girl go?”
He didn’t answer right away, which meant he was taking her seriously.
“I saw that helicopter,” he said at last. “It’s too small to carry more than two. You set me up. I don’t think I can trust any deal you say you want to make.”
“You’ll have to trust something, Alan. My primary objective is to get the girl home alive. Everything else is negotiable.”
“Yeah, right,” he said, finally peeking at her around the girl’s shoulder, although he knew better than to present even the smallest target for long.
“If her safety wasn’t my goal, why wouldn’t I have already shot her to get to you? It wouldn’t be the first time a hostage got caught in friendly fire.”
That made him stop and consider. Then she heard him swearing.
“I know you don’t want to die, Alan. Everything you’ve done today points to a man who has a strong will to live. I can help you stay alive.”
The problem was he knew if he presented any kind of a target, he would get shot, and there was no way he could come out of that corner without exposing some part of himself. But he also had to know he couldn’t stay there forever.
It really did come down to surrender and live, or shoot Kylie and die.
Chapter Seventeen
Cody followed Jax out the front door of the trailer. Dylan’s helicopter had settled to the ground a few hundred yards off, the rotors slowing to a stop, and the night was still and cool in comparison to the environment inside.
Before he could ask Jax what his plan was, the boy had leapt down the three steps of the porch and turned left, toward the end of the trailer. He wasn’t sneaking. He held the pistol Cody had reluctantly given him at the ready, and he moved with purpose and speed.
They rounded the corner and moved swiftly to the opposite side of the trailer, but didn’t go all the way around the back. They drew to a halt and Jax turned to him.
“The way I figure it,” the boy said quietly, “that asshole is holding Kylie on the other side of this wall. Right about...here.” Jax put the barrel of the revolver at a spot about three feet in from the corner and chest high. “These walls are super thin—”
“Are you out of your mind?” Cody had to fight the urge to raise his voice. “The bullet could miss, or go right through him and into Kylie.” He reached to take the pistol away, but Jax blocked him. He did, however, glance at the revolver. “That’s a .38, Jax, but we don’t know what kind of rounds are in it. They might even be armor-piercing. Cop killers. You can’t risk it.”
“You can if you shoot up from under the floor.”
Both of them jumped at the sound of Mr. Thomas’ voice, and Cody turned to see the old veteran standing within spitting distance. All of them turned their attention to the aluminum skirting around the crawlspace of the trailer. It was old, tearing loose from its nails in places, and one loose panel sat propped against an open section. Without further hesitation, Jax carefully lifted the metal away and handed it to Cody, who laid it aside.
He still didn’t like the plan. It was too easy for him to imagine a bullet ending up in Kylie’s back, and he wanted to argue against trying it. But Mr. Thomas leaned into the opening, talking softly with Jax, and it sounded like they were intent on making this move.
“Not sure how deep the wall goes,” Mr. Thomas said as Cody got down on one knee beside them.
“I am,” said Jax. “Dad and I have had the walls of our trailer open more than once. Plus, I got a good look at the layout before I came out here. I know he’s got her in the corner by the cabinets.”
“You’ve got to have it figured perfectly, son,” Mr. Thomas said. “You don’t want to be the one to hurt her.” He let that sink in for a moment as he tested a flashlight, clicking it on with his hand cupped over the lens to avoid having it shine too far. “You want me to do it?”
Jax shook his head doggedly, and Mr. Thomas nodded gravely before handing him the flashlight. Jax ducked into the opening. It was low enough he needed to crawl on his belly, but his feet still stuck out when he stopped and turned over onto his back.
Cody peered into the darkness under the trailer and tried to imagine what Jax was seeing. Then the flashlight clicked on and revealed the boy’s face, ghostly pale in the harsh glow as he pulled insulation aside.
He glanced up to see Mr. Thomas with his ear pressed against the wall of the trailer, trying to listen to what was going on inside.
“Can you hear anything?” Mr. Thomas whispered to Jax.
There was a pause, then the boy’s voice drifted back to them. “Voices. The floor creaking. I can see the floor joists and the subfloor moving. He’s got to be right above me.”
Jax fell silent as he raised the revolver out of Cody’s view, up toward the floor above him. He adjusted his arm slightly, then held still.
He didn’t know if the boy was taking the time to say a prayer, but that was what Cody did. Praying the boy’s aim would be true and he would take that kidnapping bastard out without hurting Kylie in the process.
Unable to watch, he straightened and hurried back around to the front of the trailer.
⋘⋆⋙
As Kylie stared down the barrels of so many guns—the only things visible against the bright flashlights—she felt nauseous. She knew they weren’t truly aiming at her, but that was cold comfort. She felt Alan shift behind her and the hard edge of the weapon pressed against her ear. Her terror was turning to anger, though, and she held herself ready to act on even the slightest lapse on Alan’s part.
At the moment, no one spoke. The woman who had been negotiating with Alan had fallen silent, and Alan seemed to be waiting, or thinking. Sitting here like this.... Kylie thought surely there was something she could be doing to help herself. In a flash, she remembered something she’d read online about victims—survivors—humanizing themselves to their captors, achieving a level of connection or empathy with the person intent on killing them.
