2. Carolyn
“Back on the floor,” the robber shouted in my ear.
I was glad for Austin’s ear protection as I hustled back to where Nina lay. He couldn’t hear the desperation in the robber’s voice. I’d experienced it firsthand. The man was shaking and sweating, mumbling to himself about how this wasn’t the plan.
If the police had been thirty seconds later, the robber would have been out the front door with the jewels. As it was, he was trapped in the store, and the rest of us were trapped with him. I tried to focus, take in the details of the situation. Our lives might depend on it.
“Not what I signed up for.” The robber stalked past me again, nudging Nina with his foot. Nina didn’t make a sound, keeping her head on the floor.
I peeked up. The robber had a hairy mole on his right cheek near his earlobe. That could be used to identify him if he somehow got away. What else could I see? Work boots stained with paint. Frayed jeans. He was sweating profusely despite the air conditioning going full blast in the store. Nerves? Drugs? Hard to tell.
The store’s phone rang, sounding loud in the tense atmosphere. No one moved to answer it. After several rings, the machine picked up. When the store’s message ended, a calm, firm voice spoke into the machine. “This is Lieutenant Jerod Schneid with the Springwell PD. Can you pick up the phone, please? We’d like to talk and find a peaceful solution to this situation.”
“Like hell I will,” the robber shouted at the phone, although the officer couldn’t hear him. He stalked around the store, his movements erratic and his eyes wild. “Damn police, trying to trap me. Sons of bitches aren’t getting away with that.” He tapped the gun to his forehead, continuing to mumble to himself.
I could only catch snatches of more swear words. At that moment, Jenna shifted her leg, catching the robber’s attention. He stalked toward her and held the gun to her skull. I pressed my lips together to keep from crying out.
“I told you not to move,” he spat. A bead of sweat dripped from his nose, landing on Jenna’s shoulder. She didn’t budge. Her face, turned toward me, was scrunched in fear, her eyes squeezed shut. After a minute, the robber moved away, walking between the display cases but cautiously avoiding the windows.
How much longer could this go on? I needed to do something to end it. I felt responsible for everyone in the room, but having Austin there was truly terrifying. So far, he hadn’t seemed to realize the danger of the situation, but what if that changed? The robber’s behavior was so erratic. I didn’t even want to guess how he might respond to a crying baby. I’d die before I’d let him lay a hand on my child…but then Austin would be left with no parent. Somehow, in some way, I needed to get this man out of my store, and as soon as possible.
The robber strode past me again, almost stepping on Austin’s outstretched hand, which still clutched the toy tractor. He was spinning the tires, focused on their movement. Thank goodness the toy was holding his attention—but his favorite thing to do was drive his tractor around on the floor, and that wasn’t an option. Not right now. While the robber’s back was turned, I reached for Austin’s hand, easing it back. When Austin opened his mouth to speak, I quickly shook my head, signaling for his silence. I’d never been so grateful for a compliant child. He let me shift his position while I smiled at him, trying to convey that everything was okay—no matter how untrue that was.
The robber prowled past again, still muttering but seeming to ignore us for now. Austin chose that moment to glance toward Nina on his other side before resting his chin on the carpet and beginning to trace its pattern. Nina smiled as well, and without words, we both scooted a tiny bit closer to Austin. He seemed content for the moment, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I moved my head a fraction of an inch to better see my employees. A soft sob reached me. Michelle, my junior salesperson, was hunkered down in front of a smashed case that had held wedding bands and engagement rings. Michelle was young, just twenty-two, with an infant daughter at home. I silently willed her to be silent, but another, louder sob rippled through the air. It caught the robber’s attention. He pivoted on one heel and strode toward Michelle. It was all I could do to remain still. I wanted to run to Michelle and protect her, but I couldn’t leave Austin.
My body tensed as the robber stood over Michelle, putting his booted foot into her side. “Shut up. I don’t want to listen to your crying, you crazy b?—”
The phone rang again. He looked around, his eyes wide and terrible. He clutched his hands to his ears, once again holding the gun against his own head before he strode across the room to the phone. He picked up the cordless unit and slammed it against a display case hard enough to shatter the glass and send chunks of the phone flying through the air.
Absolute silence fell again as the robber stood amid the debris, staring at a corner of the store as though mesmerized.
“Cameras,” he barked suddenly. “Where the hell are your monitors?”
“Behind the cashier’s desk in the corner.” I didn’t hesitate to respond. It might be a way of getting the man out of the store and ending the hostage situation.
