The man’s jaw went a bit slack. “What sort of training?”
“Secret Squirrel stuff.” Kathleen disliked the man so much she didn’t hesitate to say the first thing that popped to mind despite how stupid it sounded. “Don’t ask.”
She met Jake’s gaze and the bright amusement there made her feel so much better. No one knew what the outcome of their situation would be but she believed with Jake there everyone’s changes of survival increased by a significant percentage.
Despite what she’d said, Jake elaborated. “Ranger training. Other stuff. It’s not important. But I’ll do everything in my power to ensure we get out of here safe.”
The obnoxious man grunted. “Right. Well, the first thing we need to do is find a way out of here.”
Jake rubbed his chin in a thoughtful way. “There’s a chance someone could venture out and try to find a way out that isn’t blocked. Maybe where my brother Rick escaped. But that exit is at least two stores over and you don’t know where the shooter is. I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why didn’t you go that way?” Bob asked, his tone rough and accusatory.
Jake’s gaze swung to Kathleen’s and held. “Because I knew Kathleen had gone this way. I wasn’t leaving her.”
Jake’s statement left her a little breathless.
“You all right?” Jake asked. “Feel better after eating?”
Grateful for his concern, she gave him a shaky smile. “Much.”
Kathleen’s pulse quickened but not because of illness. From the moment she’d seen him again at the party this last weekend, her body had responded to his with a mind of its own. Every moment she’d noticed his ripped, tall body and how good he smelled—and the heat she saw in his eyes when he looked at her. Well, those were moments she had to ignore. In the end it didn’t matter if Jake Frasier was the most gorgeous hunk of manhood she’d laid eyes upon. She couldn’t forget everything they’d gone through and how ruthlessly he’d tossed her from his life all those years ago. Yeah, she’d been cursed with a damn good memory. At the same time, shame pricked her. How could she feel like this stuck in a storage room with strangers? How twisted did she have to be to think of ridiculous things like the beautiful green shade of his eyes or how safe he’d made her feel? Somehow Jake mesmerized her, and his protective attitude awakened primal female needs she wanted to reject. His gaze caught hers and held fast. Deep interest flared in his eyes and it took her off guard. Yeah, it was her imagination. It had to be. Jake didn’t find her attractive or desirable. He never had.
“What do we do now?” Charity’s young voice broke Kathleen’s daze.
Jake shifted away from Kathleen. “We wait.”
Bob placed his hands on his waist and huffed. “There must be something we can do. I won’t sit around here and wait to die.”
“Die? What are you talking about? We aren’t going to die.” Mike’s tone sounded mild but his expression reflected disbelief.
Bob pointed back over his shoulder with his thumb. “If we sit around here like cowards we’ll have a coward’s death.”
Impatience flashed over Jake’s face but quickly vanished. “What do you propose, outside of going out there and getting our asses shot off?”
“Take out the shooter,” Bob said.
Kathleen almost said something sarcastic but Jake beat her to it. “With what? Harsh language?”
Mike laughed and Charity managed a small smile.
Bob’s face reddened. “Don’t be preposterous.” Dissatisfaction with the situation blazed in his eyes. “If you’re such a military hero, then you should be able to…I dunno, fashion a weapon or something to take out the gunman.”
Jake grinned but there wasn’t hint of humor in his eyes. “That only works in the movies, Mr. Ceno. I’m not Steven Seagal or Bruce Willis. S.W.A.T. is here. They’ll take care of the gunman. The cops might mistake me for the shooter and cap me in the ass. We need to stay safe and out of the way. Playing hero will only get us dead.”
“Lot of good your military training did,” Bob said.
Jake didn’t react to the insult. “You have military training?”
Bob shifted on his feet. “No. You have absolutely no plan?”
“My plan is to stay out of the shooter’s way and to keep everyone as safe as possible.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Mike said.
“Me too,” Charity said.
Bob threw Jake a completely contemptuous look. “Of course women will believe anything you say. You’re the sort of man who works on a woman’s mind.”
