Leaving these chumps alive was not ideal at all, but there was no time.
Blake jumped up, retrieved the South African’s pistol from the floor, and raced down the hall, back the way he’d come.
He slipped through the doorway and along the darken corridor, disappearing into the abandoned wing. When he didn’t hear anyone following, he cracked the door open just enough to hear two quick gun shots.
“Harper, what the hell?”
“Idiot was no good to us blind,” the South African said.
He’d just executed one of his partners, Blake realized. Which meant these men wouldn’t think twice about killing the hostages.
ChapterNineteen
Friday,February 13th, 9:16 P.M.
Evan had never seenhis mom cry like this before. Silent, choking sobs that moved down her throat without a sound or tear escaping. Her grip on his hand was so tight, his fingers had gone numb.
Pretty much everything was numb except the stupid big toe that still throbbed like crazy. He wished the lady doctor would come back. She seemed like she could handle anything, knew all the answers. Made him feel…safe.
But right now, he and everyone else were anything but safe.
They’d been herded by a big, scary guy with an equally scary looking army-style rifle into the waiting area. There was Evan and his mom, a lady with a splint on her arm and her husband, the clerk who’d signed them in, a guy with a wispy beard and his hand wrapped in a bloody towel, and a lady in one of those special aprons his dentist’s assistant used when they took x-rays.
There had been another guy as well, an old guy with a fat belly, but two more men with guns had come and one of them had taken him away, leaving two men to guard them. One of them had ransacked the clerk’s desk, said he was looking for gaffer tape.
Evan wasn’t sure what he meant, but he didn’t think he meant the kind of tape Evan used on his hockey stick or that his mom used to wrap presents.
And then there was the gunfire. Everything had happened so fast, Evan hadn’t even had time to think about what that meant until now, when the men with guns retreated to the doorway, leaving the hostages with space to think.
Thinking was the last thing Evan wanted to do. He wasn’t supposed to play video games rated T or M, but their goalie’s big brother let them when the team had sleepovers at his house. All that blood. And other stuff.
The gunshots had come twice, once before and once after the old man got taken away. So, was he dead? Evan bet he was dead. Wouldn’t give up the code to a safe or something. And maybe someone before him. Which meant any one of them could be next.
He couldn’t help it, his foot started tapping so hard that his entire leg was bouncing. And he had to pee, so bad.
Then the guy with the beard tapped his arm. “Is it Evan?” He kept his voice low. The two guards were gabbing, not paying any attention anyway. “I’m Tony. What team you play for?”
Evan had to think twice. His brain was drowning in visions of blood, sounds of gunshots. It took a moment to swim back to here and now. “The Eastfork Icers.”
“I always followed the Connecticut Roughriders, since I was born over that way. What about yourself, Evan?”
Normally, Evan wouldn’t dream of talking about anything, even hockey, with a creepy stranger, but somehow, right here, right now, it felt right. Like it made the men with guns seem like they were far, far away. “Yeah, they’re good. I’m all in with the Carolina Hurricanes. We went to a few games, didn’t we, Mom?”
His mom blinked, and suddenly jerked Evan away from the guy as if he was one of…them.
“It’s okay, Mom. I was just telling him we saw the Hurricanes play. Right?” He felt like he had to work to keep her attention.
“Yeah. Right.” She blinked again, managed a smile that was more scary than her crying had been. “Great games, both of them.”
“Great team,” Tony added. “Maybe you’ll play for them one day, huh?”
Evan glanced at the two men with guns. But it was down to one guy now, the other had left. “Yeah, if we ever get out of here.”
His mom and Tony exchanged a glance before Tony leaned closer, lowering his voice to a bare whisper.
“I’ve been here a few times. I know this place. They may have locked the main doors, but there’s a fire exit down the corridor, just go left and we’re outta here. Two doors to freedom.”
“I’m not sure,” Mom replied uncertainly. “What about the guards?”
