by Debra Sage
“If you don’t want somebody to get hurt, you get me Amanda. Either I trade Dr. Toma for Amanda or Dr. Toma dies.”
“Whoa, let’s not talk like that,” Bryce continued. “Nobody has to die.”
“I’m finished talking.”
Alex kicked the ground. “I’m not trading one life for another.”
Bryce talked calmly. “We’ll see what we can do, but it will take time.”
Alex mouthed the word “no.”
Bryce whispered, “We’ll buy some time. Tire him out.”
Alex nodded and closed his eyes.
“Think how much better you’ll feel when this is over with,” Bryce started. “The sooner we settle this, the sooner your stress will melt away. I know you didn’t want to do this. It’s not who you are. It’s a mistake. We all make mistakes. Let’s undo this before it gets worse.”
No answer.
He tried again.
No answer.
Bryce shook his head, frustrated. “Is Dr. Toma okay? You need to let us know she’s still alive. Where is she?”
“Amanda, or nothing. Let me make things brutally clear. Amanda will be safe in here with me. Dr. Toma, not so much. If you want to negotiate a deal, you get me Amanda. Otherwise, I kill Dr. Toma and take out anybody else that gets in my way. Are we clear?”
Bryce glanced at Alex.
Alex looked away. “I don’t want her involved.”
“She’s already agreed to come and talk to me,” Lee added. “No more talking until she’s here.”
Alex stepped back from the door and called Amanda. “He wants to talk to you.”
“I know. Bruno won’t let me leave.”
“I don’t like it.”
“He won’t hurt me, Alex. I know he won’t.”
He hated himself. Hated the hard decision. “He’s got Kateri Toma as a hostage. He’ll only let her go if he can talk to you. He wants to trade. I say no. Maybe he’ll fold if you talk to him from out here with the police. You’re not going inside.”
Amanda gasped. “Oh God, poor Kateri. Let’s do this. I can do this, Alex. I know him. I’ve known him for years.”
Alex closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. “As did Dawn. Put Bruno on.”
A few moments later, Amanda saw Bruno nod. “We’re on our way.”
Alex’s shoulders dropped. It was the last thing he wanted. “She’s on her way.”
Bryce nodded. “Lee, Amanda is on her way. Work with us here. Let us know Dr. Toma is safe.”
“Not until Amanda is here.”
“How are you feeling, Lee? How do you think your wife and kids will feel? Let’s settle this thing quickly. You don’t want reporters hounding your family, following them around, camping out on your lawn, right?”
Lee clenched his jaw and said nothing.
Chapter 30
Amanda stared out the window as Bruno drove her to the hospital. She folded and clasped her hands, trying to stop the trembling in her fingers. She took slow, deliberate breaths, trying to stop the fluttering that shook her body. Her heart thundered in her chest, slamming into her ribcage. Every sound was amplified.
When they reached the hospital, the world moved in slow motion. Amanda stepped out of the car, but her head was clouded. She thought she was prepared, but the closer she got to the turmoil, the harder it was to move one foot in front of the other.
Her throat tightened, squeezing out what little air she was taking in. The last thing she needed was to have an anxiety attack. No. Stay calm. You need to stay calm.
She stopped in her tracks, drew a deep breath, and then nodded to Bruno. “Okay, I just needed a second.”
“Which way?”
“They’ll be in the basement.”
A police presence was all around. She wasn’t used to seeing the hospital like this.
Bruno spoke to the officer who was stopping people from advancing. “Alex Ramsey and Bryce Mitchell called for us. They’re part of the negotiation going on. They’re expecting Amanda.”
The officer nodded and pointed with his chin in the general direction.
“Yeah, I know where they are,” she said. “Let’s go.”
She wanted to put on a brave front, but the truth was that she was terrified. She had no idea what to expect, but when she heard the desperation in Lee’s voice and his need to talk to her, she knew she was the key. She was their best chance at ending this without tragedy. She’d talk to him, talk sense into him, help him see he’d lost control. It would be okay. God, she hoped it would be okay.
The police let Amanda and Bruno through the door and down the steps. Alex met her at the bottom. “I don’t like this. I don’t want you here.”
“It has to be me,” she said. “I’ve made peace with it.”
He pulled her into an embrace and held her tightly. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“It’s going to be okay, maybe a little scary, but he won’t hurt me. I’m sure of it.”
“Don’t be over confident. Remember what happened to Dawn, and he’s holding Kateri hostage.”
She nodded. “I know. I’m doing this with my eyes wide open.”
Alex let go and nodded. “Right now, you’re our best chance of getting Dr. Toma out of there unharmed.”