Kathleen’s patience hung on by a thread but she swallowed hard and kept her trap shut. Maybe the blowhard would run out of gas if people didn’t egg him on.
Jake made a sound that confirmed his exasperation. “Hear that, guys? I’m a ladies’ man and didn’t even know it.”
Mike and Charity laughed softly but Kathleen couldn’t manage it. Old tapes played in the back of her mind, impeding her ability to see Blowhard’s statements as amusing.
Mike passed a hand over his hair. “Mr. Frasier is right. We don’t know what we’re doing. Let the police take care of it.”
Kathleen tossed a fake smile at the suited man. Maybe reasoning with him would work. “Even if Jake tried something, the rest of us aren’t skilled enough to escape on our own. We aren’t soldiers and somewhere out there—”
Gunshots echoed nearby and Kathleen flinched. Charity made a startled sound and her eyes widened.
Jake cupped Kathleen’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort. “It’s okay. He doesn’t even know we’re here and he can’t get in.”
Kathleen knew he meant to reassure her but she knew just enough to understand a high-powered weapon could fire bullets through walls. She shivered, and to her surprise he looped his arm around her shoulders and drew her into his body. Comfort washed over her, and so did that damn attraction. She didn’t step out from under his embrace but she almost did.
“As I was saying,” Kathleen continued, “we don’t have the skill set to deal with a shooter, even if Jake does.”
“Young lady, I don’t know who you think you are but you don’t speak for me or for soldier boy here. God is telling me we need to leave before that gunman comes back and puts holes in us.”
Anger roared to life and threatened to overwhelm Kathleen’s hard-won control. Suddenly she felt like that teenager she’d once been, out of her element and ready to strike back just to survive. She swallowed an almost uncontrollable desire to tell Bob to stick it where the sun didn’t shine.
“No one is going anywhere,” Jake said, his stance firm and voice deep.
Bob threw his shoulders back. “You can’t stop me. And if these people know what’s good for them, they’ll follow me.”
Kathleen watched as Jake straightened, and his height matched Bob’s easily. Jake released his grip on her shoulders.
“Oh yeah? I could stop you. I don’t think you want to try me,” Jake said.
The older man puffed up. “Are you threatening me?”
Is this guy really thinking about taking on Jake?
A totally immature part of Kathleen wanted to see Jake clean the floor with Bob.
“I’d do what he says,” Mike said to Bob in a nonchalant tone. “My guess is he’s been trained in all that killer stuff.”
Bob’s eyes widened as he considered Mike’s words. “Ridiculous. He wouldn’t hurt me. He’d be arrested after this is all over.”
“I dunno. It might be worth going to jail,” Jake said, his tone as mild as that of a man heading to the store to buy milk. “Look, let’s not get all Rambo here.” Jake waved one hand in a dismissive gesture. “Flex your muscles after we escape.”
The man pointed at Jake. “God is telling me to do this.”
“Yeah, right.” Charity’s soft voice broke in.
“I don’t know if you have a direct line to God or not. But if we open that door the shooter could hear and may come gunning for us. I’m not putting a
nyone’s life in danger playing stupid macho games,” Jake said.
Bob’s face went red again. He turned away, hands still on hips, and muttered under his breath.
“Everyone stay calm,” Jake said. “The cops will get us out of this situation. Take a load off.”
As if Jake directed troops to stand down, everyone responded. Kathleen surprised herself by sinking to the floor in the small space. Jake settled to her right, his back against the corner. Silence covered the group for some time. Mike’s phone made a shrill sound and he answered it. From the conversation it sounded like it was his wife. Kathleen tuned it out. She didn’t like listening to people’s personal conversations for more than one reason. Jake’s solid, warm presence took her down memory lane to the times before, when he’d stood up for her in high school.
Who am I kidding? It’s impossible not to go down memory lane this entire week.
