She raised her hand and touched her swollen lower lip. When Jacob had come back in the room after she’d gotten Belinda to safety, he’d backhanded her hard enough to rattle her brain. She’d just been grateful that he hadn’t killed her.
She had a feeling the only reason that she was still alive was to deal with the girls and keep them as quiet as possible.
Once the gunfire began, Jacob cursed and ran out of the room, and Annalise took the opportunity to run to her phone and snatch it off the charger. She returned to her place against the wall, her heart banging unsteadily as she held the phone tightly in her hand.
When the gunfire stopped, Jacob didn’t return and she could hear him yelling in a room down the hallway. She pulled her phone up so the screen was visible.
She had one message. She opened it and read the note from Evan. Thank goodness the 911 call she’d made had gotten through to him. It gave her some solace knowing that of all the people in the world, her life and the lives of the girls were in his hands. She knew just how good he was at what he did, how utterly devoted he was to the job.
Remember the moon.
Tears blurred her vision as she read those words. They were tears of exhaustion and the sweet memory of tremendous love. Remember the moon. She wondered why he had texted that to her. Even as she thought about it, she realized the answer was probably that he wanted her to have a happy thought to help her through this horrible ordeal.
And the memory of that night under a full moon in his backyard was more than just a happy place in her heart, it was a place of warmth and love with the man who, at that time, she’d believed would be her partner through life.
She looked toward the doorway, wondering how much time she had before Jacob came back into the room. Maybe he wouldn’t return for the rest of the night. She’d seen a weight of exhaustion riding his big shoulders. She suspected there weren’t enough men with him to rotate the guard duty at all the doors and windows and also get enough sleep. Maybe this was the night the leader of this group would find someplace in the building to hole up and sleep until morning.
The phone burned in her hand. Her need to reach out to Evan and hear his voice was nearly overwhelming, but so was her fear of somehow getting caught.
Jacob was already angry with her about Belinda. If he caught her with the phone talking to the outside authorities, she wasn’t convinced that Jacob wouldn’t kill her, or get his wife to do the dirty work. If that happened, then who would be here to protect the girls? Who would soothe them when they cried?
She began to softly hum, her gaze going once again to the doorway. She looked back at the phone and Evan’s message, and her fingers hit the phone icon.
He answered before the first ring had completely finished. “Annalise.”
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut at the sound of his familiar deep voice. “Evan,” she whispered into the phone, and once again kept her gaze on the doorway.
“Are you all right? Are you safe to talk?” His voice held the same kind of urgency that sizzled through her body.
“I’m okay...and I’m safe for now. There are four students with me and we’re all okay. We’re hungry and tired and just want to get out of here.” Tears blurred her vision. “Is Belinda okay? Have you heard anything about her condition?”
“I’m sorry, I haven’t, but I know she’s in the hospital where she belongs.”
“They didn’t even want to release her, but I was afraid if I didn’t get her out of here, she would have died.”
“I saw somebody grab you by your hair...were you hurt?”
“No, I’m okay,” she said, and then ran her tongue over her swollen lip. “Jacob is crazy, but his wife, Gretchen, is pure evil.”
“Annalise, do you know what these people want? Have you heard a reason why they burst into the school in the first place?”
“I don’t know what they want. I’ve asked and asked, but I don’t know what they want or why they’re here,” she replied helplessly. She wished she had the answers so Evan would have the information he needed to do his job.
“I’m using every resource I have to get you all out of there safely,” he said. “You just need to be patient and stay safe.”
“I know. I just want these girls out of here. If you can get them to release any hostages, it’s got to be the girls who get out.”
“I want you all out safely,” he replied. He asked her several more logistical questions. Then, “I couldn’t believe it when I heard you were in there. I thought you were teaching at a college in Missouri.”
“I was, but I got this offer to work here and I needed a change. These kids...oh Evan, they are wonderful. They are so bright and so loving.”
“Uh... I have to ask this next question... Do you have a spouse we need to contact for you?”
“No significant other.” She looked toward the doorway to assure that she was still safe to talk. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him. They were personal questions that had no place in what was happening right now.
“Evan, are we going to get out of here?”
“We’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.” She could hear the determination in his voice.
She pressed the phone more closely to her ear and made sure the girls were sleeping. “Evan, I’m scared.” The words fell from her lips before she’d fully realized they were in her head. “I’m trying to act so brave for the children, but inside I’m just as terrified as they are.”
“Annalise, I want you to stay afraid. It might be that fear that keeps you on your toes and alive,” he said.
“I always hated it when you were blunt with me,” she replied with a panic-stricken laugh. A short, awkward moment of silence ensured.
In that moment flashes of the times they’d shared together swept through her mind. He’d always made her feel like a sexy, passionate woman whenever he’d gazed at her with a hunger in his dark brown eyes.
