Read Online Midnight Captive by Elle Kennedy - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elle Kennedy
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something other than desperation and exhaustion.
Determination.
He had a plan; she was certain of it. She just hoped it was a good one. You never knew with Sean, though. He was impulsive to the core, all snap decisions and rash actions without any prior thought.
She’d picked up on that recklessness the moment they’d met. Five years ago, when she’d first started working for Noelle. Bailey had taken one look at the cocky Irishman and known she’d wanted nothing to do with him. Oh, he’d been gorgeous back then, as gorgeous as he was now, with those dark green eyes and rumpled blond hair and the sexual confidence oozing from his pores. But looks meant nothing to her; they never had.
Sean had tried working the charm on her from second one, but Bailey had been immune to it. She knew from experience that charm could be deceiving. The charismaticones always harbored the most secrets. They were the ones who hurt you the most if you let them, and so turning down Sean’s numerous hookup offers had been easy for her.
Turning down Oliver, though . . . not so easy. Sean’s twin was equally charming, but in an understated way. He was strong, dependable, and endearing, the kind of man you
wanted
to fall in love with. When he’d asked her out after she’d hit him up for information last year, she hadn’t been able to say no. One date had turned into two, then three, but no matter how badly Bailey had wanted to make a connection with Ollie, he’d felt more like a brother than a love interest.
Fortunately, Oliver had felt the same way, and their failed love connection had transformed into a friendship she valued. At least until Sean’s masquerade. After that, she hadn’t been able to look at Oliver without remembering her night with Sean.
“You’ve caused enough trouble for one evening.”
The irritated male voice penetrated Bailey’s muddled thoughts. She lifted her head in time to see the masked leader march into the lobby.
Holding a gun to Sean’s head.
Bailey immediately saw through the ploy. Sean was clearly feigning his fearful expression, because she knew damn well that the man wasn’t afraid of anything. Hell, that was his biggest problem—
not
being afraid. Diving headfirst into dangerous situations without any regard for the consequences.
Whatever Sean and his “accomplices” had come here for, Sean was now in possession of it. And the only way to get it out of the bank was for him to deliver it himself.
Sean the robber had become Sean the hostage.
“You wasted my goddamn time,” the gunman snapped. “And now you’re going to sit here like a good little lad and keep your mouth shut.”
Sean flinched as he was forcibly pushed to his knees, playing his part to a tee. He was breathing hard, his panicked gaze darting around the lobby like a pinball. In his khakis and sweatshirt, he looked like a terrified college student rather than the badass Bailey knew him to be.
Avoiding his captor’s harsh eyes, Sean settled next to Bailey, drawing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. The Sean Reilly she knew didn’t exist at the moment. This Sean radiated weakness rather than power, and the transformation made her want to smile. Evidently he was a much better actor than she’d thought.
As the gunman marched off again, Bailey and Sean continued to stare straight ahead. She kept her gaze trained on the two men by the window. One of them suddenly made an abrupt move, taking off in a brisk walk toward the rear corridor. Voices spilled out into the lobby, laced with anger, rising in volume.
A moment later, a gunshot exploded in the air.
The sound was deafening, bouncing off the walls and mingling with the screams that erupted from the hostages. The remaining gunman at the window raced over to the frightened hostages, ordering them to shut up, waving his weapon around in a frantic attempt to calm the whimpering people. In the blink of an eye, another masked man burst into the lobby, sprinting
Determination.
He had a plan; she was certain of it. She just hoped it was a good one. You never knew with Sean, though. He was impulsive to the core, all snap decisions and rash actions without any prior thought.
She’d picked up on that recklessness the moment they’d met. Five years ago, when she’d first started working for Noelle. Bailey had taken one look at the cocky Irishman and known she’d wanted nothing to do with him. Oh, he’d been gorgeous back then, as gorgeous as he was now, with those dark green eyes and rumpled blond hair and the sexual confidence oozing from his pores. But looks meant nothing to her; they never had.
Sean had tried working the charm on her from second one, but Bailey had been immune to it. She knew from experience that charm could be deceiving. The charismaticones always harbored the most secrets. They were the ones who hurt you the most if you let them, and so turning down Sean’s numerous hookup offers had been easy for her.
Turning down Oliver, though . . . not so easy. Sean’s twin was equally charming, but in an understated way. He was strong, dependable, and endearing, the kind of man you
wanted
to fall in love with. When he’d asked her out after she’d hit him up for information last year, she hadn’t been able to say no. One date had turned into two, then three, but no matter how badly Bailey had wanted to make a connection with Ollie, he’d felt more like a brother than a love interest.
Fortunately, Oliver had felt the same way, and their failed love connection had transformed into a friendship she valued. At least until Sean’s masquerade. After that, she hadn’t been able to look at Oliver without remembering her night with Sean.
“You’ve caused enough trouble for one evening.”
The irritated male voice penetrated Bailey’s muddled thoughts. She lifted her head in time to see the masked leader march into the lobby.
Holding a gun to Sean’s head.
Bailey immediately saw through the ploy. Sean was clearly feigning his fearful expression, because she knew damn well that the man wasn’t afraid of anything. Hell, that was his biggest problem—
not
being afraid. Diving headfirst into dangerous situations without any regard for the consequences.
Whatever Sean and his “accomplices” had come here for, Sean was now in possession of it. And the only way to get it out of the bank was for him to deliver it himself.
Sean the robber had become Sean the hostage.
“You wasted my goddamn time,” the gunman snapped. “And now you’re going to sit here like a good little lad and keep your mouth shut.”
Sean flinched as he was forcibly pushed to his knees, playing his part to a tee. He was breathing hard, his panicked gaze darting around the lobby like a pinball. In his khakis and sweatshirt, he looked like a terrified college student rather than the badass Bailey knew him to be.
Avoiding his captor’s harsh eyes, Sean settled next to Bailey, drawing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. The Sean Reilly she knew didn’t exist at the moment. This Sean radiated weakness rather than power, and the transformation made her want to smile. Evidently he was a much better actor than she’d thought.
As the gunman marched off again, Bailey and Sean continued to stare straight ahead. She kept her gaze trained on the two men by the window. One of them suddenly made an abrupt move, taking off in a brisk walk toward the rear corridor. Voices spilled out into the lobby, laced with anger, rising in volume.
A moment later, a gunshot exploded in the air.
The sound was deafening, bouncing off the walls and mingling with the screams that erupted from the hostages. The remaining gunman at the window raced over to the frightened hostages, ordering them to shut up, waving his weapon around in a frantic attempt to calm the whimpering people. In the blink of an eye, another masked man burst into the lobby, sprinting
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