“Then let’s not wait any longer. She’s been traumatized enough.” Her voice quaked, unable to hide her fear.
Alex squeezed her hand. He unbuttoned his shirt, slid it off, and pulled his bulletproof vest off. “Put this on.”
“You need that,” she said, trying to stop him.
It was too late, he’d already taken it off and was sliding it over her head. He helped her Velcro the straps around her torso. “Stay calm. Let’s talk him down from the edge and end this thing.”
She nodded and drew a deep breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Bryce,” Alex said. “We’re ready.”
“Got it.” He leaned toward the door. “Lee, Amanda is here to talk to you. She’s right outside.”
“No. Not good enough. She comes in here with me. I’m not playing games,” he said, his voice growing more agitated.
“You need to let Dr. Toma out first. You need to show us—”
“No! I’m not stupid. Amanda comes in first. When she’s in, then I’ll release Kateri.” He went to the cooler and yanked out Dr. Toma, making it clear if she followed his instructions that she’d get out alive.
Bryce closed his eyes and tipped his head back. It was worth a shot. He figured if Kateri were let go, they could storm in without anybody else being risked harm.
“I’m here,” Amanda called out. “Let Dr. Toma go.”
“I’m holding a gun to Kateri’s head. When I open the door, Amanda slips in. Everybody else stays far back from the door. Got it? Any funny business, and I shoot our good doctor.”
It was a difficult call, but the goal was to get people away from him unharmed. They’d buy time. “We’re backing away from the door. Amanda is waiting beside it. I’m going to tell you now, if you don’t keep your word and let Dr. Toma go, we’ll storm in there with tear gas and take you down. Do you understand me?”
“I want Amanda.”
“Let’s do this,” she called back.
They heard the door unclick. Amanda’s heart thundered in her ears. She reached for the doorknob and stuck her hand through first. “It’s me, Lee. Let me through safely.”
He opened the door a crack more, letting her slip inside. She looked over at Kateri. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“Now, Dr. Toma,” Bryce called out.
Lee let go of the frightened woman. She scrambled out. Lee slammed the door closed and locked it. “Help me push this table over there,” he demanded.
Amanda tried to hide the quiver in her voice. “Lee, what’s going on? You need to talk to me. Let me help you.”
They pulled a stainless-steel table to the door, blocking the path to buy a shred of time if needed.
“Lee, the gun. We don’t nee
d the gun,” she said.
“I need it,” he said. “You see what I’m up against.”
“What’s happening?” she asked. “What is all of this?”
“I did it Amanda. I killed Dawn,” he said, breaking down. “I didn’t mean to. I swear, I didn’t. It was an accident. One thing led to another…I don’t know what’s going on. It’s out of control.”
“Lee, we’ll fix this. It’s going to be okay.”
“No, Amanda. It’s not. I’m sorry about this, but I’m going to need to tie you to this chair. Don’t panic. I won’t hurt you, but I need to know you’re not going to do anything stupid.”
She swallowed hard. “Is that really necessary? I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Come on,” he said, leading her to a chair. He pulled zip ties from a drawer and strapped her wrists to either side. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Amanda tried to watch his eyes, but she was afraid her own fear would show if he looked into hers.
“I need to tell you what I’ve done,” he said. He rubbed at the back of his neck, then paced before her. His voice was fractured and frantic. “I don’t know how I let it get this far. I don’t. This isn’t who I am. You know me, the real me.”
“What did you do?” she asked.
He closed his eyes. “You were the one I let slip away. You’ve always been the one. I’m sorry I dragged things along back then. I should have committed, but my kids…you understand, right?”
“Of course. You had a family.”
He nodded. “I made a choice. I had to. I wish it would have worked. I’ve never loved anybody the way I loved you.”
“You needed to be there for your kids. You did the right thing,” she encouraged.
“I got greedy. I wanted more. Wanted it all. I started getting mixed up in the wrong things. I had an opportunity and held fast to it. It was so easy. Too easy. I’m not even sure how it fell in my lap the way it did. I’ve been selling the hospital’s expired drugs and let me tell you, it’s big money. It’s been too much to load into my bank account. There’d be too many questions. I’ve been stashing it away. It wasn’t supposed to turn into what it has. I’m smuggling drugs, Amanda. Me. I don’t know who I am anymore.” He shook his head and continued pacing. His speech raced faster with each sentence, until it was almost incoherent.
“You can turn things around,” she said. “Do the right thing now.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s too late for me.”
“What happened with Dawn?”