Their backgrounds couldn’t have been more different. He had grown up poor and on the streets of the Bronx while she came from wealthy, nurturing parents in Knoxville. A chance meeting in a coffee shop in Knoxville had been the beginning of a two-year relationship that had ended with her making the difficult, but necessary decision to leave him, and ultimately she’d taken the job offer in Missouri to make the break a clean one.
“Are you still there?” His voice broke through the memories.
“For now, but if Jacob comes back I’ll need to disconnect quickly. He has no idea I have the phone, and he’s got a nasty temper. His wife’s is even worse.”
“For God’s sake, Annalise, don’t take any unnecessary chances.”
“I know it’s been a long time, but maybe you could give me a big hug when I get out of here?” Tears once again burned at her eyes. “I’m sorry, I sound so pathetic.”
“You don’t. You just need to stay strong until that can happen.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Can you tell me if there are any weaknesses in the guards, anyplace or anything we can exploit to get you all out of there?”
“I know they didn’t plan for this. They wanted to get in and out for whatever reason before any police arrived. They’re eating snacks we keep in here for the students, but that isn’t going to last long. I also think there’s some in-fighting among the group.”
“That’s all helpful to know. Anything else?”
She frowned thoughtfully. “I can’t think of anything.”
“That’s okay. You’re doing a great job,” he said encouragingly.
She leaned her head back against the wall. “Evan... I’m sorry about how things ended between us.”
“I have a lot of regrets, too,” he replied softly. “I...”
She heard footsteps approaching from the hall and hit the disconnect button on the phone. She slid it under her thigh just
before Jacob walked into the room.
He turned and stared at her with narrowed eyes. Although there were no lights on in the classroom, he was visible from the bright lights shining in from the outside. “I thought I heard talking in here.”
Her heart banged against her ribs beneath his suspicious glare. “I was humming to myself. It’s how I self-soothe in a stressful situation.”
Dear God, she hoped he bought it. If he didn’t, and for some reason he made her stand up, then he would find the phone. She held eye contact with him as her heart continued to race and finally he grunted. “Don’t do it again,” he warned, and then headed to his chair near the window.
She released a shuddery sigh of relief and felt the burn of the phone beneath her leg. It was her lifeline to the outside...to Evan.
Once again she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Images of Evan chased through her mind, images of happy times they had spent together.
She’d known the very first time she’d seen him that he was going to be somebody special in her life. It had been a Saturday morning, and she’d been getting a coffee in her favorite café. The shop was crowded, but she’d managed to claim one of the small, round tables near the front window.
The minute she’d seen him walk in, her heart had jolted. She couldn’t help but notice how good-looking he was. When he’d approached her and asked to share her table, she’d readily agreed. That day they had spent two hours talking together.
She finally drifted off to sleep and dreamed of the midnight picnic under the full moon. He’d surprised her that night. He’d picked her up at her apartment at dusk and then had taken her to his backyard, where he had a blanket spread out on the close-cropped lawn. He’d had chicken salad sandwiches and fresh strawberries, chunks of her favorite cheese and champagne.
In her dream she was in his big, strong arms and he was kissing her with all the passion of a man in love. She’d believed he loved her as she did him. She had believed on that night they would eventually get married.
She awoke suddenly, unsure what had roused her. Darkness still filled the room and she heard the heavy, deep breathing of Jacob. She released a deep sigh. Not only had love not been enough to keep her and Evan together, but now she had to face the real possibility that she’d have no future...the possibility that she wouldn’t get out of here alive.
* * *
HEARING ANNALISE’S VOICE filled with such fear had shot arrows of pain through Evan. Hearing her voice had also renewed the deep ache he’d felt when she had left him. It had taken him a very long time to get over her. If he was honest with himself, there were days and nights he still didn’t think he was quite over her.
But he couldn’t focus on the past. Still, for the past nearly three years he’d been haunted by the what-ifs. Regrets? Hell yes he had regrets. He spent the rest of the night thinking about those regrets as he also processed the information she’d given him...information that might help bring this situation to an end.
It was good that there was a limited food source, and it was definitely good if the hostage takers were fighting among themselves.
While he waited for the darkness of night to pass, he gathered his thoughts for the emotional assault he intended to launch at daybreak.
He could have used the bullhorn and bellowed at them all night long, but he hadn’t trusted Jacob not to lose it completely. He’d threatened to toss out dead little girls when a phone had rung all night. Evan didn’t want to give him a reason to go off about being shouted at all night long.
Meanwhile, Chief Cummings was badgering him for an all-out attack on the building, something Evan feared might result in the injury or death of the hostages if not also official personnel. He finally had a name and some information about the group to use, and he also believed the hunger issue might bring this all to an end before force needed to be used.
Was his hesitancy with the option of using force to go in because he knew Annalise was inside? Was he allowing that fact to influence the decisions he needed to make? No, it didn’t matter who was in that building; force was always the very last option used in any hostage case.
