The SEAL's Surprise Son (The Admiral's Seals, #1) - Leslie North Page 0,4

the robber stood over Michelle, putting his booted foot into her side. “Shut up. I don’t want to listen to your crying, you crazy b—”

The phone rang again. He looked around, his eyes wide and terrible. He clutched his hands to his ears, once again holding the gun against his own head before he strode across the room to the phone. He picked up the cordless unit and slammed it against a display case hard enough to shatter the glass and send chunks of the phone flying through the air.

Absolute silence fell again as the robber stood amid the debris, staring at a corner of the store as though mesmerized.

“Cameras,” he barked suddenly. “Where the hell are your monitors?”

“Behind the cashier’s desk in the corner.” Carolyn hadn’t hesitated to respond. It might be a way of getting the man out of the store and ending the hostage situation.

He looked toward the desk where all transactions were completed. A screen that flipped through the various cameras was mounted under the desktop. Another monitor was in her office, but she was reluctant to be trapped in there alone with him. And he’d probably refuse to leave the showroom and the other hostages.

“You,” he shouted at her, gesturing with the gun. “Get up and show me.”

With one last touch to her son’s arm, Carolyn got to her feet, keeping her hands clear of her body to indicate she meant no harm. He pointed her to the desk. She walked cautiously to it, feeling glass crunch under her feet.

“Down here,” she said, pointing to the monitor that was designed to be seen by someone seated.

“Take two steps back,” he told her before going around the desk to view the screen. He focused on it, but every few seconds his eyes swept the room, giving her no time to take action. She reviewed her childhood martial arts training, but making any kind of move put the others at risk. Her only hope was to outthink him.

“Alley out back?” he demanded of her.

“Yes, a narrow one.” One of the cameras was always focused on the alley and the store’s back door.

“Nobody out there,” he muttered.

That was a surprise. With as much police presence as there was in front of her store, they weren’t covering the back? They were, she decided, but they had stayed out of sight.

“I want you to let me out that entrance.” When she nodded her agreement, he raised his voice. “The rest of you—don’t move, or I’ll kill her.” He shoved the gun against Carolyn’s stomach as he spoke, to reinforce his point. “And don’t you try to pull anything either,” he threatened.

“I’ll help you leave,” she said, keeping her voice as steady as she could while her head spun with ideas. The new security system included a mantrap on the back door. To use that exit, a code had to be entered in a keypad. The glass door would open, admitting one person at a time. Once the glass door closed, another code was needed to open the steel door to the outside. If she could get him trapped in the space between the doors, he’d be stuck, and the police could capture him.

He snatched up the bag of stolen goods he’d dropped earlier and gave her another push with the gun. “Let’s go.”

She walked ahead of him out of the showroom, past the office and jewelry repair area, to the back of the store.

“Are you trying to trick me?” he asked when he saw the mantrap.

“It’s a security feature to make sure employees aren’t stealing,” she lied. “I’ll help you operate it. One person at a time can go through the first door. You put a code in here,” she pointed to the keypad next to the glass door, “and then you can get into that area. This door will close, and you’ll need a different code to open the exterior door.”

“Two codes. Got it.” He switched the gun to his left hand. “What are they?”

She rattled off the first code as he keyed it in. The glass door slid open.

“Get in,” he ordered.

“It won’t close if we’re both in there. It senses body temperature,” she explained.

“Get in,” he repeated, sticking his gun into her side.

She stepped into the small space with the robber tight behind her. This close, she could feel the heat from his body and smell his sweat. Nausea hit her, but she forced herself to be calm.

“What’s the other code?” he demanded.

“It won’t work,” she said