The sheriff walked to Olympia. She let out a squeak right before he grabbed her upper arm in his grip. He held his gun to her head and strode back to the middle of the room. His steps faltered, and he swayed. Olympia tumbled to the floor while the sheriff moaned.
He couldn’t start shooting. They would get shot. Mei would get shot. Olympia. It would be a blood bath. And while Dan felt better about having it in his hand, it was likely not going to do him any good.
“This is not an impasse!” The mayor waved his gun violently around the room and walked over. “You two die right now. Olympia dies. Mei dies. When Ben Mason gets here, I’ll kill him, too.”
He thought Dan was just going to let them kill him and Gemma without doing anything back?
“No.” The sheriff stood. “We need the video.”
“What do you care about making a video of it? Keep the money. Kill them and we don’t need that photo. Job done.”
“And days from now when a drone on a ‘training mission’ jumps its programming and drops a bomb on this town, what then? Will you care when we all go up in a ball of flames? You have no idea who these people are.”
Another man collapsed. The mayor shook his head. “I knew not to trust you.” He hauled Olympia to her feet. “Guess who dies first.”
“Wait.” The sheriff strode over. “I have an idea. A way to draw out whoever opposes us, using their beloved matron to send a signal. We cannot be stopped.” He pointed at Dan. “They’re right to be afraid. And we’re going to make sure everyone else knows it.”
Of course they were afraid. Dan could feel Gemma trembling behind him, and he was sure he was doing the same. And why not? Fear was good, especially when the situation warranted it. And it didn’t change the fact he knew where his security lay. Dan would be safeguarded by God, and Gemma would be as well.
Whether they lived or died, they were in His hands.
The mayor stopped the sheriff with a hand. “You’re in no condition. I’ll do it.”
Dan tried to remember if he’d seen the mayor take a bite of Olympia’s contaminated food but couldn’t remember.
The sheriff nodded. “I’ll call in the doctor. You take her outside.”
“I know how to make a statement, Chandler. Don’t worry about that.”
**
John looked through his binoculars. “I see movement. The Meeting House door is opening.” He was crammed in the corner of Sam’s gym by the window. The rest of them were scattered around Main Street, Ben’s men filling in the holes where Bolton and the general hadn’t been able to cover every spot.
“I see them.” Shadrach’s voice came through the radio clearly.
Grant said, “Let us know when you have a shot.”
“Copy that.”
“I vote we move in. Take them out hard and fast.” Daire’s reputation wasn’t one John knew well, but what he did know fit what he had seen of the man so far. He had no tolerance for anyone who put a woman or child in jeopardy.
John didn’t want that unless he absolutely had to give the order. “There are innocent people in there. I don’t want a blood bath.”
Olympia exited the Meeting House. Her hands were clenched in front, her face pale and eyes wide. Dread. She knew what was about to happen, and she was convinced. She was going to die.
John shifted before he even registered the intent to move toward the door. He didn’t want to start a war, but these people had trusted him and the committee—and beyond them the US Marshals—with their safety. He didn’t want to let them down. Besides, Olympia was a wonderful woman who blessed others without expecting anything in return. She was rare in a world of selfish people out for only themselves.
John heard a mic being cued, and then Matthias’s voice came on. “No one shoot. That’s my mom.” His voice was laced with dread. “No one shoot.”
The mayor was with her, one hand on Olympia’s shoulder. A gun in his other hand. Collins shifted and pointed it underneath her chin. John’s first thought was, if he fired at that angle the bullet would go through Olympia’s head and probably hit the mayor, too. The man might wield his power like a pro, but he wasn’t a gunman. More like a politician with an evil bent. Okay, so basically just a politician then.
“I know you’re out here,” the mayor yelled. “I know you can hear me!”
He shuffled forward, moving Olympia to the center of Main Street. The woman was going to be collateral damage in this war, if John didn’t give the order to move forward.
“Back off!” The mayor spun, keeping Olympia in front of him.
John leaned out of the gym’s front door. Matthias stood at the other end of Main, gun raised at the mayor.
“Let her go!” Matthias’s voice rang out down the street.
John stepped out. “All units converge, but give them space.”
He moved first, as far in as he wanted them to move. The rest of the men would get the idea. Matthias kept his attention on the mayor, but the man spun as he took in the multiple men all congregating around him now.
“If you all want to die, feel free to get closer.”
John cued his radio. “Shad?”
A second later, the former Marine replied, “Still no shot.”
The mayor started to back up toward the Meeting House. “In a second, men will pour from this building and kill all of you!”
The situation had turned, and Collins knew it. Faced with the force of who John had brought back with him, he was making a retreat.
“Let her go!” Matthias moved as well.
Collins fired a shot. It hit the ground in front of Matthias. The young man jumped back, gun still aimed at the mayor.
“I don’t have a clean shot.” Daire was to John’s left.
“Don’t hit her.”
Matthias’s order was obeyed. Grant was between John and Matthias, and said, “I don’t have a shot, either.”
John could fire, but he’d hit Olympia’s shoulder. Any one of them could minimize the damage to her, but Matthias’s order counted. No one fired.
