Kit carried Andy out of the bedroom. She cast a look over her shoulder in Alena’s direction. One that she hoped conveyed her promise to get the terrified girl out of this.
She walked down the hall toward the bedroom Edward indicated.
“Stop here.”
When he reached around her to open the door, she wished she had a way to attack him, but with the baby in her arms, she just couldn’t do anything.
The door swung open without a sound. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight. And she swallowed hard. “Oh my,” she breathed. “This nursery looks just like the one . . .” Trailing off, she did a one-eighty.
Edward stepped in after her.
“Yes, his nursery’s like the one at Connor and Samantha’s house. I spent quite a bit of time outside his window, watching, waiting for her to open the blinds. I thought it might help him adjust to his new home if he had familiar surroundings.”
Kit’s eyes caught movement in the mirror above the dressing table and she frowned. The crib lay to her left and she moved over to place Andy in it, faceup. He scrubbed his eyes and yawned, but didn’t cry.
Again, she saw movement, but couldn’t make out anything more than a shadow.
And the barrel of a rifle.
Hope blossomed. They’d figured it out.
Thank you, God, she prayed. And didn’t feel the slightest bit surprised when she did it. Somehow Dakota had figured it out and sent in reinforcements.
And just as fast she realized the guys in the hallway didn’t know about Alena and the bomb around her neck. Thinking fast, she took a deep breath and said, “You did a good job with the nursery, Edward.”
He looked pleased. “Thank you.”
“Why don’t we go back to Alena and you can tell me how to get that bomb off her neck.” She’d let the SWAT team know there was a bomb to diffuse. Hopefully, someone with bomb training was on the team. Brian, the sniper she’d been so mad at on their last call out, would be able to disable it. Her gut tightened as Edward’s frown returned along with a ferocious scowl. She hurried to say, “I know you don’t want to hurt her. You wouldn’t have taken her if you did. Or me. You want us to be a family, right?”
His eyes narrowed as though he didn’t quite believe her, yet desperately wanted to.
She made herself walk toward him. “Let’s leave Andy here to take his nap so he’ll be happy when he wakes up, all right?”
Edward hesitated, then nodded.
Kit reached out a hand and placed it on his arm, then pulled back as though hesitant. She never broke eye contact with him—she wanted his eyes on her, not the mirror. His eyes flared and he watched her carefully.
Just what she wanted.
The men in the stairwell had gotten her message. They’d backed off. If Alena hadn’t had the bomb around her neck, Kit would have shoved Edward down the stairs as they passed the dark opening. Instead, she placed herself on the right of Edward to keep his eyes and attention on her, not giving him the opportunity to look left into the stairwell. “I’m amazed at what you’ve managed to put together here while working and going to school.”
“It wasn’t easy, but I was determined. I had to show my father that I wasn’t a loser, that he was wrong about me.” A satisfied glint sparked in his eyes. “And I’m almost finished. I’ll graduate and get a good job and we’ll be a family. The perfect family.”
Just a few more steps and they’d be back in the room where they’d left Alena. She just prayed the SWAT team would do their job and get Andy out while they could.
Then Edward directed her past the room. “Come this way. While you’re up here, I want to show you where we’ll sleep once we’re married.”
Nausea churned in her gut, but she ignored it and told herself to treat him like she would any other hostage situation. This wasn’t personal.
But it sure felt like it.
“All right. Show it to me.” It was at the opposite end of the long hallway. Far enough away from Andy that someone would be able to get in, get the baby, and get out. Hopefully, another would head for Alena and diffuse the bomb.
When he reached the room at the end of the hallway and opened the door, she slipped inside. How long could she keep him in here?
Slowly, as though taking in every detail, she wandered over to the dresser. “You have good taste in furniture, Edward.”
“It was my grandmother’s.”
Kit ran her fingers over the oak top and found it free of dust. “What was your grandmother like?”
