“Christ, how many people has this maniac slaughtered? If he gets away with that woman, she’s dead. Fuck, this is a bad idea but…”Bryn stepped forward, his hands raised.“Let her go. You don’t need her.”
“What the fuck are you doing, Bryn?” Gunnar made a grab for him but Bryn sidestepped him.
“And what? Let your partner shoot me?” Romano said.
“No one’s shooting anyone,” Bryn said. “You let her go, and I’ll take her place.”
“Bryn…” Gunnar’s voice was low with warning. Bryn didn’t look at him—he kept his gaze fixed on Romano.
“You want leverage, right?” Bryn continued. “She’s not it. She’s terrified, she’s no threat to you. But me? I’m worth something. You’ll have a better chance of walking out of here if you take me instead.”
“Don’t do this,” Gunnar muttered.
“You have a better idea?” Bryn shot back.
Romano’s face twisted into something unreadable. “An augur for this silly bitch seems like a good trade.”
With a hard shove, Romano pushed the woman forward. She stumbled, collapsing into Gunnar’s arms as Bryn took her place. The knife was pressed to his side now, Romano’s arm around his neck.
“Bryn,” Gunnar said again, sounding furious.
“I’m fine,” Bryn said. “Just get her out of here.”
The hostage sobbed quietly as Gunnar guided her to the door. His eyes never left Bryn.
Bryn stood completely still. “You made the right call,” he said softly. “Shall we figure out how we both get out of this alive?”
Gunnar guided the store worker through the empty store. Her breathing came in shallow, panicked gasps. “You’re okay,” he said, “just keep moving. We’re almost out.”
She nodded but stumbled into an abandoned cart. Gunnar tightened his grip on her arm, steadying her. “Slow breaths,” he instructed, glancing over his shoulder to ensure they weren’t being followed.
The front entrance came into view, the glow of red and blue lights flashing faintly through the glass doors. When they got outside, the parking lot was alive with activity—uniformed officers bustling everywhere. The woman collapsed to her knees on the asphalt, sobbing uncontrollably. Gunnar crouched beside her, his hand still on her shoulder. “You’re safe now,” he said gently. “It’s over.”
“It’s not over. He’s still in there—your partner…he was so brave.”
Gunnar clenched his jaw. Every fiber of his being screamed to get back inside but he forced himself to stay, just long enough to ensure the hostage was out of harm’s way.
“Officer!” he barked, waving over a nearby uniformed cop. The officer jogged over. Gunnar checked his name tag. “Take her…Officer Harris,” Gunnar said, helping the woman to her feet and handing her off to the officer. “Romano was using her as a hostage. Get her checked out. Are the feds here?”
“Yeah, it’s their scene.”
“Find Special Agent Bell. Tell him Detective Ericson is in the store and that Romano has his partner. You got that?”
“Got it.”
Gunnar wasn’t about to abandon Bryn. Gun in hand, he went back into the store and straight through to the warehouse. He walked past Bryn’s abandoned bulletproof vest.
“Romano!” Gunnar’s voice boomed, amplified by the cavernous space. “You’re surrounded. Let Bryn go, and maybe I’ll consider not blowing your head off.”Not guaranteeing it, though.
“Still think you’re in control, Detective?” Romano’s voice crackled through the warehouse’s PA system. The sound echoed and Gunnar froze, scanning the rows of shelves, his gun raised.He has to be near a fixed phone.
“You want me to slip my knife between your partner’s ribs? You’d be surprised how easily a blade penetrates flesh. The sensation is…satisfying.”
The PA system crackled again, but this time it wasn’t Romano’s voice—it was Special Agent Bell.
“Romano, this is the FBI. Let the hostage go, and we’ll talk. The building is surrounded. There’s nowhere to go.”
Gunnar’s sharp ears caught the faintest scuffle—a scrape of boots against concrete, a muffled grunt. Rounding the corner, he caught a glimpse of movement. Romano was dragging Bryn toward a metal staircase that led to a precarious network of catwalks crisscrossing the roof space above the shelving.
