“An investor reached out with a generous offer that will let me get things back on track.”
“Who? How much?”
“That’s not your business.”
He checked his phone. In less than three minutes alarms would sound, his life would fall apart. “You should’ve come tome.” He tried to steer her toward the ballroom, out of harm’s way.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Now you sound like my father.”
It aggravated him that she’d gone to someone else for help. That she’d had to. Part of him was sure that should be his job, despite walking out on that role eleven years ago. Any second now she’d find out that her investor was a fraud, using her for… well, Wyatt wasn’t sure yet.
“Did you vet this person? Have you met or drawn up contracts?”
Her gray eyes blazed with temper. “Mr. Jameson, please excuse me. Enjoy your stay at Silver Aces.”
He didn’t want her to leave angry, he just needed her out of the way. The flash of relief that she was gone evaporated as she turned toward the sudden shouting match behind him.
What was Cordell doing? The robbery should’ve gone off without any kind of shouting, only a standard alarm. He turned toward the noise, tucking Evie behind him as the glass door fronting the jewelry store exploded in a rain of sparkling shards. Also, not part of the plan.
The alarm sounded and Cordell, Baker, and Karl appeared, their boots crunching on the mess, grinding the glass against the marble floor as they hustled his way. The uniformed guard wasn’t anywhere in sight, but the two plain-clothes guards were in pursuit and pulling their guns.
“Stop them,” Evie said, pushing at his back.
He stepped into their path as he tried to shove Evie back and out of the way. He had to distance himself from her while still holding up his end of the exit plan.
Behind the trio of robbers, one of the men raised his gun and took a stand. “Freeze! Casino security!”
Cordell kept moving and the calculating grin on his face sent a chill over Wyatt’s skin. “A hostage, smart move.”
Damn it, Tate was right. It was the only safe play. As the three men passed by, he fell in behind them, dragging Evie along. He did his best not to hurt her, but he had to restrain her and make it convincing.
“Wy…att?—”
She couldn’t get the words out well with his forearm across her throat. “Cooperate, Miss Cotton,” he said in her ear. “Cooperate and this goes easier for all of us.”
He eased the pressure at her throat, but kept her arm pinned behind her back, steering her movement. The guards hesitated, barking at each other and at them, but Wyatt knew they wouldn’t shoot and risk hurting her. Caution was the standard procedure when a civilian was in the way.
Cordell, in the lead, pushed open the door and cold air struck Wyatt hard as he walked backward out of the building, Evie secure in his arms. Snow swirled through the air, blurring the visibility within a few feet. Over the wind, he heard car doors opening and the roar of an engine. Baker must have double-parked the SUV close to the door. Amateur move for a supposedly professional crew. The casino security staff would have full details on the car before the crew made it to the highway.
He tried to release Evie, determined to push her back toward the guards and the safety of the casino, but Karl, who easily had fifty pounds on Wyatt, manhandled him and then Evie into the back seat and then blocked her in.
Wyatt started to drag her right on through the opposite door of the vehicle, but Cordell was there, gun in hand, blocking the move and watching him with a cocky grin. At this range Cordell wouldn’t miss, even with the snow. With a split-secondto decide, Wyatt stayed the course, playing his role as part of the crew. The part that took the hostage.
WEATHER NEWS UPDATE 2
“Joyce Adams will walk us through the latest update.”
“Thanks, Will.” Joyce picked up the cue from behind the weather desk. “Anyone in our viewing area only needs to look outside to see Winter Storm Holly’s arrival. Some places are already reporting white-out conditions.”
She cued up a radar view. “The National Weather Service midday update shows us right in the teeth of this storm. Snowfall will continue all day and well into this evening. Visibility will worsen and temperatures will drop even more tonight. When that happens, we can expect a layer of ice on top of this heavy snow.”
Changing the map, she shared the latest snowfall measurements. “You can see these darker bands are where we’ll see the most accumulation. We are looking at breaking weather records over the next twenty-four hours.
“Please, everyone, stay inside and stay warm. As Trooper Bob said during our morning broadcast, there is no reason to be outside or on the roads right now. Snow plows are attempting tokeep up on the primary routes and even so, black ice is already a serious factor.”
She smiled into the camera. “Thank you to everyone sending in pictures and video.” On cue, the slides cycled through. Snow blanketed trees and rooflines and it was already impossible to differentiate between sidewalks and streets. “You can see drifts forming already in some areas. I can assure you there will be plenty of time for snowmen and forts once the storm passes.”
She switched to a map showing wind speeds and wind chill. “My recommendation? Enjoy some hot chocolate by the fire. Wait until the temperatures come up a bit tomorrow afternoon before venturing out to enjoy this white wonderland Holly leaves behind.