At first he didn’t answer. She turned to look at him to make sure she still had his attention. The frown on his face didn’t encourage her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” Two more steps toward the door that appeared to lead to a bathroom. “Although, if we’re supposed to be married, I believe I would like to know a few more things about my future husband.” She looked him in the eye. “That’s only fair, isn’t it?”
Edward shifted and licked his lips. Then he gave a small smile. “I suppose.” He wandered over, gun still in his hand, although Kit felt like he wasn’t even aware he still held it. But she couldn’t rush him because she didn’t know where the detonator for the bomb was.
Then from down the hall, she heard Andy cry.
43
Noah watched Connor head out of the room, Andy in his arms. Unfortunately, the baby hadn’t liked being rousted from his nap and let up a wail like Noah had never heard before.
Keeping his eye on the door to the room where Kit and the killer had disappeared, he checked in on Alena and the SWAT member, Brian Sands, who worked feverishly to disarm the bomb around her neck.
Another glance back at the room where Kit was revealed a shadow on the door. Noah slipped inside with Alena and gave the man the hurry-up motion. Brian sat back and swiped an arm across his brow. “More time,” he whispered.
Noah shook his head.
Footsteps sounded in the hall.
“Edward, he’s stopped crying. Come back!”
Noah spoke into his microphone. “Don’t shoot. Repeat. Don’t shoot. Bomb is still active.”
Alena’s eyes went wide and he slipped behind the door just as Brian slid behind the bed. Edward stepped into the room, followed by a breathless Kit.
“I saw something,” Edward muttered. He held the gun in front of him.
“What? What did you see?”
“I saw something move. A shadow. Someone’s here.” His eyes squinted.
“Edward, there’s no one here,” Kit insisted, drawing his attention back to her. “Now will you show me the rest of the house?”
Alena choked out a scream and her hands went to the device around her neck. “Get me out of this! Take it off! Take it off!”
Kit gasped and rushed to the girl’s side as her fingers felt for something, anything.
Noah sucked in a deep breath at the crazed look in Alena’s eyes. Muscles bunched, he prepared to launch himself at Edward when he saw that Kit had her arms around Alena, holding her, steadying her, soothing her. He couldn’t take a chance on detonating the bomb if he attacked Edward.
Kit whispered, “Don’t do this, Alena. It’s going to be okay.” She kept her eyes on Edward. “As soon as Edward realizes he can trust you, he’ll take it off, won’t you, Edward?”
The killer licked his lips. “I . . . I don’t know. Can I trust you, Alena?”
“Yes!” she sobbed into Kit’s shoulder. “I’ll do anything. Anything.”
“Then tell me who was in the room, Alena,” Edward said, his voice turning silky, cunning, low—and menacing. “I know someone was in here. If you want me to take the bomb off, show me I can trust you.”
Alena’s eyes darted to the door where Noah hid. Then swiveled to look behind her.
“Alena?” Edward insisted.
Noah saw Kit grip the girl’s hand in warning.
“He’s behind the—”
Before she could finish the sentence, Brian bolted to his feet and aimed his rifle right at Ed
ward. “Drop the weapon, sir.”
Alena screamed, “There! See? You can trust me! Now, get it off, please take it off of me.” Her last word ended on a sob as she dropped her chin and wept.
Edward now had his gun pointed at the man behind the bed. The two were in a standoff.
Edward gave a low hiss. “I knew someone was in here. How did you get in?”
Brian kept his weapon steady on Edward. “We’re all in here, sir. All eight of us plus a couple of police detectives. Now if you’ll just put your weapon down, we can end this peacefully.”
Noah waited. Kit still didn’t know he was the one behind the door. He almost didn’t dare to breathe as she moved out of his line of vision, then back in when she slid closer to Edward.
Kit heard the SWAT team member speak and forced herself not to react.
Brian.