She couldn’t believe so many years had passed since she’d last seen Jake, when it felt like yesterday. Maybe the trauma of the shoot-’em-up was messing with her mind. Jake brought his knees up and propped his arms across them. He looked unflappable but she’d seen a hint of worry in his eyes a couple of times. She appreciated his coolness under pressure, and his concern about the others impressed her. Damn him. Always the hero, he seemed made of granite.
Mike cleared his throat after he finished his call with his wife. “My wife said the mall shooting is all over the news and the internet.”
Bob, who’d never sat down, leaned against one of the shelves. “My church will send people over to minister to souls when this is all over. Something has to be done about the godlessness in this town.”
“What’s that got to do with the mall shooting?” Mike asked, looking puzzled.
Bob turned a patient expression toward Mike. “If everyone in this town would only turn to God, things like this wouldn’t happen.”
Kathleen felt her blood pressure rise. Part of her almost said something inappropriate and snarky. If it were any other time or place she could have ignored the man. She’d worked hard for years to not overact to every zealot but this man plucked at her last nerve. She knew where her anger came from and thought she’d conquered overreaction. Apparently not. Before she could blurt out something inappropriate, Jake reached across and touched her hand.
She jerked in surprise as his big hand curled around hers. He squeezed gently, those intense eyes connecting with hers again. She read the message. Just hold on and we’ll be out of this soon. Ignore Blowhard. She drew in a big breath and let it out slowly.
If Becket expected a reaction, no one gave it to him. Even mild-mannered Charity looked bored with Bob. A short time later her phone rang and she dug it out of her hobo bag. She tucked her hair behind her ears before answering, her gaze darting from side to side in a nervous fashion.
“Shane,” she said quietly. “No, I—” She frowned as the other person on the line must have cut her off. “Shane, I can’t get out of here. I’m not lying. I’m in the mall like I said before. Turn on the news.” Charity’s voice went higher and more strident. “No. I’m not with Dougie. I told you, I’m finished with him and those other people. I don’t do that anymore.”
Kathleen couldn’t ignore the strain in the other woman’s voice. Jake squeezed Kathleen’s fingers again and released her. She longed for the comfort of his touch but banished the notion a second later. She couldn’t afford what happened in this room to make her think there was more between them than old acquaintances temporarily reconnecting in crisis.
Charity disconnected the call and jammed the phone into her bag with a sigh.
“Everything all right?” Kathleen asked.
Charity shook her head. “It’s my boyfriend, Shane. He thinks I’m messing around with my ex, Dougie.” Charity dropped her hobo bag and the cell phone fell out onto the floor and cracked. “Shit!”
“No need for that language in here,” Bob said.
Charity glared at the man. “Screw you.”
“Whoa.” Mike held up his right hand. “Can we not do this? It isn’t helping a thing. We’re all strung tight.”
“He’s right,” Jake said. “We have to keep it together. We don’t know how long we’ll be stuck in here. Fighting each other won’t help.”
“Sorry.” Charity’s meek expression returned as she gathered her broken phone and stuffed it back into the bag. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “It’s just that Shane is so controlling and…” She glanced around, then said, “Never mind.”
Mike frowned. “Shane’s controlling you?”
“He’s been bossing me around since we got engaged two months ago.” Charity started to cry. “He’s telling me what to wear and what to say and who I can call and…” She shook her head.
Kathleen rummaged in her purse and handed Charity a tissue. Old wounds surfaced inside Kathleen that had lain dormant for years. She gritted her teeth and made a vow to keep her nose out of the girl’s business.
“Sounds abusive,” Mike said.
Charity took a deep, shaky breath. “It is. I decided just this morning that life is too short to marry someone like that. I’m dumping him.”
Kathleen smiled. “Good for you.”
Bob laughed, the sound harsh and short. “You see, that’s wrong with morals today. Women think they can just—”
Kathleen’s decision to stay impartial disappeared. “What do women think?”
Bob’s bulky form towered over everyone. He pointed at Kathleen. “Women need to learn to stay home and take care of the kids.”
