The sound of Frank’s voice made the decision for her, the nearness causing her to plop back onto the chair and tuck her arms behind her back once more.
“I wish I didn’t have to do this,” he said as he walked back toward Sophia.
“Have you considered that maybe there’s another way?” Blayze asked.
“I… ofcourse,I’ve thought that. But I’ve already gone this far. I’ve already got all this dynamite on my back. I’ve alreadykidnappedMs. Vasco. If I don’t get out of this I’ll spend my entire life in prison.”
“Not if you stop now, Frank. Why don’t I come in there and—”
“No!” That crazed look was back in his eyes, and suddenly he was tugging at his backpack. With the pack still strapped onto his back, he unzipped a side pouch, wrestling with something stuck inside.
“Frank, are you there? We can keep talking like this if you’d prefer. I don’t haveto come in there yet.”
“Youcan’tcome in here. Not until you have the things I need. And to give you the incentiveyouneed…” he said, wiggling his fist free from the pouch. “I’ve got a gun in my hand.” He aimed the dull black pistol at the wall. “Don’t make me use it.” Frank pressed a button on his phone and shoved it into his back pocket.
Sophia fixed her gaze on the gun in his hand, the absence of Blayze on the line sending a chill through her blood. Panic came in hard, threatening to paralyze her, but Sophia stopped it short.
No.She wouldnotlet that gun take her life. She would not letFranktake her life. This wasn’t where her story would end.
She forced her mind back to the defense moves Blayze taught her, assuring herself of that very thing. One way or another, she’d make it out of this alive.
Chapter 23
Blayze’s stomach clenched at the image Frank painted. He reared back, gave the side of the building a good, hard kick, and dialed the number back.
It picked up on the first ring.
“Frank, listen to me. I’m working on your demands right now. But if you don’t keep up your end of the deal…”I’ll choke the life out of you,he wanted to say, but he couldn’t afford to fly off the handle, “…then you’ll have a real problem on your hands, Frank, I can assure you.”
During his prior conversation with Frank, Blayze had sensed something was holding him back. Sophia’s suggestion that someone else was there confirmed it.
Now Blayze just had to figure out who it was. The kid’s mother and younger brother were the first to come to mind, but he wouldn’t have asked that they go get them if they were already there.
He muted the phone Frank gave him and tuned into the mouthpiece Roman was linked to.
“Did you catch all that, Roman? It’s more than just the kid.”
“I heard it,” Roman grumbled. “Sounded like it was more of a suspicion to me. Do we have confirmation there’s a second hostile?”
“Just my gut,” Blayze said.
“We ready to take action yet?” Roman asked. “Looks like there are two decent-sized air vents on the roof.”
Blayze shook his head. “Not yet.” Making a move like that would force things to escalate. And Blayze had seen first-hand just how wrong that could go. His entire Platoon had.
Blayze unmuted the other phone. “Frank, you there?” He’d already come a long way with the kid. Another twenty or thirty minutes, and they could have a peaceful resolution on their hands. No lives lost.
The problem was, his tactics would be useless if there was another hostile in there, building him up every time Blayze had him ready to back down.
His intuition said Frank didn’t want to hurt Sophia, or anyone for that matter. Whoever he brought along with him was a different story. And if Blayze couldn’t resolve the matter quickly, he’d have to change course—cut the phone chat and bust in.
“Frank?” he tried again.
“I’m here. I hope you don’t make me hurt her.”
“No, Frank. We want to avoid that. Ms. Vasco isn’t the person you’re angry with. In fact, she said you were one of her most promising interns. You could have a real bright future ahead of you.”
A long pause came.