“Tell Jax,” she said, looking into the darkness behind the flashlights. She had to clear her throat to continue. “Tell Jax I love him. My only regret is waiting so long to let him know. We could have had so much together. Just tell him, in the end, I was thinking of him.”
“Shut up,” the man behind her muttered, digging his fingers into the back of her neck.
She ignored him. “Tell my mother she’s the best. And my dad—”
“I’m here, baby,” Cody said, his voice coming from somewhere just out of her sight.
“Daddy, none of this is your fault. You hear me?”
“I said shut up!”
She didn’t know if it was working or just pissing him off, but she couldn’t be sorry about saying her piece. If this guy really planned to throw his life away—and hers along with it—she wanted her last words to be strong, wanted to let her loved ones know she was thinking of them.
“You think you’re clever, right?” The man’s voice was pitched for her ears alone. “Well, screw you and your touching last words.”
The gunshot was loud and unexpected, and her body convulsed in shock, throwing her forward and tipping the chair. Unable to catch herself, she struck the floor face-first and pain flashed through her, blinding her.
Chaos broke out over the ringing in her ears and pounding of her heart, and a large part of her wondered why she wasn’t dead. Alan screamed in pain behind her, and the uniformed agents’ barked orders filled the room. She felt someone pull her—chair and all—across the room, then she heard another gunshot, followed swiftly by at least a half-dozen more.
Then a silence fell, followed by one set of booted feet crossing the floor, something metal sliding, then the woman’s voice. “All clear.”
Kylie’s vision clea
red as she felt the rope binding her arms to the chair give way, and she put her hands under her and pushed herself up on shaking arms. When someone turned on the room lights, Kylie saw Alan slumped against the wall, both hands visible and empty, several bullet wounds staining his chest with blood. His gun had been pushed close to her feet, and she crawled away from it before hands lifted her. Her dad’s arms wrapped around her and she clung to him, unable to stifle her sobs of relief.
The woman made a sound of confusion, and Kylie looked back to see her crouched beside the body, looking at a hole in the floor. “Anybody care to explain this?” she said, straightening.
“I did it,” Jax said.
Kylie turned her head and saw him standing just two steps away. She ran into his arms and kissed him hard with relief. He returned the kiss, one hand wrapped around her waist to pull her against him, the other hand tangled in her hair.
The woman cleared her throat. “I hate to break this up, but I’m going to need an explanation. The sooner I get one, and get statements, the sooner I can cut you all loose to go home.”
Kylie pressed her head against Jax’s, then they turned to face the woman.
“I’m Calliope Sanderson,” she said by way of introduction. “Agent in charge of this operation. You must be Kylie and Jax. Are there any other hostages we should know about?”
They both shook their heads, then Kylie asked, “Did Vera make it?”
“Yes. Sheriff Jonas took her back to our command post out on the highway. She’s shaken, but she’ll be fine. The other girl, Danica, didn’t make it.”
She squeezed Jax’s hand. She’d figured, but hearing it didn’t make it any easier.
“So, Jax. You said this hole in the floor was your doing?”
“Yes, ma’am. I saw where he was holding her, so I went outside, crawled under the floor, and shot up.”
“It was a hell of a risk, son.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I don’t suppose telling you all the things that could have gone wrong will do any good?”
“What’s done is done, ma’am.” Kylie felt his arm tighten around her. “After watching him all day, I don’t believe he would have given up, and I couldn’t let him decide to shoot her. I waited until I was as sure as I could be.... See, I grew up in a trailer just like this.” He shrugged, but Kylie could tell he was anything but relaxed about the chance he’d taken. “Did I...? Did I hit him?”
Sanderson turned back to the body. “Looks like you got him in the thigh, Jax. He only got one shot off, and that was after Kylie was clear. I’m not sure whether you deserve a commendation or a night in jail. But,” she said when Kylie made a noise of protest, “since I never gave you any orders to stay put, and your little stunt actually helped bring the standoff to a close, I’ll settle for a ‘well done’ and leave it at that.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jax said, and Kylie felt much of the tension leave his body. So much so, he sagged in her grip and she had to help him stand.
“Why don’t we let you two sit,” Sanderson said. “We’ll get your statements, then see about getting you home. Cody?” She tossed him her phone. “You want to put in a call to Syracuse and tell them the good news?”
⋘⋆⋙
Mitzi’s ringing phone tore everyone’s gaze away from the TV, where a news channel was picking up coverage of the incident—not that they had anything enlightening to say. The road closure had finally caught the attention of the national news services, who speculated everything from domestic terrorism to a giant sinkhole.
When she checked the caller ID, she motioned for the TV to be muted as she swiped to answer the call. “Deputy Thomas.”
“Deputy, it’s Cody.” She cut her gaze to Janie and held her breath. “My phone got tagged as evidence, which is why I’m on Sanderson’s. Tell everyone it’s over. It’s over and they’re both safe.”
“Wait one,” she said, then held her hand over the phone, unable to make Janie wait any longer. “They’re both okay. I’ll get more details, but they have them both, and they’re safe.”
