Chapter 5 #2
She would hate him for the rest of her life.
What he was about to do would not only make the FBI take a harder look at her finances and her recent ties to Cordell, it would likely cost her the job here at the Silver Aces.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. She’d take some heat from the community too, not unlike some of the griping aimed at her because she spent so much time with him, the only son of the woman who owed money to everyone in town.
Somehow, if he got Cordell’s crew into FBI custody, Wyatt would find a way to make it up to her.
Playing his assigned role, he sipped his coffee and kept his gaze on his phone.
Bringing up the weather app, he nearly swore out loud.
The radar showed the entire area covered by thick bands of snow and icy precipitation.
Cordell must be trying to get the diamonds out ahead of the road closures.
If he’d bothered to ask before throwing all of this into motion, Wyatt could’ve explained why that wouldn’t work.
He used the app to zoom out, looking for a better way from Deadwood to the rendezvous.
Heading south first might be the best hope of making it within a day.
The only good news was that the law enforcement, sure to follow them, would have an equal challenge.
His stomach knotted. Law enforcement who gave chase would also run the risk of driving right off the road.
Opening the text messages, he sent a private message to Cordell, suggesting he postpone the robbery.
Cordell: Cold feet?
Wyatt: Common sense. Move the meet.
Cordell: Meet stays. Contact is out of reach.
Wyatt: Understood.
Great. This was going down, weather be damned.
He considered warning Cordell that the route might shift, but didn’t bother.
He watched the minutes tick down on the clock displayed on his phone.
Right on time, Tate Cordell strolled by the restaurant, crossing from the slot machines toward the retail row of shops.
It was the first time Wyatt had seen him here at the casino and he looked for all the world like a man without a care.
Wyatt fought back a sudden urge to blow up the entire plan.
Sure it would cost him his reward money but Evie wouldn’t hate him.
With one text or an anonymous phone call, he could tip off the casino security staff.
A trickle of dread slid down his spine as he considered it.
Upping the timeline, trying to stick with the same escape route in this weather was all wrong.
With twenty minutes to go, he received a reminder from Pickering that local support was officially suspended for weather, followed by a suggestion to keep Cordell and his crew in the building.
Sure, because a standoff in a building that couldn’t be evacuated would be so much more appealing than an escape through a blizzard. Was the snow impairing everyone’s common sense?
He sat back, a picture of calm when he wanted to jump on the table and scream out his frustrations.
That was tempting, another action that would bring in security from all sides.
Of course, if he did that, Cordell would use the distraction to his advantage and Wyatt would be left twisting in the wind trying to explain his breakdown to the FBI.
Nearby one of the slots paid out, complete with flashing lights, bells and music, and the coveted sound of tokens overflowing the tray.
Hooray for payday, he thought, thoroughly disgusted.
His mother had craved that singular, raucous sound over everything else, including food, water, and her only child.
She’d chased that ultimate mood lifter, heedless of what went undone or unsaid.
With only ten minutes to go, Wyatt scanned the area, confirming the security teams were where they needed to be.
He dropped cash on the table to cover his coffee, though he gave serious thought to charging it to the room.
That option too would’ve given him a way to write a note and warn someone outside the FBI that a robbery was about to occur.
Instead, he stuck with the plan, even though the FBI had suddenly withdrawn their tactical support.
He took up his new position in a seating area between the retail space and their intended exit. His expression neutral, he kept his gaze on his cell phone and waited for the alarm to sound.
“Wyatt?”
At the sound of Evie’s voice, his mind blanked. This could not be happening. She was supposed to be in the ballroom. If he doubted it before, here was confirmation that the operation was cursed.
“I thought you were busy with the private event.” Too busy to have lunch with him.
“What’s wrong?” Her smile faded as she studied his face. “You look more upset than you did earlier.” She bit her lip. “It’s being here, isn’t it? And now you’re stuck.” She turned him toward the hotel. “Come on. I can get you set up with a massage.”
“No, Evie. Wait.”
“On the house,” she said.
He dug in his heels, blocking her view of the jewelry store and preventing her from dragging him out of position. In his head he swore a blue streak in Cordell’s general direction. “You should get back to the ballroom. Don’t want to miss any good tippers.”
“It’s less of a priority,” she said. “Between you and me, Cottonwood just hit the jackpot.”
“I beg your pardon?” Pickering could not be right about Evie.
“An investor reached out with a generous offer that will let me get things back on track.”
“Who? How much?”
“That’s not your business.”
He checked his phone. In less than three minutes alarms would sound, his life would fall apart. “You should’ve come to me.” He tried to steer her toward the ballroom, out of harm’s way.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Now you sound like my father.”
It aggravated him that she’d gone to someone else for help. That she’d had to. Part of him was sure that should be his job, despite walking out on that role eleven years ago. Any second now she’d find out that her investor was a fraud, using her for… well, Wyatt wasn’t sure yet.
“Did you vet this person? Have you met or drawn up contracts?”
Her gray eyes blazed with temper. “Mr. Jameson, please excuse me. Enjoy your stay at Silver Aces.”
He didn’t want her to leave angry, he just needed her out of the way. The flash of relief that she was gone evaporated as she turned toward the sudden shouting match behind him.
What was Cordell doing? The robbery should’ve gone off without any kind of shouting, only a standard alarm. He turned toward the noise, tucking Evie behind him as the glass door fronting the jewelry store exploded in a rain of sparkling shards. Also, not part of the plan.
The alarm sounded and Cordell, Baker, and Karl appeared, their boots crunching on the mess, grinding the glass against the marble floor as they hustled his way. The uniformed guard wasn’t anywhere in sight, but the two plain-clothes guards were in pursuit and pulling their guns.
“Stop them,” Evie said, pushing at his back.
He stepped into their path as he tried to shove Evie back and out of the way. He had to distance himself from her while still holding up his end of the exit plan.
Behind the trio of robbers, one of the men raised his gun and took a stand. “Freeze! Casino security!”
Cordell kept moving and the calculating grin on his face sent a chill over Wyatt’s skin. “A hostage, smart move.”
Damn it, Tate was right. It was the only safe play. As the three men passed by, he fell in behind them, dragging Evie along. He did his best not to hurt her, but he had to restrain her and make it convincing.
“Wy…att—”
She couldn’t get the words out well with his forearm across her throat. “Cooperate, Miss Cotton,” he said in her ear. “Cooperate and this goes easier for all of us.”
He eased the pressure at her throat, but kept her arm pinned behind her back, steering her movement. The guards hesitated, barking at each other and at them, but Wyatt knew they wouldn’t shoot and risk hurting her. Caution was the standard procedure when a civilian was in the way.
Cordell, in the lead, pushed open the door and cold air struck Wyatt hard as he walked backward out of the building, Evie secure in his arms. Snow swirled through the air, blurring the visibility within a few feet.
Over the wind, he heard car doors opening and the roar of an engine.
Baker must have double-parked the SUV close to the door.
Amateur move for a supposedly professional crew.
The casino security staff would have full details on the car before the crew made it to the highway.
He tried to release Evie, determined to push her back toward the guards and the safety of the casino, but Karl, who easily had fifty pounds on Wyatt, manhandled him and then Evie into the back seat and then blocked her in.
Wyatt started to drag her right on through the opposite door of the vehicle, but Cordell was there, gun in hand, blocking the move and watching him with a cocky grin.
At this range Cordell wouldn’t miss, even with the snow.
With a split-second to decide, Wyatt stayed the course, playing his role as part of the crew. The part that took the hostage.