He put his hand out to stop her from getting closer to the glass. “What are we going to do?”
As if her question was heard above, a voice came over a loudspeaker. “We know you’re in the store. Come out with your hands up.”
NINE
“‘L et us throw off everything that hinders,’” Maddie spoke into the tension-filled convenience store. “‘And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.’”
Ethan took his attention away from surveying the scene outside. “What does that mean?” he asked.
“It’s a promise from the Bible. Jesus has already gone before you. He has marked out your path. You can’t stop now, but you must let go of the things that hinder you.” Maddie put her hand on her chest. “Forget about me. Leave me here. I’m just going to slow you down.”
“No!” Roni ran back to the girl, grabbing her upper arms. “I am not leaving you behind. What if Ramsey’s men find you? Or if the authorities get to you first, they might deport you back to your family who sold you in the first place.”
“My mother believed in the fairy tale that I would be given a better life. I don’t fault her for selling me.”
“But can you go back?”
“No.” Maddie dropped her gaze for a moment. “I can never go home. But I can’t hold you back either. I’m hindering you just like the scripture says. Leave me here, and make a run for it. Please. I want you to be free. That’s all I’ve wanted from the moment I met you.”
“You believe in freedom for me, but not for you. Why? Why can’t you see freedom is for both of us?”
“Believe it or not, Roni, I’m already free.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t, but I pray someday you will.”
Ethan watched the exchange between the women while he kept one eye to the sky. “You ladies forget I’m in charge now, and I’m not leaving anyone behind.”
Maddie frowned. “You, too, Agent Ethan, have things hindering you that you have to let go of. Not only me. You can’t win your race if you are tangled up in your past. You also can’t win if I am holding you back.”
“No,” Roni jumped in. “Now’s not the time to be breaking up our team. Now’s the time we work together and become stronger. We need to stick together. You don’t hinder us, Maddie. You help us. You swiped me the key to the car. I would have gone nowhere without that. And your exchange of the key to me was brilliant. As smooth as a perfect baton pass in a relay.” She looked to the ceiling, insinuating the thrumming sound of the helicopter above. “This is just another exchange we need to make...but as a team .”
“But I can’t help you now. I don’t have anything to offer to get us out of here safely.”
Roni implored Ethan for his assistance in convincing Maddie to stick with them, a team as she called them. She didn’t know what she was asking, the danger it would mean for them. He was supposed to work alone only. Nobody got hurt that way.
“Come on, Ethan. In a race, the runners only have twenty meters to make that pass. If they miss it, they’re out. Disqualified. The whole team, Ethan, not just one person. The whole team. Our time is running out. Are you in or out?”
“No,” Ethan snapped. “I am a federal agent. You are civilians. This is not a team, and I am in charge. Do you understand?”
Roni shrank back. She swallowed hard. “Sure. I understand.” She pursed her lips. “So, what will you have us do, boss ?”
Ethan ignored Roni’s tone of degradation. She would have to learn his job was to keep her safe. “Keep away from the windows. I’m going out first. I’ll wave to you to come when I know who we’re dealing with.”
“And what if it’s Ramsey’s men and not yours?”
“I’ll stay under the canopy until I know.”
“And then what? I follow you out and turn myself in? That’s your big plan? I guess I’m not surprised. They’re your real team. We’re not.”
“Just
As if her question was heard above, a voice came over a loudspeaker. “We know you’re in the store. Come out with your hands up.”
NINE
“‘L et us throw off everything that hinders,’” Maddie spoke into the tension-filled convenience store. “‘And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.’”
Ethan took his attention away from surveying the scene outside. “What does that mean?” he asked.
“It’s a promise from the Bible. Jesus has already gone before you. He has marked out your path. You can’t stop now, but you must let go of the things that hinder you.” Maddie put her hand on her chest. “Forget about me. Leave me here. I’m just going to slow you down.”
“No!” Roni ran back to the girl, grabbing her upper arms. “I am not leaving you behind. What if Ramsey’s men find you? Or if the authorities get to you first, they might deport you back to your family who sold you in the first place.”
“My mother believed in the fairy tale that I would be given a better life. I don’t fault her for selling me.”
“But can you go back?”
“No.” Maddie dropped her gaze for a moment. “I can never go home. But I can’t hold you back either. I’m hindering you just like the scripture says. Leave me here, and make a run for it. Please. I want you to be free. That’s all I’ve wanted from the moment I met you.”
“You believe in freedom for me, but not for you. Why? Why can’t you see freedom is for both of us?”
“Believe it or not, Roni, I’m already free.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t, but I pray someday you will.”
Ethan watched the exchange between the women while he kept one eye to the sky. “You ladies forget I’m in charge now, and I’m not leaving anyone behind.”
Maddie frowned. “You, too, Agent Ethan, have things hindering you that you have to let go of. Not only me. You can’t win your race if you are tangled up in your past. You also can’t win if I am holding you back.”
“No,” Roni jumped in. “Now’s not the time to be breaking up our team. Now’s the time we work together and become stronger. We need to stick together. You don’t hinder us, Maddie. You help us. You swiped me the key to the car. I would have gone nowhere without that. And your exchange of the key to me was brilliant. As smooth as a perfect baton pass in a relay.” She looked to the ceiling, insinuating the thrumming sound of the helicopter above. “This is just another exchange we need to make...but as a team .”
“But I can’t help you now. I don’t have anything to offer to get us out of here safely.”
Roni implored Ethan for his assistance in convincing Maddie to stick with them, a team as she called them. She didn’t know what she was asking, the danger it would mean for them. He was supposed to work alone only. Nobody got hurt that way.
“Come on, Ethan. In a race, the runners only have twenty meters to make that pass. If they miss it, they’re out. Disqualified. The whole team, Ethan, not just one person. The whole team. Our time is running out. Are you in or out?”
“No,” Ethan snapped. “I am a federal agent. You are civilians. This is not a team, and I am in charge. Do you understand?”
Roni shrank back. She swallowed hard. “Sure. I understand.” She pursed her lips. “So, what will you have us do, boss ?”
Ethan ignored Roni’s tone of degradation. She would have to learn his job was to keep her safe. “Keep away from the windows. I’m going out first. I’ll wave to you to come when I know who we’re dealing with.”
“And what if it’s Ramsey’s men and not yours?”
“I’ll stay under the canopy until I know.”
“And then what? I follow you out and turn myself in? That’s your big plan? I guess I’m not surprised. They’re your real team. We’re not.”
“Just
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