Wayne Belamy whooped in relief and turned to hug his wife, and she saw Janie’s knees buckle. It was a good thing Tim stood beside her because he caught her and held her close. She clung to him, and the relief and joy on her face touched Mitzi.
Mitzi put her finger over her free ear as she stepped away from the suddenly cheerful and chatty group. Blue followed her, his hand on her shoulder to both give and receive support, and she was grateful. It had been a horrible day.
“So what happened? Can you say?” Mitzi said into the phone.
“The FBI is trying to get one of the kidnappers to talk,” Cody said. “The other one is dead. I hate to say it, but I was right. It was retribution for my work with them before. Kylie was a target because of me. Jax was just in the wrong place at the right time.”
“Don’t you mean the wrong time?”
“Wouldn’t say that. In the end, he’s the one who saved her. If he hadn’t been taken, too, I’m pretty sure she would be in Mexico right now.”
“Sounds like quite a story.”
“Yep. Listen, it’s going to take a while to wrap things up here, then we’ll have a long drive ahead of us to get home. Mr. Thomas says we should just go up to Clovis when they’re done with us, get a hotel, and make the rest of the drive in the morning. We probably won’t be back until mid-afternoon tomorrow. Can you tell everyone?”
“You bet,” Mitzi said, still watching Janie. “They’re really all right?”
“Jax got pretty beat up. Field medic said he’s got a concussion, several cuts and abrasions, a bullet wound, and a cracked rib. The wound is just a graze,” he added hastily. “The kid has balls of stone. Kylie hit her head in the last bit of action. She’ll probably have a pair of black eyes, but she’s in good shape otherwise. Physically anyway.”
They were both silent as they each thought about the emotional trauma they would all surely suffer from. It had taken months for her own nightmares to fade after her ordeal a year-and-a-half ago.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen to the other girl,” Cody said at length.
That brought Mitzi up short. “There was another girl?”
“Two, actually. One didn’t make it. One was from Nebraska, one from South Dakota. Vera’s parents have been notified, and I think they may make the drive to Syracuse to pick her up. Listen, I have to go. Tell Janie I’ll keep our girl safe. Between the three of us, she’ll be snug as a bug in a rug.”
“Will do, Cody.” Mitzi looked at Blue as she ended the call.
“All good?” he asked, reaching up to work her stiff shoulder muscles with his strong, blunt fingers.
She nodded, feeling the hours of tension working loose under his firm touch. “Those kids are going to have a story to tell.” She leaned into him with a sigh. “You know, all this has me thinking.”
“Oh? Sounds dangerous.”
She thumped him on the shoulder. “I’m serious. I was thinking about kids, and how you never know what could happen with them.”
Blue wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “I know, my honey,” he said. “It’s scary.”
“Yes, but...is it strange that I think I understand why people have them now? I mean, Janie was so worried all day. Mr. and Mrs. Belamy were beside themselves. They all missed work. Cody went out there and risked his life to help save his little girl. And your dad.... That kind of pain must mean the depth of love a parent feels for their child is a powerful, beautiful thing.”
Blue didn’t say anything, but he did turn her to face him so he could look her in the eyes.
“I think I’m ready to risk it,” she said, and smiled at the hope that lit up his brown eyes.
“Just when I think I’ve got you figured out,” he said, “you go and throw me in with the wild broncs. You win, my honey. Let’s go home and make a baby!”
She laughed at his exuberance. “It will take a while for my birth control pills to wear
off.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t practice,” he said, then picked her up to kiss her soundly.
Chapter Eighteen
Callie pulled off her helmet as she left the trailer. Chen and Akers could take Jax’s and Kylie’s statements. She had a bigger fish to fry.
A breeze lifted her bangs and began to dry the sweat that had gathered under her tactical gear. She took a deep breath of the night air and sighed. It hadn’t been a perfect operation—five deaths was a long way from perfect—but they had saved three young people from a horrific life. That had to count for something.
Three young lives to go up on her side of the scoreboard. One for the opposition.
She put her hand to the mic of her tactical radio and keyed it. “Sullivan, keep watch for the wife of the owner. One of the kids said Alan was expecting her to show up. She’s going to need support.”
“Roger that.”
A few more slow steps brought her to the blood-splattered woman sitting in the dirt, legs outstretched in front of her with a bloody bandage around one, arms secured behind her, head hanging in resignation. Bradley, who stood watch behind her while they waited for the crime scene investigators and transport vehicles to show up, took a step back when Callie glanced at him.
“So,” she said conversationally. “I don’t suppose you’ll want to spare us the trouble of an interrogation and just tell us who you work for.”
As expected, the woman didn’t respond.
“Your partner, Alan, is dead.” That brought a movement of her shoulders, but Callie thought it was relief, not sadness. No leverage there. “Kylie told me you introduced yourself to her as Maria Andrews. Clever. Invokes a motherly, musical personality. A cross between Julie Andrews and Maria Von Trapp, right?” No reaction. “Well, how do we solve a problem like Maria?”
That finally elicited a snort from the woman. When she looked up, Callie saw her bitter smile. “You going to marry me off to an Austrian?”
One Last Song (A Thomas Family Novel Book 3) Page 13
