Chapter 4 #2
He wasn’t asshole enough to actually waterboard the guy. Vander had been through advanced resistance to interrogation training in order to learn how to withstand torture. Waterboarding sucked.
“Who’s the guy in charge?”
The man made a gurgling sound. “Fuck…you.”
Vander shoved his head harder, water landing in Dog’s eyes, nose, and mouth. “Name. Now.”
The man tried another hard thrust, but Vander easily kept him pinned.
Eventually, the guy sagged and said something that was garbled by the water.
Vander flicked the faucet off. “What?”
“Henry. Henry Moran.”
“Good choice.” Vander rammed the man’s face into the counter.
With a groan, his body went limp.
Vander trussed him up and dragged him to the corner of the room. He checked the guy’s pockets and found a cellphone. He held it up to the man’s face to open it and removed the security. He strode out, yanked some plastic down, then covered the man with it.
Three down.
Seven to go.
He snatched up a rifle, then quickly sent Ace a text.
Ringleader is a guy called Henry Moran. Guys don’t appear to have any training.
That wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Untrained people with guns were dangerous and unpredictable.
It only took seconds for Ace to reply.
Got it. Running a search now. You okay?
Three down. Seven to go. My phone was damaged. Contact me on this number.
Brynn?
Vander’s mouth firmed.
With the hostages.
You’ll have her home before you know it. And she knows how to look after herself.
He was well aware of that, but she also happened to be eight months pregnant and she hadn’t been herself lately.
What’s Saxon’s ETA?
Twelve minutes.
A radio crackled.
“Where the fuck are you guys? Respond.”
Vander strode back to Dog’s still form and nabbed the handheld radio off his belt.
“What is going on?” the voice growled.
Henry Moran sounded agitated.
Vander whirled and strode back toward the stairs. It wouldn’t be long before Vander took care of all the guy’s worries.
Brynn sat in the chair, her hands clasped together in her lap. In front of her, Wolf was holding a handheld radio.
“Respond now. Where are you?”
The guy was tense and getting more worked up.
“Something’s wrong,” Wolf said to his friends.
They all shifted nervously.
“I can’t contact any of them.”
“Shit, maybe the cops are here,” Rabbit said.
Wolf looked away, his jaw tight.
Brynn hid her smile. That was her man. No doubt picking them all off, one by one.
Wolf strode into the glass-walled office. “I want that transfer done, now!”
Carolyn held out a hand. “We’re doing everything we can. The safety protocols—”
Wolf slapped her. A sudden, vicious hit that sent Carolyn slamming into the wall, blood staining her mouth.
Brynn bit her lip. Wolf whirled, strode out, and grabbed David. He dragged Carolyn’s husband into the office. Tense whispers raced through the guests.
“Bypass the safety protocols, or bodies will start dropping.” Wolf shoved David to the floor, then pulled out his handgun and aimed at David’s leg.
“Please,” Carolyn whispered. “There is nothing I can do. Please don’t hurt him.”
Bang.
Brynn jolted and guests screamed.
David cried out, clutching the bullet wound in his thigh.
“David!” Carolyn cried, dropping down beside her husband.
“Get us in,” Wolf enunciated slowly.
“Please,” Ben said from the computer, “killing someone won’t make this go faster. We need time to get through all the safeguards. Your guy is making good progress.”
Bear’s fingers were flying over the keyboard. “I’m getting closer.”
“Work faster.” Wolf strode out, his moves clipped and pissed.
Brynn pushed to her feet. “David needs pressure on that wound or he’ll bleed out.”
Wolf’s angry gaze swung her way. “I don’t give a fuck.”
“Carolyn,” Brynn said. “You need to take his jacket off. Put pressure on the wound and stop the bleeding.”
Tears streamed down the CEO’s face. She shakily nodded and followed Brynn’s instructions. David groaned, closed his eyes, and leaned against the wall.
Pig walked over, his fingers tapping on the side of his rifle. “Someone’s messed with Boar, Fox, and Dog. Someone’s out there.”
A muscle ticked in Wolf’s jaw.
“Maybe whoever is out there is the cop,” Pig said.
Wolf shook his head. “The badge was by the windows. Whoever it belonged to couldn’t have gotten out once we came in.” His cold gaze scanned the room. “The cop is still here.”
“Maybe you should cut your losses,” Brynn suggested. “Get out before the police arrive.”
“No one asked you,” Pig snapped.
Wolf lifted the radio. “To the asshole who’s detained my people, set them free, now.”