Breathing her second prayer of the day, she let go of Alena and moved toward Edward, who was now beginning to look frantic, frustrated, and decidedly angry. She saw Noah behind the door and watched him go rigid, drew in a deep breath. He frowned a warning at her, but she ignored it. She had to get the detonator from Edward. With unswerving certainty, Kit knew if his plan didn’t go according to the way he thought it should go, he would kill everyone in the room.
By detonating the bomb around Alena’s neck.
And his plan was definitely not going the way he wanted it to.
She moved closer. Two more SWAT members moved into the room.
“Get out,” Edward ordered Brian, his voice low, angry—and determined. “All of you, get out of this house.”
Brian spoke again. “Can’t do that. Now keep your hands where I can see them.”
“ ‘Can’t do that,’ ” Edward mocked. “If you don’t get out of my house, we all die. Your choice.”
His finger caressed the trigger on his gun and Kit suddenly knew where the detonator was. If he fired the gun, the bomb would go off.
Noah circled behind Edward, his eyes locked on Kit. She bit her lip and said softly, “Send them out.”
Edward shifted his narrowed gaze to her. “You brought them here, didn’t you?”
“How would I have done that, Edward? You called me. I came straight to your house. I haven’t called anyone or talked to anyone since I got here.”
Confusion flickered across his face. “Then how did they know to come here?”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter, does it? All that matters is finding a way to get through this, right?”
Little-boy longing appeared in his eyes. “So we can all be together as a family.”
“That’s right. So we can all be together.” She was repeating him, telling him what he wanted to hear. Anything to keep him from pulling that trigger.
Then fury appeared. “You’re a liar!”
Fear ruptured inside her. This guy was so out of touch with reality that talking to him might not work. She might be more successful walking on eggshells than talking him down. But she couldn’t stop now. “Why would I lie?”
“Because that’s what you do.” He waved the gun. “I’m not stupid, you know. I know how hostage negotiation works. And I know you’re in love with that cop. Aren’t you? Aren’t you!”
Kit couldn’t stop the shudder that wracked through her, but kept her face neutral as she signaled to Brian to stand down. If he put a bullet in Edward, his finger could twitch and set the bomb off. Or he could drop the gun. “I had feelings for him. Yes.” The fury on his face ratcheted up a notch. She held up a hand. “But that was before I knew about you and how you felt about family.”
He blinked, cocked his head, and glared. “What do you mean?”
“You want a real family. So do I.” When he just stared, she went on, “I just found out I was adopted. I spent all those years with people who lied to me about who I was. How do you think that felt when I discovered that?”
She’d thrown him off, distracted him. Then his face went red once more, and he pointed the gun at her, only this time he didn’t have his finger wrapped around the trigger, he had it straight out. “Liar!”
And she knew it was time to act. The plan unfolded in her mind even as she launched herself at him. Gripping his wrist, the gun pointing over her right shoulder, she slipped her hand between the trigger and his extended finger. She slammed her weight against that finger and felt the bones snap even as he screamed and dropped to the floor.
The element of surprise had worked for a brief moment. Now he fought her. Vaguely, she was aware of men yelling, Brian jockeying for a position to shoot, and Noah coming at Edward’s back.
“The detonator’s in the gun!” she yelled.
Noah snatched it and passed it to a waiting SWAT member, who immediately left the room. Then he grabbed the man by the arm to pull him off of her. Edward elbowed back and caught Noah in the solar plexus. Noah went down with a grunt, and Kit gasped as Edward wrapped a leg over hers, then got in a punch that glanced off her shoulder. She winced, but didn’t let go of the hand that had held the gun, putting pressure on the broken finger. He yelled in pain once more.
“You broke my finger, you—” He screamed a few choice words in her ear.
Kit yanked a leg free of his and kicked her foot out in a sweeping motion. Catching him in the stomach with her knee, she saw Noah hand his gun off to Brian and look for an opening.
Noah finally leapt forward to tackle Edward, freeing Kit. She rolled, only to see Noah catch a kick to the gut. Edward went for Noah’s gun and Kit threw herself onto Edward. The wiry man gave a twist of his waist and she stumbled off balance, gasping when his left hand twisted into her ponytail and jerked her back against him.