He looked toward the desk where all transactions were completed. A screen that flipped through the various cameras was mounted under the desktop. Another monitor was in my office, but I wasn’t going to bring that up, not when it might result in me being trapped in there alone with him. And he’d probably refuse to leave the showroom and the other hostages.
“You,” he shouted at me, gesturing with the gun. “Get up and show me.”
With one last touch to my son’s arm, I got to my feet, keeping my hands clear of my body to indicate I meant no harm. He pointed me to the desk. I walked cautiously to it, feeling glass crunch under my feet.
“Down here,” I said, pointing to the monitor that was designed to be seen by someone seated.
“Take two steps back,” he told me before going around the desk to view the screen. He focused on it, but every few seconds his eyes swept the room, giving me no time to take action. I reviewed my childhood martial arts training, but decided against putting it into action. I was too rusty to feel confident that I could strike him before he could put the gun to use. And making any kind of move put the others at risk. My only hope was to outthink him.
“Alley out back?” he demanded of me.
“Yes, a narrow one.” One of the cameras was always focused on the alley and the store’s back door.
“Nobody out there,” he muttered.
That was a surprise. The police force wasn’t huge, but surely they had enough people to cover all the exits. Would they really leave the back unguarded? Or maybe there were police officers out there, staying out of sight.
“I want you to let me out that entrance.” When I nodded my agreement, he raised his voice. “The rest of you—don’t move, or I’ll kill her.” He shoved the gun against my stomach as he spoke, to reinforce his point. “And don’t you try to pull anything either,” he threatened.
“I’ll help you leave,” I said, keeping my voice as steady as I could while my head spun with ideas. The new security system included a mantrap on the back door. To use that exit, a code had to be entered in a keypad. The glass door would open, admitting one person at a time. Once the glass door closed, another code was needed to open the steel door to the outside. If I could get him trapped in the space between the doors, he’d be stuck, and the police could capture him.
He snatched up the bag of stolen goods he’d dropped earlier and gave me another push with the gun. “Let’s go.”
I walked ahead of him out of the showroom, past the office and jewelry repair area, to the back of the store.
“Are you trying to trick me?” he asked when he saw the mantrap.
“It’s a security feature to make sure employees aren’t stealing,” I lied. “I’ll help you operate it. One person at a time can go through the first door. You put a code in here,” I pointed to the keypad next to the glass door, “and then you can get into that area. This door will close, and you’ll need a different code to open the exterior door.”
“Two codes. Got it.” He switched the gun to his left hand. “What are they?”
I rattled off the first code as he keyed it in. The glass door slid open.
“Get in,” he ordered.
“It won’t close if we’re both in there. It senses body temperature,” I explained.
“Get in,” he repeated, sticking his gun into my side.
I stepped into the small space with the robber tight behind me. This close, I could feel the heat from his body and smell his sweat. Nausea hit me, but I forced myself to be calm.
“What’s the other code?” he demanded.
“It won’t work,” I said in a calm tone.
“What is it?”
I gave him a series of numbers to key in, but the door remained open behind us and the exit door in front of us didn’t move.
“All right, get out and don’t touch anything,” he said, giving me a shove. As soon as he was alone in the small space, the glass door slid shut, and he hit buttons on the keypad to open the exterior door.
Ignoring his threats, I quickly keyed in an emergency override code designed to trap someone between the doors. The code I’d given him was invalid anyway, but better safe than sorry.
He screamed at me, beating his fists against the glass. I stepped back, knowing he could no longer hurt me but still frightened by his erratic behavior. When he aimed and shot at me multiple times through the glass, I flinched, even though I knew the material was bulletproof. Instead of punching through and hitting me, the bullets seemed to be ricocheting off the walls. I saw a spray of blood, and he collapsed.
“Oh, God,” I whispered before turning to run back to the showroom. “He’s…not going to hurt anyone,” I declared, mustering my strength. I didn’t want to announce he was dead, but I suspected he was. “Anyone have a cell phone?” Jenna pulled one from her pocket. “Call the police and let them know we’re coming out.”
The mantrap had muffled the sound of the gunshots, or I imagined that the police would have already entered. If they didn’t know the threat was over, there was a chance they’d fire at anyone who came into view. I wanted it to be clear who we were and that we weren’t armed or dangerous. I heard Jenna talking to the dispatcher before I let myself reach for Austin. I took him from Nina, hugging him to me and dropping kisses on his dark hair. My actions were a comfort to me as much as they were to him. He wasn’t crying or upset, but I started to tremble when the rush of leftover adrenaline hit me.