Bolton was at the medical center, rallying help. They were spread thin, but they’d made it this far. One last stand off outside the Meeting House and they would be in. These men would be caught. The mayor neutralized. The old sheriff arrested.
John wanted them all taken down.
“Enough, Collins.” John didn’t want anyone getting hit. “Drop the gun and let Olympia go. This has gone far enough. It’s time to surrender.”
Collins’s eyes narrowed on him. “This town is ours now.”
“It will never be yours.”
The mayor shifted. His back hit the door. He moved his gun, fired off a group of shots across the ground that made them all back up. No one wanted to get their toes shot off.
Collins grinned. “Wanna bet?”
He squeezed the trigger of his gun, buried in Olympia’s side. The woman went stiff as the life bled from her face.
The mayor slipped back inside the Meeting House before Olympia dropped to the floor.
Gunshots erupted as Matthias fired on the door. Grant tackled him to the ground. “There are people in there!”
John held down the button on his radio and ran to her. “Everyone take up positions around the Meeting House. And get me the megaphone. We’re going inside.”
He reached down and touched her cheek. Felt for a pulse.
Olympia was dead.
Chapter 29
Dan gripped the gun so hard his hand was beginning to cramp. Mayor Collins raced through the room. He slammed into the swinging doors to the kitchen and kept running.
“Collins!”
He ignored the sheriff’s yell. Chandler hadn’t called for Elliot to come and take care of Mei. Instead, he’d watched the mayor go outside, and they’d all heard him make his “statement.” Hot tears spilled down Dan’s cheeks. Collins had shot Olympia.
Dan whispered, “Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages o
f ages. Amen.” He took a breath and continued through the prayer to, “…for Thy Name’s sake. Lord, have mercy.”
Behind him, Gemma whispered, “Lord, have mercy.”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed at the aim Dan had on him. All he had to do was pull the trigger.
Across the room one of his men groaned and then fell to the floor. Then another. The sheriff pressed his lips together, and his torso jerked like he was going to throw up.
“Sheriff Chandler, we have you surrounded!” John’s voice boomed from outside. “Surrender now. Your army has been incapacitated, and there is no one left to fight for you.”
Inside the Meeting House another man fell to the floor. John didn’t know how right he was. The sheriff took one step and collapsed to his knees, moaning. His gun wavered, but he didn’t lower it. Gemma gasped as it centered back on the two of them again.
Dan should simply shoot the man. Plant a bullet in the sheriff for everything he’d done, and finish this. Finish the man. A person. Dan saw his mother’s face in his mind, even while he stared at the sheriff’s nasty sneer. Her body jerked from the impact of the shock, her eyes widened, and surprise washed over her face. Gemma shifted closer to him. Her arms came around his waist from behind, an embrace, and she surrounded him with her caring and support.
John’s voice infiltrated the room once again. “This is your last warning!”
Dan shifted his finger on the trigger. The sheriff was going to kill them first, and Dan couldn’t let that happen. He needed to do this even though his heart pounded. Dan heard every beat in his head. Every intake of breath rushed through his ears. Gemma’s arm tightened on his diaphragm, and her other arm moved, covered his arm that held the gun. Her hand slid down his forearm to cover his.
Dan’s breath hitched.
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “Where is the photo?”
Gemma spoke to the man, over Dan’s shoulder. “I burned it, Sheriff. Your campaign of terror is over.”
Chandler zeroed his gun’s aim on them. Dan tried to pull the trigger of his weapon, but his finger wouldn’t move. Gemma’s hand moved over his, just as his father had done. But this was nothing like that day, this was for them. Together. For Sanctuary.
A door slammed behind them, and Dan fired the shot. Another gunshot immediately followed at almost exactly the same time. Chandler flew backward and hit the floor as men poured in the room.
“Guns down!”
“On the floor.”
Dan dropped his weapon and heard it clatter on the floor. People ran around them, but Gemma didn’t let go. They stood still in the midst of the chaos, still in their embrace. He shut his eyes, and Gemma put her head on his shoulder. He heard her whisper quietly, “Thank You, Lord.”
Dan echoed her words. God had given him Gemma when he needed her most, to give him the strength to do what he’d needed to do.
“We need to talk.”
Dan opened his eyes to find John stood in front of him. Dan nodded, and then said, “Are you okay, Sheriff?”
“I’m having a real bad day, Dan. I’m not gonna lie.” John blew out a breath. “I’ll be glad when I can get to Andra and be done with this.”
Men, some of whom Dan knew and some he didn’t, ran around them, scooping up the sheriff and his men. Securing their hands behind their backs.
“Maybe we can talk tomorrow.”
John studied his face, then he nodded. “Okay, that sounds good.” He strode away and crouched beside Mei as one of the men cut her bonds. John pulled her arm around his shoulder. “Come on, partner. Let’s get you some help.” He stood, then slipped his other arm under her knees.
Mei glanced up and looked around. “Is he here?”
**
Ben watched the mayor round the corner from his position, tucked behind a door. The mayor’s face was flushed. His eyes flicked around frantically as he raced down the alley. Ben stepped out from the cover of the door, gun raised, and waited for the second the mayor spotted him in his way.
