Midnight Hero - By Diana Duncan Page 0,67

your baby’s are at stake. You didn’t have any choice.” She shrugged off her pack and rummaged inside for the other Polarshield blanket. An ominous chill had crept into every corner of the building. “How are Mike and Letty holding up?”

“Mike’s so terrified he’s nearly catatonic. Letty, on the other hand, is verbally flaying those criminals alive. She keeps chewing Tony’s butt for exposing us to secondhand smoke.”

Bailey gave Nan a reassuring smile, careful to hide her distress. If the bad guys had their way, secondhand smoke would be the least of the hostages’ concerns. She checked her watch. Two minutes until she had to take Nan upstairs alone. A muffled scrape caught her ear. Con? She pivoted and squinted down the murky hallway, but saw only shadows. What was taking him so long? Had he been captured? Was he hurt? She tensed and her stomach flip-flopped. Was he…No! Don’t go there.

She covered Nan. “Is Letty staying warm enough?”

“She seems fine.” Nan drew the crinkly blanket around her shoulders. “Her righteous indignation has her pretty hot under the collar…” Nan’s horrified gaze froze in midair over Bailey’s left shoulder. “Oh, no!”

“Look what I found,” a man’s deep rumble growled behind Bailey. “The Sugarplum Fairy.”

Not Con’s voice. Not Tony’s, either. Her already jittery stomach pitched, and then bottomed out somewhere near her boots. Slowly, she turned, keeping her body between Nan and the stranger.

A rangy, sandy-haired man stepped out from behind the base of the three-story Christmas tree. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with an angular face and oddly pale eyes. He pointed a handgun at her. Big. Black. With a long cylinder stuck in the barrel. A silencer. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

She held herself very, very still while her heart pistoned in her chest like a jackhammer. She wasn’t even sure she was still breathing. “Don’t hurt us.”

The man’s lips twisted in a terrifying smile. “Tony wants to handle that detail personally.”

Bailey’s thoughts whirled. Trapped! Doomed! Need a plan! “Let’s talk. Maybe…maybe we can make a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

What would appeal to him the most? “If you let us go, I’ll put in a good word for you with the D.A. Perhaps get the charges against you reduced.”

His glacier eyes narrowed as he appeared to consider the idea. A small flicker of hope lit the cold black void inside her.

He shifted his stance, bringing him nearer. She took a step back. He again moved forward. “Nah. Only worthwhile if we’re caught. Which won’t happen. Especially after we erase you from the picture.”

The flicker snuffed out as hope died an agonizing death. Stall! “Don’t be so sure.”

He edged closer. She took another step backward. A cruel taunt curled his lip. He was stalking her. And enjoying it. “I like a woman with a strong spine.”

Her spine didn’t feel all that sturdy as it collided with something—one of the Nutcrackers—and the wooden soldier wobbled. Her terrified gaze spun down the mall. Where was Con? She wanted him to charge to the rescue. No, wait. Maybe not. She wanted him to stay safe. She bit the inside of her cheek, fought not to give in to smothering fear. She wanted this threatening predator out of her face. Gone.

He leaned closer, so close she smelled onions on his breath. He stroked her cheek with the cold gun barrel, and she shuddered. “There is something else you can offer me.”

“Wh-what?”

He stroked the gun barrel downward, along her neck and over her breast. “You’re a smart chick. Figure it out.”

Oh, God! Help! Bailey swallowed a bitter surge of revulsion. “Not a snowball’s chance in hell, mister.”

“I wasn’t asking.” He pressed the full length of his body against hers.

“Get off me!” She tried to push him away. It was like trying to move Mount Hood. The Nutcracker at her back wobbled again, but her attacker didn’t budge.

Nan shoved to her feet. “Leave her alone!”

Iceberg Eyes pointed the gun at Nan. “Sit, mama.”

Her face pinched with fury, Nan obeyed.

The robber’s cold, merciless gaze locked on Bailey. He smiled his monster’s smile. “Now, where were we?”

He reveled in her fear, toying with her like a feral cat tormenting a baby bird. She’d be damned if she’d give him the satisfaction. She tamped down terror and made herself stare him in the eye. “You were proving the only way you can get a date is at gunpoint.”

“Tony’s right. You’ve got a sassy mouth. I want a taste.” His face loomed in her vision,