“I need you all to come out here and line up in front of some of my friends.”
“Fuck you, bastard,” the tall guy said.
“I doubt you want to fuck with me. I used to be a cop, so I know how to handle one of these toys and punks like you.”
That was her tough guy. She sighed and smiled. Everything would be okay.
Chapter Fifteen
After more yelling, the three men walked out in a single file with their hands on their heads.
She scanned the rooms and saw her brother was hiding behind a door as he listened to what was going on. She could tell he was about ready to lose it, and then he pulled a gun from the back of his jeans.
She pressed her hands to her mouth. “Oh, my God.” His t-shirt was hiding it.
She looked back at the foyer to see the three men on their knees with their hands behind their heads. The tall one was still cursing up a storm. Maybe he was distracting them until Russ got up there. Then she wondered if he could be that smart.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Russ moving stealthily down the hallway.
“Oh, no.” She stuck the gun she’d been holding into her back pocket and started looking for the latch to get out. She looked back at the monitors to see Russ pass the office doorway. The good guys didn’t seem concerned with anyone else. They didn’t seem to know there were four of them, so she had to do something.
Finally, after she heard the click, she quietly opened the door and moved slowly toward the doorway. She peeked around to see Russ peering around the corner at the men.
“Hello, gentlemen,” Russ said snidely as he pointed the gun at them.
She could only see her brother’s back but knew he was pointing the gun at someone because of his raised arm.
“Put the fucking guns down,” Russ screamed.
She shivered at her brother’s voice. He wanted to kill the men. She couldn’t miss the anticipation in his tone. He was also highly unpredictable because of whatever drug he was on.
She crept into the hallway, making sure the safety was off before she glanced around the corner. She could tell Travis had seen her when he stiffened, but otherwise, he didn’t bat an eye.
“Let’s go. I don’t have all fucking day.”
“If we do it, you’re going to kill us.”
Russ laughed. “Let’s just say only four of us are leaving this place alive. Do you want to guess who?”
She took a deep breath. There was no time to wait. Her brother was high on something, and there was no telling what crazy thing he might do. She caught a flash of anger on Travis’s face and knew he was pissed she was getting involved, but there was no way she would sit back and let him and the others get killed.
“Russ, I think I’m the one you’re looking for.”
Everything happened quickly. Her brother turned toward her and aimed the gun. He took a shot that hit above her head. At the same time, she got off three shots. Two in the chest and one in the head. He was dead before he hit the ground.
The three guys who had come with him started freaking out and yelling. The men with Travis took control of the handcuffed guys and on their knees while Travis walked over to her brother and checked for a pulse. He threw the gun Russ had away from him and then headed toward her.
She had the magazine out of the gun, slid it open so she could see the inside the barrel, put the gun on safety, and then held it out to him.
He took it from her right away, slipped it into the back of his pants, and then stared at her.
The ramifications of what she just did started taking over, and she began to shiver. It seemed to grow, and it felt like she was going to shake apart.
He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. “God, baby, when I saw you come around the corner, my heart stopped.”
“I had to do something,” she stuttered. “I could tell you guys didn’t know Russ was in the back and had a gun. God, I thought I wrote there were four guys here.”
He leaned back and looked at her face. “What are you talking about?”