Read Online Taken Hostage by Ranae Rose - Free Book Online Page A

unless you want to take your chance on foot in the
swamp? The gators and snakes sure would appreciate a sweet treat
like you.’ He smiled cruelly, and the hair on the back of Tiffany’s
neck stood up.
    ‘We made it out of New York,’ she said
stubbornly, ‘and all the way here.’
    ‘He’s right, Tiffany.’
    Tiffany startled, nearly losing her grip on
the gun when she heard James’ deep voice. The officer whirled to
see James standing at the forest’s edge, a heavy-looking duffel bag
slung over his right shoulder and a gun in his left hand, already
trained on the officer. ‘Drop that gun,’ he commanded, ‘and we’ll
talk.’
    Obviously realizing he couldn’t possibly
shoot both James and Tiffany before one or both of them fired at
him, the officer complied and his gun clattered to the ground,
raising a cloud of dust from the gravel. Tiffany shoved Rolando
aside, scrambling over him and out of the car. Her shirt gaped
before she remembered it, but the police officer was still staring
at James and didn’t see.
    ‘James!’ she cried, wishing with every fiber
of her being that Rolando and the police officer would just
disappear and leave her alone with him. She wanted to talk to him.
She wanted to shout at him. And she wanted to finish what they’d
started in the back seat of the car.
    James shot her a meaningful glance. Let me
handle this , it seemed to say. She frowned. So far, James had
handled everything. But then, she did like seeing him move
and speak with such confidence. He didn’t tremble like she had, and
with his strong arms, he probably could have held that gun steady
until nightfall.
    ‘You want a cut of the cash?’ James asked.
‘Then you got it. But we’ll have to be sure you’ll keep quiet. How
do you think we should do that?’
    The police officer gaped. Apparently, he
hadn’t expected the question. ‘You pay me enough and I’ll keep
quiet.’
    ‘Your word isn’t good enough,’ James
replied.
    The police officer continued to stare at him
incredulously.
    ‘There’s a hospital nearby,’ James said.
Tiffany followed his gaze to where it rested on a blue and white
‘H’ sign that stood by the side of the highway, signifying that a
hospital was indeed close.
    The officer stared at him. ‘Yeah, so?’
    ‘You’re going to call your supervisor, or
whoever you need to call,’ James explained, ‘and make a good excuse
to leave your shift to go to the hospital. Something about a family
emergency or whatever – just make it good.’
    ‘What then?’ the cop asked suspiciously.
    ‘Then you’ll drive to the hospital with one
of us riding with you in your car to make sure you don’t do
anything stupid. You’ll leave your cruiser there and come with us
in our vehicle.
    ‘No way!’ the officer protested.
    ‘We’ll give you a cut of the cash and let you
go unharmed a few hours from here. We just need to make sure we’ll
have time to get away after you start running your mouth.’
    ‘I told you –’ the police officer began
    ‘And I told you your word isn’t good
enough,’ James said dangerously, eyeing the officer down the length
of the gun he wielded. ‘You don’t have a choice. If you won’t
co-operate, I’ll shoot you, toss your body in the woods and take my
chances.’
    ‘Alright,’ the police officer said after
several long moments. ‘Fine.’
    ‘Make the call,’ James directed, taking a
couple steps toward the officer as he continued to hold him at
gunpoint. ‘And don’t mess it up.’
    The officer fumbled at his utility belt,
finding his phone. Tiffany held her breath as he dialed. ‘I’m
sorry, sir,’ the officer said with admirable steadiness, ‘but I’m
going to have to go off the clock. Yeah, it’s an emergency. My mom,
she’s in the ER. She’s going into surgery now. You know, with my
dad gone she doesn’t have anyone else. Alright. Will do. Thank you,
sir.’
    And it was done. Tiffany breathed a sigh of
relief.
    ‘Your belt,’ James said,