Please.
"You heard her: She's a single mother," he said into the receiver. There was a taunting undertone to his voice. "You call me back when you get that helicopter. And the money. And remember, tick tick."
As he hung up, Kate could hear the cop talking on the other end of the phone.
"You ain't going to get that helicopter," the second guy said.
Her eyes opened.
"What do you mean? Why the hell would you say a stupid-shit thing like that?" Orange Jumpsuit whipped around to face the speaker so fast she felt a breeze from his movement. Either he was so agitated he forgot about her, or he figured she wasn't a threat and was going nowhere because there was nowhere to go, because his gun went with him. Kate let out a silent breath of relief now that it was no longer pressing into her flesh.
"They're just yankin' your chain." The second guy stood his ground. "You ain't going to get it."
"They're not yankin' my chain. The helicopter's coming. They know I'll kill her."
"And if you kill her, what good does that do, huh? That doesn't get us out of here."
There was no good answer to that. Orange Jumpsuit knew it as well as Kate did, apparently, because he paused before answering. She could sense the sudden uncertainty in him, the anger, the rising fear. Tension between the two men electrified the atmosphere.
"They want her alive. They'll give me what I want." But he no longer sounded sure.
"Say you get the helicopter. How you gonna get to it?"
"What?"
"How you gonna get to it? Where's it gonna be?"
"I told 'em the roof."
"There's a helipad up there." The second guy seemed to be thinking aloud, weighing the possibilities. "But how you gonna get to the roof without them offing you? "
"I'm gonna use her like a fucking shield, that's how. And I'm gonna tell 'em if I see a cop, if I even so much as smell a cop, I'll blow her head off."
The second guy shook his head. "Not gonna work."
"What the hell do you mean 'Not gonna work'?"
"Too far to go. Gotta get to the elevator, go up to the roof, get out and get across to the helicopter. With her. They'll for sure get you with snipers."
Orange Jumpsuit practically vibrated with rage and frustration. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet and flung out his arms in challenge. "You got a better plan? Huh? You got a better plan? If you do, let's fucking hear it."
"Yeah, I do," the second guy said. "I got a way better plan. For me, that is."
Kate never even saw his hand move. There was an ear-splitting crack, and Orange Jumpsuit smacked into the wall right beside her, hitting so hard the back of his head bounced off the plaster. Her heart leaped. Screaming, she jumped back out of the way. Eyes huge, jaw dropping, her scream still echoing off the walls, she watched with disbelief as his mouth opened soundlessly, like he wanted to scream but couldn't. Then he slid down the wall as bonelessly as a rag doll until he was sitting on the floor with his legs splayed out straight in front of him. His eyes were still open, and so was his mouth. His head slipped sideways until it rested limply on his shoulder. Even before she saw blood spilling from his mouth and more blood pouring down the front of his jumpsuit, she knew he was dead.
Her stunned gaze flew to the second guy's face. He was looking down at Orange Jumpsuit with a twisted smile, still holding the just-fired gun. The smell of cordite and fresh blood hit her nose at the same time as his eyes rose to lock with hers.
Her blood froze. She stopped breathing.
"Hey, there, Kitty-cat," he said. "No need to look so scared. What, don't you remember your old buddy Mario?"
C h a p t e r 6
TOM'S HAND WAS ROCK-STEADY as he picked up the receiver. His breathing was under control. His legs never quivered, he didn't blink, and he wasn't sweating. There was nothing about his appearance to give away the sick feeling he was experiencing in the pit of his stomach, the heavy thudding of his heart, the surging adrenaline that pumped
"You heard her: She's a single mother," he said into the receiver. There was a taunting undertone to his voice. "You call me back when you get that helicopter. And the money. And remember, tick tick."
As he hung up, Kate could hear the cop talking on the other end of the phone.
"You ain't going to get that helicopter," the second guy said.
Her eyes opened.
"What do you mean? Why the hell would you say a stupid-shit thing like that?" Orange Jumpsuit whipped around to face the speaker so fast she felt a breeze from his movement. Either he was so agitated he forgot about her, or he figured she wasn't a threat and was going nowhere because there was nowhere to go, because his gun went with him. Kate let out a silent breath of relief now that it was no longer pressing into her flesh.
"They're just yankin' your chain." The second guy stood his ground. "You ain't going to get it."
"They're not yankin' my chain. The helicopter's coming. They know I'll kill her."
"And if you kill her, what good does that do, huh? That doesn't get us out of here."
There was no good answer to that. Orange Jumpsuit knew it as well as Kate did, apparently, because he paused before answering. She could sense the sudden uncertainty in him, the anger, the rising fear. Tension between the two men electrified the atmosphere.
"They want her alive. They'll give me what I want." But he no longer sounded sure.
"Say you get the helicopter. How you gonna get to it?"
"What?"
"How you gonna get to it? Where's it gonna be?"
"I told 'em the roof."
"There's a helipad up there." The second guy seemed to be thinking aloud, weighing the possibilities. "But how you gonna get to the roof without them offing you? "
"I'm gonna use her like a fucking shield, that's how. And I'm gonna tell 'em if I see a cop, if I even so much as smell a cop, I'll blow her head off."
The second guy shook his head. "Not gonna work."
"What the hell do you mean 'Not gonna work'?"
"Too far to go. Gotta get to the elevator, go up to the roof, get out and get across to the helicopter. With her. They'll for sure get you with snipers."
Orange Jumpsuit practically vibrated with rage and frustration. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet and flung out his arms in challenge. "You got a better plan? Huh? You got a better plan? If you do, let's fucking hear it."
"Yeah, I do," the second guy said. "I got a way better plan. For me, that is."
Kate never even saw his hand move. There was an ear-splitting crack, and Orange Jumpsuit smacked into the wall right beside her, hitting so hard the back of his head bounced off the plaster. Her heart leaped. Screaming, she jumped back out of the way. Eyes huge, jaw dropping, her scream still echoing off the walls, she watched with disbelief as his mouth opened soundlessly, like he wanted to scream but couldn't. Then he slid down the wall as bonelessly as a rag doll until he was sitting on the floor with his legs splayed out straight in front of him. His eyes were still open, and so was his mouth. His head slipped sideways until it rested limply on his shoulder. Even before she saw blood spilling from his mouth and more blood pouring down the front of his jumpsuit, she knew he was dead.
Her stunned gaze flew to the second guy's face. He was looking down at Orange Jumpsuit with a twisted smile, still holding the just-fired gun. The smell of cordite and fresh blood hit her nose at the same time as his eyes rose to lock with hers.
Her blood froze. She stopped breathing.
"Hey, there, Kitty-cat," he said. "No need to look so scared. What, don't you remember your old buddy Mario?"
C h a p t e r 6
TOM'S HAND WAS ROCK-STEADY as he picked up the receiver. His breathing was under control. His legs never quivered, he didn't blink, and he wasn't sweating. There was nothing about his appearance to give away the sick feeling he was experiencing in the pit of his stomach, the heavy thudding of his heart, the surging adrenaline that pumped
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