Read Online Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare - Free Book Online

almost legless, in his arms. “Do it now!”
    “P-please do what he says!” Sophie’s voice quavered, barely audible above the harsh blare of the alarm. “I-I don’t want any of you t-to get hurt!”
    A knife twisted in Marc’s gut. He ignored it. “Listen to the pretty lady, boys! You don’t want to make this harder on her than it already is.”
    Russell glanced at Sophie, and Marc could see that the old man was fond of her, a weakness that would make him easier for Marc to control. Marc watched the shifting emotions in Russell’s eyes as the guard weighed his options—and broke.
    “You win, Hunter.” Russell bent down, put his weapon on the tile floor, then backed away, shouting over his shoulder. “You heard him! Lay down your weapons! Clear the hallway! We’ve got a hostage situation!”
    The other officers followed Russell’s example.
    But Marc knew he hadn’t won—not yet. “Get on your radio and have them order the snipers out of the towers. I don’t want to see a single uniform between here and the highway. If I do, she pays the price. And have someone kill that fucking alarm!”
    Russell did as he asked, conveying Marc’s demands via the radio clipped to his shoulder. “Done. No one is going to stop you. But if you hurt her, so help me God…”
    The alarm fell quiet, the silence almost startling.
    Marc nudged Sophie forward, took a step toward the door. “You’re a good man, Russell. You may have saved her life. Now back up, lie facedown, head toward the wall, hands behind your head. You know the position.”
    Russell stepped backward, got down onto the floor. “Think about this, Hunter. You don’t want to hurt her. Let her go. Take one of us instead.”
    “Are you kidding? No offense, but she makes a much prettier hostage than any of you. Mmm—she even smells good.” Marc took another step, Sophie moving unsteadily with him.
    “You’ll pay for this, you son of a bitch!” Hinkley lay down, his face a red scowl.
    Marc laughed, a harsh sound that echoed in the hallway. “What are you going to do? Lock me in prison for the rest of my life? That’ll suck.”
    “There’s still time to rethink this.” Russell lay on his stomach now. “Let her go. You’ll still have the weapon, and we’re unarmed now.”
    “When I’m safely away, I’ll let her go, but not until then.” Marc glanced out into the hallway, saw no one. He reached down, grabbed a second Glock off the floor. “Come on, sweetheart. Visiting hours are over. And don’t forget your purse.”

     

    C LUTCHING THE ARM that imprisoned her, Sophie struggled to keep up as Hunter pushed her down the empty, silent hallway, gun near her cheek. Her mouth had gone dry, and her heart beat so hard it hurt, her sense of unreality growing with each forced step.
    This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be real.
    It was only too real.
    His breath hot on her temple, his hold on her never letting up, Hunter half dragged, half carried her toward the security checkpoint where only thirty minutes ago she’d overheard Sergeant Hinkley saying something to Lieutenant Kramer—she couldn’t remember what.
    Dear God, what if Lieutenant Kramer is dead?
    They reached the gate, found it locked.
    “Crappy hospitality.” Hunter hit a button on the control panel with the butt of the gun, and the gate clicked open. “I guess we’ll have to show ourselves out.”
    “They’ll catch you sooner or later.” She barely recognized the sound of her own voice.
    “I’m hoping for later.” He didn’t sound worried in the least. “Now hush your pretty mouth, and keep moving.”
    It seemed to her she watched from outside herself as he drew her through the checkpoint, down the hallway, and through Lieutenant Russell’s station with its metal detectors, ink pad, and black light scanner. She felt an absurd impulse to hold out her hand and run it under the scanner as she always did on her way out.
    You’re in shock, Alton.
    That must explain why she