The police entered, guns still raised, to clear the store, but I couldn’t give them my attention since I was too wrapped up in the relief of knowing my son and everyone else in the store was safe.
“Carolyn.” A voice reached me, shocking me out of the moment. Zach? I lifted my head as he strode toward me. Blinking, I took him in. Was I hallucinating? How many times had I imagined him coming back into my life? The fantasy was always the same. He’d hold me, promising I was the reason he rose in the morning and nothing mattered but our love. He looked just as good as he always had in my fantasies—just as tall, just as powerfully built. And those eyes…how many hours had I spent staring into them?
The sniper rifle in his hand snapped me back to reality in a hurry. Time seemed to still as he made his way to me. Noise and confusion were all around us, but all I knew was he was coming closer. I met his stark blue gaze, and our eyes held until Austin lifted his head. Zach stopped cold, staring at my little boy and then at me. A shell-shocked expression froze his face.
I’d known this moment would come, that Zach would return home and our paths would cross. Oh, God, why today when I was already reeling from the robbery and being held at gunpoint? I didn’t have the strength left to confront him about our son.
“Where’s the perp?” a cop on my left asked.
“Through there.” I shook myself out of my distraction to point the way. “He’s caught in the mantrap. I think he’s…” I didn’t need to finish my sentence as the police officers barreled past me. They’d soon see for themselves. I slipped the ear protection from Austin’s head, ruffling his jet-black hair. Could Zach doubt for even a second this child was his?
“Are you okay?” Zach had finally reached me. I glanced down at the weapon he carried as if it were an extension of him. “It’s secured. Carolyn…”
“I’m fine. Just a little shaken.”
“Mama,” Austin whimpered, finally sensing the tension.
“It’s okay, baby. Mama’s here. It was a strange game we were playing, wasn’t it?” I went for a soothing but cheerful tone. “Look how many people came to play with us.”
He took in the number of strangers in the room before resting his head against my shoulder. Zach stood nearby, watching us but saying nothing. For once, I was grateful for his silence. So many times I’d been frustrated by his taciturn exterior that covered the emotions he refused to reveal. Even in our most heated arguments, he’d retreat into himself like blinds pulled tight on a window, shutting me out.
Just as well now. I couldn’t discuss our son, not without losing my temper. Rather than be a part of Austin’s life, Zach had chosen to disappear, and I hadn’t even realized how deeply hurt and angry that had left me until right now, seeing him again. The worst part was how surprised he looked. I’d told him we were having a baby, so why would seeing our son be such a shock? And why didn’t he leave my side? He must have something he needed to do. Everyone else seemed busy.
“You…both of you need to get checked out,” Zach said when paramedics came through the front door.
My sister was right behind them. Charlotte was working at All That Sparkles part time while pursuing her MBA. She engulfed me and Austin in a hug. “I thought my heart would stop when I saw the message from the security company. I was sitting in class, and?—”
“Let’s talk about it later,” I interrupted, tilting my head toward Austin. I needed everyone who surrounded him to be calm. I didn’t want this to be a traumatic experience for him.
“Right.” Charlotte tickled Austin’s tummy and gave him a smile. Her eyes flicked toward Zach, but she said nothing about his sudden reappearance.
The paramedics cleared me and Austin before checking my employees. Jenna had cuts on her fingers from picking jewels out of the shattered glass cases, but other than that, everyone was fine. Once I knew everyone was okay, I looked around at the damage and the herd of law enforcement officers and security personnel in my store.
“What a mess,” Charlotte said. “I’ll take care of calling the insurance company and finishing up here.” She waved at the police presence. “You and Austin go on home.”
“I think we will.” I was relieved at my sister’s suggestion. “Call me later.”
“I’ll drive you.” Zach pushed off the wall where he’d been leaning. For the first time, I noticed his uniform: black tactical pants and a black shirt with a security firm’s logo on the chest. That’s how he’d been here, I realized. When had he left the service?
“I…” For a second, I imagined telling him to go away, that I wanted nothing to do with him. It would serve him right, after what he’d done. But then I noticed the way that my hands were shaking. Did I really want to drive like this—with Austin in the car, no less? No, accepting a ride would be the smart thing to do. Even if it came from Zach. “Thanks,” I forced myself to say. “I’d appreciate it.”
“We’ll take your car. I don’t have a child seat.” His eyes lingered on Austin’s face before he turned, walking ahead of me and seeming to clear the way. He could always do that: command a room just by walking into it. He made it so easy to just get swept up in whatever he had in mind. But by now, I knew better than to get caught up in his spell. I’d accept the ride—and then Zach and I would part ways, for good. Again.