“She found out about the drugs and threatened to tell the cops,” he said. He looked at her like a deer in headlights. “I swear, I didn’t mean to kill her. I panicked. I was backed into a corner and struck out. Before I realized what was happening, I’d strangled her. She fell to the floor like a rag doll. I stared at my feet in disbelief. I’d killed her. And the worst part is I didn’t even try to save her. I could only think about saving myself. I started to plan, plot, figure out the best way to cover my tracks…it got out of hand.”
Amanda closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and kept her calm the best she was able. She didn’t say anything, and let him keep rambling.
“I did horrible things.” He confessed his sins, trying to cleanse his mind, but he wasn’t finished.
“What do you want from me?” she finally asked.
He turned and walked over to counter. Beneath it, he slid open one of the drawers. Lee reached into the drawer and pulled out a large needle. “I need you to kill me. I’ve become a monster.”
Amanda’s jaw dropped. She shook her head violently. “What? No!”
“You have to, Amanda. You have to do this for me.”
“No, Lee. I won’t take your life.”
He calmly walked closer. “It’s you or me. Either I kill you, or you kill me. If you don’t kill me, I’ll have to kill you. That way the police will shoot me dead. While I was waiting, I put together a lethal cocktail with what I had access to. There’s no other choice.”
Amanda continued to shake her head. “Lee, no. This isn’t the answer.”
“You’re right. It’s not an answer, it’s a solution. It’s the only way out.”
Tears streaked down her cheeks as he held the needle up in front of her. “I’m going to release you. You’re going to inject me. If you don’t, I’ll shoot you dead.”
“Lee, no,” she pleaded. “Don’t put me in this position.”
“There’s no other choice,” he repeated. “I’ve thought long and hard about this, and it solves everything.”
“It will haunt me forever. I can’t kill you.”
“Then I suppose you’d best say your prayers. I’m sorry it has to be this way.” He lifted the gun and pointed it at Amanda, offering her one last chance. “You or me?”
She sobbed heavily and closed her eyes.
“That’s what I thought.” He went to the counter and picked up scissors. Walking calmly toward her, he clipped the zip ties and set her free. He whispered urgently, “Do it.”
Her body quaked as he dropped the scissors and handed her the syringe.
“I can’t.”
“Do it,” he hissed. “Kill me. Put me out of my misery.”
“Lee, this isn’t the way.”
“It’s the only way. You or me? It’s your last chance. I’m counting to three. You either jab this into me and end my life, or I pull the trigger and end yours. I’ve got nothing left to lose, Amanda. You have everything to lose.”
Amanda looked at the syringe. “What’s in here?”
“It doesn’t matter. It will do the job quickly.”
“No,” she said, dropping it to the ground. “I can’t.”
“One…” he started.
“Two…I’m sorry it has to be this way. I didn’t want you to die, Amanda.”
“Wait!” She panicked and reached for the needle.
“That a girl,” he encouraged. He held the gun, pointing it toward her head with his right hand. His left arm was out and waiting. He looked her dead in the eyes. “Do it now.”
She nodded and lifted the needle. There was no time to think, only react.
“I will. I just need a minute. I’m not steady enough,” she said shaking.
“You’re running out of time, little girl.”
Amanda bit her cheek, trying to focus herself. If she ran, she’d be shot. If she stabbed him elsewhere, he’d know she’d done it on purpose. If she angered him, he might kill her and somebody else. There was only one choice.
“Counting down,” he said. “No more waiting.”
She looked him in the eye. He wasn’t the man she knew. He was a wild animal, his eyes steely and gone. A demon had climbed from within him and shattered every part of the man she once knew.
“Three…two…”
She stabbed the needle into his vein and cried. “God, please forgive me.”
As the syringe was emptied into his arm, Lee dropped to the floor in a fit of spasms. By the time she could run to the door and scream for help, he was dead.
Chapter 31
Alex held her close. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
She sobbed into his chest, battered and worn, oblivious to everything that was still going on around them.
He buried his face in her hair. “I love you, Amanda. Oh, I love you, baby. I’m so grateful you’re okay.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered. Her face was wet with tears, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever stop shaking, but the nightmare was over. Now Lee would only haunt her in her dreams. “What’s going to happen to me?”
“Nothing,” he said. “We’ll get you somebody to talk to, so you can work through this. Then we pack you up and move you in with me. I’m never letting you out of my sight again. You, me, it’s forever.”
“Don’t ever let me go,” she pleaded.
“Never,” he said, a promise he fully intended on keeping.
Together, they walked away from the basement. There’d be paperw
ork to file, things to handle, but for this one moment in time, he needed to put Amanda first. The others could handle the details of the monster known as Lee Brock. For now, his priority was the love of his life. “Let’s get you out of here.”
###
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