Collins cried out and pulled up short. He brought his gun up, and they faced-off against each other. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for two years.” His lips curled up, but not with humor.
“Put the gun down.”
The mayor shook his head. “Why would I do that when I have two years of pent-up revenge to satisfy?”
“Been up to a few things in the meantime. Bored, so you jumped on Chandler’s bandwagon. But not because you had the brains to figure out a coup all by yourself. No, you’re only a follower. Why anyone ever elected you leader over this town is a mystery to me. Probably always will be.” Ben sighed, feeling every one of his forty-six years at that moment. “I know who hired you and sent you here to Sanctuary. I know you owe a debt you can’t pay, and Chandler was part of appeasing them. I know you were sent to infiltrate this town, to make sure Chandler was doing his job—and to watch over things while he was gone. And I know you made a deal with them. One, sorry to say, you won’t be making good on.”
Ben should kill him right now. “I told you two years ago not to mess with my family, and I meant it. You’ve gone too far, haven’t you, Thomas Fingerling?”
The mayor gasped.
That was the last card Ben had left to play with the man. The game was over now. All he had to do was pull the trigger, and the mayor would hit the ground, dead.
And yet, he couldn’t. Had he lost his mojo?
Thump.
The mayor’s mouth dropped open, and he slumped to the floor. Daire stood behind him, jeans and T-shirt. That ugly, scuffed leather jacket. Ben’s associate shook his head. “What is wrong with you?” He shrugged, gun in hand. “A lifetime of being verbose and suddenly you’re giving him a long-winded speech. Bang. He’s dead. Conversation over.” Daire shrugged again.
“It isn’t like you killed him.”
Daire cocked his head to one side. “Why bother when he’ll be dead the minute his name hits the prison system database?”
“Then why are we arguing about killing him?”
“Because you’ve been in a funk since Nadia Marie’s thing, when you saw her in Denver.”
Ben turned to walk away but Daire’s phone rang. He didn’t want to talk about that, but nothing had been right since then. Daire was right, Ben was in a funk and it was starting to affect his work.
Ben waited through the short conversation, then Daire hung up. “Remy said Bogota checks out.”
“Then let’s roll.”
Daire said, “You don’t want to check on Mei?”
Daire’s feelings about his family weren’t a secret, but that didn’t mean Ben ran his the same way. He didn’t need Daire to tell him how to do this when it would only remind him how much he sucked at it. Ben could infiltrate anywhere, get information out of anyone, and complete every mission ever assigned to him. This, he couldn’t figure out.
“I’ll check in on her when I have more time.”
**
John stood out front of his office and watched Grant gesture wildly to the Air Force colonel who’d come with military police. He’d directed the entire town, organizing removal of every man that worked with the mayor. John was beyond grateful for his help, even if Grant had retired from the Marshal’s Service and gone to work for Ben. At least one of his brothers had stuck around. Ben had left for Bogota, of all places.
The Meeting House doors opened and two men walked out, escorting the mayor between them. Matthias broke from his conversation with Bolton and ran over. “You killed her!”
John sprinted over faster than his bruises wanted him to and intercepted his friend. He hugged Matthias around the middle. “Easy.”
“Easy? He shot my mother in front of all of us.”
John didn’t let go of his friend. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re not the one who should be sorry.”
At Matthias’s words the mayor lifted his head and smirked. A baby started to cry. That was what broke through the rage which coursed through Matthi
as. John felt the shift in him, and Matthias glanced back over his shoulder. Frannie stood watching, a worried look on her face. The baby in her arms squirmed and let out another cry.
“Go to your family.”
Matthias nodded and then heeded John’s words.
The mayor let out a snicker.
Matthias halted and turned back, halfway to his family. John didn’t wait for him to come back over, he strode to the mayor, balled his fist, and punched Collins’s cheekbone. The impact reverberated up his arm, and the men holding the mayor both took a step back.
John walked away.
Grant waited for him. “Feel better now?”
“You don’t know these people.” He got in Grant’s face. “You’ve never lived here, so don’t ask me if I’m going to feel better when people are hurt, and others are dead.”
Grant backed up and raised his hands.
John snapped, “Don’t you have some secret mission to go on with Ben?”
“He feels my skillset would be better used here.” Grant looked around. “Even though I never lived here, these people know me. I was there for each of them in some of the scariest times of their life.” He paused. “I sent them here, I put them in danger.”
“You didn’t know this was going to happen. How could you have?” If they had, then John would have protected them. Olympia wouldn’t be dead.
A muscle in Grant’s jaw flexed. “Bill Jones compromised this town. That’s the problem with putting criminals in witness protection. They don’t want to follow the rules.”
“A man like Bill Jones was never going to tow the line. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Just like the idea of a secret town.”
“And I put all these people at risk because of it.” Grant glanced over to where Dan stood, Gemma under the circle of his arm. “I didn’t even think much about the ones that were born here. How could they be in danger when this was a place of safety? I might as well have held a gun to their heads myself.”
Sanctuary Forever WITSEC Town Series Book 5 Page 32