The radio crackled. “Leave now and I won’t take you down.”
Vander’s lethal voice slithered right down her spine.
Pig gasped and the other thieves all traded glances.
“Free my men,” Wolf said. “Otherwise, I’m going to kill a hostage. Starting with the cop.”
Brynn’s stomach curdled. She willed her husband to stay silent.
“Looks like you’re going down, Wolf.”
She closed her eyes.
“This isn’t fucking Die Hard,” Wolf growled. “Who are you?”
“The man who’s going to stop your idiotic play tonight. You’ve got nothing on Hans Gruber.”
Wolf’s hand tightened on the radio. “I will find you and I will make you pay.”
“Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker,” Vander drawled.
Despite the situation, Brynn fought the urge to laugh. She bit her lip and clamped her fingers together. He’d have a plan, and his team would be on their way. She had no doubt. She just had to wait and do her bit to make sure no one else got hurt.
“He has to be a guest,” Horse muttered from nearby.
Wolf cocked his head. “Maybe he didn’t come alone.”
Her chest twisted.
“First, let’s find the cop.” Wolf looked at his watch. “Twenty minutes left, Ms. Stewart. Clock’s ticking.”
Carolyn’s face was pale, except for the red handprint on her cheek, and the dried blood on her lip. She turned her head and her gaze met Brynn’s through the glass. She tried to give the woman a reassuring look.
“All right.” Wolf strode into the middle of the atrium. Guests shifted out of his way, giving the thief a wide berth. “Listen up. In twenty minutes, if our demands haven’t been met, we start killing.”
There were several horrified cries and a lady started sobbing.
“I was planning to start with Ms. Stewart’s husband.”
From the floor, David Stewart swallowed. He was holding his bleeding leg, his face mostly blank, but he couldn’t quite hide his fear.
“I know someone here is a cop.” Wolf held up Brynn’s badge. “I’m going to start with them. So, whoever works for the San Francisco PD, now’s your time to be a hero.”
Brynn rested her hands on her stomach, on the life growing inside her. She already loved her child fiercely and there was no way she’d let anything happen to that precious life.
“No? Okay, then we’re going to have to go through the crowd and work out who the hell it is.
” He wandered, pulling the handgun from his waistband.
“Now, who can help me?” He made a sound, then grabbed a young woman with a fall of red hair and an aquamarine dress.
She let out a cry as he almost pulled her off her feet.
Yanking her in front of him, he pressed the gun to her neck and dragged it upward.
She let out a whimper, her eyes wide and panicked.
The gun drifted downward, past her chest, her hip, to her stomach.
“C’mon, cop. Come out, come out, wherever you are, or our lovely redhead is going to get a bullet in the gut. ”
“P-please, no,” the woman whispered.
Jesus. Brynn’s brain whirred. A bullet wound to the stomach would either kill the woman outright or she’d bleed out before help could arrive.
Wolf was enjoying this. He was drinking in the woman’s fear. He was drunk on power.
“No? Such a shame. I was sure a cop would protect and serve.” He pressed the gun harder against the woman’s stomach, and she cried out.
Brynn shot to her feet. “I’m the cop.”
All eyes turned her way.
Brynn met his gaze. “Please, don’t hurt her. I’m SFPD. It’s me.”
Wolf cocked his head, glaring at her.
“No, it’s me.” Kristine stood, her voice shaky. “I’m the cop.”
“I’m the cop.” An older man raised his hand.
A younger man stepped forward. “No, it’s me.”
“Darlings, if anyone’s a cop, it’s me.” An older, elegant woman draped in a mink stole fluttered a hand.
Brynn felt a burst of pride. These people were strangers, they were terrified, but they’d stepped forward to help, to do the right thing.
Wolf made a low, annoyed sound and shoved the redhead away. She stumbled and two men caught her.
“Fine. You can all be heroes…for fifteen more minutes. You won’t be so happy when the first body drops.”
Brynn let out a shuddering breath.
A shrieking screech filled the air as the fire alarm started blaring.
Everyone jolted.
“What now?” Wolf gritted out.
Pig raced to the doorway and arched his head to look through. “Fuck! I see flames down by the elevators.”
Wolf dragged in a deep breath. “Bear, turn that alarm off! You and you.” He stabbed a finger toward Pig and Rabbit. “Go and put it out. And watch out for that motherfucker. Stay together. It’ll be two against one, so he can’t take you.”
Not likely. Brynn wanted to smile. Vander could handle two of these idiots with his hands tied behind his back.
Be careful, Vander, but take them down. Hard.