him. The other guy stayed on the floor, but his eyes shifted back and forth. Roxann, being Roxann, twisted around, yanked the lamp cord from the wall, wrapped her hand around the heavy brass base and brought the lamp to her lap.
She understood the benefits of brass lamps as weapons. One good swing and she’d crack someone’s skull.
“Hey!” Joe yelled, aiming the gun at her.
Gavin swung the shotgun in Joe’s direction. “Relax. She’s not going anywhere.”
Rox removed the shade and checked the heft of the lamp. “Insurance.”
No wonder Mike adored her. Right now though, he had eight minutes to get Joe’s gun pointed back at him and end this thing.
“Joe, your mission is coming apart. Stop now and everyone walks out safely. Nobody is hurt. Nobody is dead.”
From under Gavin’s foot the guy on the floor said, “Don’t—”
Gavin pressed his foot down. “You shut up.”
After a gasping noise from his prisoner, figuring the point had been made, Gavin eased up. Joe’s gaze bounced all over the room. Silent panic.
Move in.
“Somehow,” Gavin said, “whoever these guys are, whatever they mean to you, I don’t think they rank with watching your son grow into a man. That’s the only decision you need to make right now. Are these two, this mission, worth you losing the opportunity to take your son for ice cream every night? Or to ballgames for the next twenty years? Watching him graduate? Get married? What’s it worth to you, Joe?”
With any luck, it would be enough to get them out of there.
* * *
Janet sat on the stupid, miserable, spine-mangling folding chair, her equally miserable boss towering over her, his gaze glued to the monitor above her head, both of them—for different reasons—counting down the minutes. Theoretically, she and Vic were of the same mind in wanting the standoff to be over, but Vic wanted to breach and Janet wanted everyone to exit on their own.
Either way, she supposed, someone could die. And maybe she was a horrible person, but she didn’t want either person to be Gavin or Roxann. The other ones? They created this mess, they’d have to deal with the consequences.
Horrible person.
“Five minutes,” Vic announced.
He strode to the table and grabbed a vest, sliding it on with the ease of a man putting on a dress shirt. “I’m heading up there. Mike is probably ready to haul ass into the house. Without a vest or weapon. Goddamned head-shrinker.”
Enough already. Beleaguered from the battle of controlling her emotions, her last standing nerve snapped. She shot out of her chair. “He was afraid Rox would get hurt. That’s why he went in. He’s trying to save her and you being a pain in the butt is not helping.”
But Vic was already out the door. Not that he would have listened anyway. At least not in his current mental state. Another thing she knew about her boss. When he was in his zone—as in now—he only dealt with the task at hand.
Jason’s mother entered the barn, her face drawn. Jason didn’t trail behind and Janet assumed he would still be in his mother’s car. “What’s happening?”
“I’m not sure.” Liar. “Give me a couple of minutes to find out. Please, go back to your car and wait. Just until we know what’s going on.”
“Is he dead? Joe?”
And, oh, God, she needed some better people skills. What was she supposed to say to this woman whose son might wind up fatherless? Totally inept at this. Lacking options, she’d go with the truth. At least what she knew to be the truth. “No.”
The woman dropped her chin to her chest. “He’s a good father. Maybe he’s mixed up, but he adores Jason.”
Janet squeezed her arm. “I know. I was listening while he and Gavin talked. We’re trying to get him out safely. If you’ll promise to stay in your car, I’ll see if I can get you information. Will you do that for me?”
“Please, hurry.”
Janet grabbed a radio, spotted Gavin’s iPod and snatched that, as well. He’d want
She understood the benefits of brass lamps as weapons. One good swing and she’d crack someone’s skull.
“Hey!” Joe yelled, aiming the gun at her.
Gavin swung the shotgun in Joe’s direction. “Relax. She’s not going anywhere.”
Rox removed the shade and checked the heft of the lamp. “Insurance.”
No wonder Mike adored her. Right now though, he had eight minutes to get Joe’s gun pointed back at him and end this thing.
“Joe, your mission is coming apart. Stop now and everyone walks out safely. Nobody is hurt. Nobody is dead.”
From under Gavin’s foot the guy on the floor said, “Don’t—”
Gavin pressed his foot down. “You shut up.”
After a gasping noise from his prisoner, figuring the point had been made, Gavin eased up. Joe’s gaze bounced all over the room. Silent panic.
Move in.
“Somehow,” Gavin said, “whoever these guys are, whatever they mean to you, I don’t think they rank with watching your son grow into a man. That’s the only decision you need to make right now. Are these two, this mission, worth you losing the opportunity to take your son for ice cream every night? Or to ballgames for the next twenty years? Watching him graduate? Get married? What’s it worth to you, Joe?”
With any luck, it would be enough to get them out of there.
* * *
Janet sat on the stupid, miserable, spine-mangling folding chair, her equally miserable boss towering over her, his gaze glued to the monitor above her head, both of them—for different reasons—counting down the minutes. Theoretically, she and Vic were of the same mind in wanting the standoff to be over, but Vic wanted to breach and Janet wanted everyone to exit on their own.
Either way, she supposed, someone could die. And maybe she was a horrible person, but she didn’t want either person to be Gavin or Roxann. The other ones? They created this mess, they’d have to deal with the consequences.
Horrible person.
“Five minutes,” Vic announced.
He strode to the table and grabbed a vest, sliding it on with the ease of a man putting on a dress shirt. “I’m heading up there. Mike is probably ready to haul ass into the house. Without a vest or weapon. Goddamned head-shrinker.”
Enough already. Beleaguered from the battle of controlling her emotions, her last standing nerve snapped. She shot out of her chair. “He was afraid Rox would get hurt. That’s why he went in. He’s trying to save her and you being a pain in the butt is not helping.”
But Vic was already out the door. Not that he would have listened anyway. At least not in his current mental state. Another thing she knew about her boss. When he was in his zone—as in now—he only dealt with the task at hand.
Jason’s mother entered the barn, her face drawn. Jason didn’t trail behind and Janet assumed he would still be in his mother’s car. “What’s happening?”
“I’m not sure.” Liar. “Give me a couple of minutes to find out. Please, go back to your car and wait. Just until we know what’s going on.”
“Is he dead? Joe?”
And, oh, God, she needed some better people skills. What was she supposed to say to this woman whose son might wind up fatherless? Totally inept at this. Lacking options, she’d go with the truth. At least what she knew to be the truth. “No.”
The woman dropped her chin to her chest. “He’s a good father. Maybe he’s mixed up, but he adores Jason.”
Janet squeezed her arm. “I know. I was listening while he and Gavin talked. We’re trying to get him out safely. If you’ll promise to stay in your car, I’ll see if I can get you information. Will you do that for me?”
“Please, hurry.”
Janet grabbed a radio, spotted Gavin’s iPod and snatched that, as well. He’d want
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