Charity stared at the man as if he’d sprouted antlers. For a second Kathleen wasn’t even sure she’d heard him right.
Charity shook her head. “I don’t have any kids. You need to mind your own damned business.”
Bob crossed his arms, not an ounce of contrition on his face. “Perhaps if you were at home where you should be rather than gallivanting around town your life would be better. Black nails? Black clothes? Are you a devil worshipper?”
Charity’s mouth fell open. “I don’t even believe in the devil, you stupid bastard.”
“You should.” Bob’s tone was condescending.
Kathleen’s trouble radar switched into high gear. She knew they needed to stop this roller coaster before it jumped the tracks. At the same time, she couldn’t fault Charity for standing up for herself.
“You women should heed what I say. You’re being led down a dangerous path,” Bob said.
“Are you serious?” Kathleen was at the end of her rope with this guy. “What year is this anyway? Nineteen twelve? Last time I looked, women had a right to move about freely, without a man’s permission. If I want to be led astray I’ll be led astray, thank you very much.”
Bob harrumphed. “Well, we’ll see about that. Things are about to change around here if I have anything to say about it. Constitution is full of good women who know their places. We’re going to change the face of this town when I get elected mayor.” He pointed at Kathleen again. “You’re even worse. I can tell by looking at you. You have rebellious written all over you and it should be controlled.”
Kathleen saw red but she drew in a deep breath to restrain herself. Just barely. Jake made a disgusted sound and she knew he planned to say something biting to the asswipe.
She clasped Jake’s arm and shook her head. “This one’s mine.”
He nodded, and satisfaction ran through her like fine wine.
She knew she should ignore Bob’s brand of ridiculous but he’d touched a place deep inside she’d left buried for a long damn time. Memories surfaced and dug into her skin like birds’ talons. Any other time, any other place, and she would have walked away. Trapped in this room with this creep and facing possible injury or death had stripped away a layer of her tolerance.
Holding back was no longer an option.
She stood slowly and took the few steps necessary to reach Bob. “Well, guess what? You don’t control Charity and you don’t control me. Right here
and right now you don’t have a damned thing to say about what we do, when we do it or how we do it. So do me a favor and don’t speak to either of us again.” She glanced at Charity. “That all right with you?”
Charity smiled widely. “More than all right with me.”
“Ditto,” Mike said.
“Works for me,” Jake said.
Bob’s mouth opened and closed and a few seconds later he walked around the shelving and headed to the door.
“Where is he going?” Mike asked even though it was obvious.
“Damn it.” Jake hissed the curse and headed for Bob. “Bob, get back here.”
Kathleen followed. “Let him. He can’t move that shelving on his own.”
Bob discovered he couldn’t move the shelving, and the rest of them watched as he struggled. He soon gave up and retreated to another corner nearby.
“Let’s return to where we were,” Jake said.
They retreated to the back of the room. Without Bob there, Kathleen thought the air seemed easier to breathe. She relaxed as Jake settled beside her. Kathleen closed her eyes and tried to believe this would all be over soon.
“I think I know what I’m going to do when I get out of here,” Mike said.
Charity swept her feathery hair back. “I’m going to dump Shane and celebrate with an adult beverage.”
“Adult beverage sounds really good right about now.” Jake threw a smile Kathleen’s way. “A whiskey maybe.”
Kathleen returned his smile. “Absolutely. Or a merlot. And a plate of fries. I’m starving too.”
Mike said, “Chocolate cake. Or cheesecake. My wife makes awesome desserts. Something with about seven hundred million calories.”
Bob appeared at the end of the bookcase. Kathleen wanted to tell him to return to his part of the room.
“Is your woman a housewife?” Bob asked Mike.
Mike’s mouth popped open but for a moment he couldn’t seem to formulate an answer. “No. She’s a secretary.”
Bob planted his hands on his hips again. “Well, I don’t suppose it’s that bad. You must have to keep an eye on her, though.”
UnderFire Page 2