Panting, chest heaving with the effort to pull in much needed air, Kit gritted her teeth and winced at the sudden stab of pain just over her right kidney. With frustrated fury, she realized he’d had a knife on him. One she hadn’t noticed. The pain intensified and she cried out as she felt warm wetness trickle down.
“You’re ruining it!” His enraged scream pierced her eardrum. Spittle flew from his mouth, catching her on the cheek. She grimaced as he screeched, “Why are you ruining it? I thought you wanted this!”
A gun fired and a bullet slammed into the wall behind her. Edward gave another pained yell and the knife dug deeper into her back.
“Don’t shoot! He’s got a knife in my back!” She bit her lip against the fire arcing from her lower right side and did her best to ignore it.
Edward yanked her back until they were up against the wall opposite the bed where Alena huddled. The door stood open to her left. Noah stood next to it, eyes intense, fingers wrapped around his weapon.
Her eyes caught Brian’s intense stare even as she said through gritted teeth, “Edward, it’s over. Give them the knife.”
Brian’s gaze never left hers.
She stared back. Could he get off a shot? His eyes said yes. She raised a hand to signal him to take the shot.
Noah’s chest raised at the signal and his eyes flared. Kit almost didn’t care if Edward pushed the knife in. She wanted this man caught. She was willing to risk a life-threatening injury to accomplish that.
Then Edward shoved her to the right to cover him better. Keeping her head between his and Brian’s, he’d just messed up the sniper’s shot.
Edward hissed in her ear. “Tell them to back off.”
Alena cowered on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth.
“And where will you go if they back off, Edward?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.” The knife pressed harder and she winced.
Noah watched the scene play out before him with an almost uncontrollable desire to plant every bullet in the gun he’d retrieved from Brian into the man holding a knife to Kit.
Then reload and do it again.
Fighting the instinct to act now, he watched and waited.
Brian and Kit had it under control for now.
His weapon felt hea
vy, ready.
He just needed an opening.
Of course that’s what Brian was waiting for too.
At Kit’s wince, Noah’s finger gave an involuntary twitch. But he couldn’t put it on the trigger just yet.
Brian shifted. Alena whimpered, but never raised her head from where she rested it on her knees. Kit breathed hard, her eyes jumping between Noah and Brian. Noah knew she’d given Brian the signal to shoot.
What was taking the man so long?
“Get Alena out of the room,” Kit said softly.
“No,” Edward said. “She stays put.”
“I’ll go with you wherever you want, Edward,” Kit promised. “Just let them get Alena out.”
“No!”
Noah didn’t know why she continued to try to reason with the man. He was too far gone, too out of touch with what was going to happen. He still thought he had a chance to walk out of here alive.
Or at least thought he could escape.
Over Noah’s dead body.
His earpiece had been quiet the last few minutes, but he knew those in the van outside were listening to everything going on in the room. Because Kit was a trained negotiator, they were letting her handle it. She hadn’t yet given the signal she wanted someone to come in and take over the negotiations with Edward.
He spoke. “Edward.” The man turned frantic eyes in his direction. Recognition flared and hatred glared at him.
“It’s because of him, isn’t it?” he hissed at Kit. “He’s the one you really want, isn’t he?”
At Edward’s scalding words, Kit knew her time had just run out. Time to act. Catching Brian’s dead calm gaze, she blinked, then winked her right eye.
He winked his left.
Kit let her knees collapse, felt the knife dig as she twisted to the right.
Brian’s gun snapped as did two more from the SWAT members inside the door. Something clinked—a bullet hitting the knife. The knife went flying, and Edward dropped to the floor behind her. Breathless, Kit turned to look at his still form. Sightless eyes stared back at her.
Warm hands on her arm jerked her attention to see Noah’s concerned—and relieved—gaze silently questioning her.
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