Evan could be very patient. He knew that was one of his strengths as a negotiator. He’d rather get this done right than get it done fast. Chief Cummings was just going to have to live with the decisions made. If he tried to do anything behind Evan’s back, Evan would see the man brought up on charges.
He hoped Annalise would get an opportunity to speak to him again, but the rest of the night passed without any more contact. As always, one of his fears was that she had or would get caught with the phone.
The standoff had begun on a Tuesday with the locals, and within hours it was going to be Thursday morning. That meant the armed men had been in the building for two nights and days with only snack food to eat. Surely that food was running out. It wouldn’t feed grown men for an indefinite amount of time.
Regina Sandhurst had arrived at the scene earlier in the evening. She was a petite brunette whose main residence was in New York, but she also had a condo in Pearson and had assured them that she would remain here until the hostages were free.
She had tried to be as helpful as possible, but she had no clue what the people in the school might be after. She brought with her a list of all the deliveries that were made on a regular basis to the school, along with a list of everyone on staff. She’d left for her condo at dusk with the promise to be back this morning.
He heard from Hendrick once again with information about some of the financials of the group. So far everything appeared to be aboveboard, but the tech guru was still chasing down a few things. Evan knew if anything was hidden, Hendrick would find it. The man matched Evan in his passion and commitment to his job.
It was just after dawn when he picked up the bullhorn once again. “Jacob Noble and men in the school. I understand the goal of the Brotherhood of Jacob is to end world hunger. That’s a wonderful goal to be pursuing.”
“Is this the part where you try to be my friend so I’ll give up?” Jacob yelled out the window. “Sorry, Agent Duran, I’m not buying what you’re selling. I don’t want to be your friend.”
In another circumstance Evan might have unarmed himself as a show of good faith, and he would attempt to walk to the building for an up close and personal meeting with Jacob.
But the fact that he was so quick to fire his weapon indiscriminately with no provocation at all kept Evan from attempting it. As Davis had reminded him earlier, a dead hostage negotiator certainly wouldn’t help matters.
“I want you to scale down and back up the police presence, and I need a bulletproof van for our use,” Jacob yelled.
“It would take me some time to arrange something like that,” Evan replied. “How about you let all the hostages go, and I’ll see what I can do to accommodate you.”
“You accommodate me, and then we’ll talk about letting the hostages go. This conversation is now over.” He fired a burst of bullets out the window.
“Big surprise that he wants a bulletproof van to get out of here,” Nick said. He was a good man with a family of his own. Evan had worked with him several times before and admired the man’s dedication to his wife and kids and the job.
“Don’t they all,” Evan replied dryly. “But sooner or later they’re going to get hungry. According to Annalise, they’ve been eating snacks that were there for the students, but they won’t last long.”
“At least you have some leverage there,” Nick replied.
“Yeah, I just hate the idea of those kids being hungry.” And Annalise—he couldn’t imagine what she was going through. He also couldn’t allow his thoughts to dwell on her. He had to keep all his emotions in check to do the best job possible. Thoughts of Annalise and his relationship with her would only be distracting.
As Nick moved away, Evan raised the bullhorn once again. “People in the school, I’
m sure you all must be getting hungry. If you want some food brought to you, then all you need to do is release the hostages.”
There was a long silence, and then Jacob’s gun came out the window. “I’m not releasing any of the hostages, and we’re doing just fine in here. All you need to do is move back your men and get me an armored van.”
“I told you I’m not working on that for you until the hostages are released,” Evan replied.
“You’ve got this all backward. I’m the one in charge here,” Jacob yelled. “Do what I ask, and I’ll let the hostages go.”
“Maybe some of your men would like some egg sandwiches,” Evan replied. “I’m sure that teacher and the four little girls you have in there are getting hungry. Maybe your wife would like a hot breakfast sandwich, too.”
This time there was a longer pause. Evan imagined Jacob was wondering just how much information the authorities knew about what was happening inside the school. He probably figured Belinda would have given Evan information about who was inside and that Jacob’s wife was one of the hostage takers.
“Jacob, I’d like to understand what your goal is. Could you tell me why you went into the school? How were you looking to advance your goal by forcefully entering the school? If I understand your position better, then maybe we can agree on some things.”
“You don’t need to understand anything,” Jacob replied.
“The offer for food still stands,” Evan yelled. “Release the hostages, and a hot breakfast will be delivered to the doorstep.”
Suddenly Jacob fired out the window. “Shut up about the food. I’m not interested in anything but you getting me an armored van and promising me and my people safe passage out of here, and that’s all I got to say to you.”
“We’re talking in circles, Jacob. The only way I can even think about doing that is when the hostages have all been released,” Evan replied. “Maybe you could release a couple of hostages to show your good faith. After that happens we can talk about how you and your men can get out of the school.”
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