“You will.” Gary was as tall as Wolfe and as broad across the chest, but his eyes showed a madness that made the bile rise in Dana’s throat. He’d dressed in all black and had a knife visibly strapped to his thigh. “Here’s the plan. We go out one of the windows to the east, away from that other house, and then we quietly walk through the forest to the vehicle I have waiting.”
“Is that how you got here?” Dana panted.
“More or less.” Gary stepped toward her, his hand steady on the weapon. “I was on that roof forever, waiting for you.”
She shook her head, frantically seeking a way out. “Wolfe will kill you for this.”
Gary chuckled, the sound scratchy. “Oh, you have no idea what he’ll want to kill me for, but you will soon.”
Her stomach dropped, and her hands shook.
Without warning, Gary grabbed her and yanked her in front of him to face the backyard, pressing the gun to her head. She shrieked, fought his hold, and then subsided when the cold metal cut into her skin. She blinked several times, looking out at the darkened night through the slight reflection in the sliding glass door. Outside, Malcolm stood, a rifle in his hands.
Gary angled himself behind her. “Do you think he could hit me and not you through this glass?”
“Yes.” Her lip trembled.
Malcolm took several steps back, the fury in his eyes evident even across the distance.
“Guess not,” Gary said, pushing her toward the sliding glass door. “This changes our plans, now doesn’t it?” He shoved harder with the gun, and she winced. “Draw the blinds shut. Now.”
Roscoe whimpered behind her. “Let me put him outside,” Dana said. Then Malcolm could get the dog some help.
“No.” Gary sighed. “Here’s the deal. You shut these blinds, or I’m going to shoot you in the knee. It won’t kill you, but it’ll hurt like hell, and you won’t even get a chance to run. Don’t you at least want a chance to run?” he crooned, dropping his head to whisper in her ear.
The thought of the baby inside her nearly dropped her to the floor. She had to stay alive. Malcolm knew Gary was there; he’d get the rest of the team. All she had to do was stay alive. “Okay.” She drew the blinds closed, instantly feeling cut off as Malcolm disappeared.
Gary nudged her toward the keypad. “Engage the alarm.”
She punched in the code and then pushed him. “It’s locked and we’re secured. Will you please let me put the dog out on the front porch? Malcolm is out back, so I can do it without him seeing.” She had to save Roscoe. Maybe she’d get a chance to run, too.
“No.” Gary maneuvered them to the living room and shoved her onto the sofa. “You move, and I’ll shoot you.” His smile revealed one too-long canine. “In the knee, of course. We want time to play, don’t we?”
She looked around the room for something to use as a weapon if the chance arose, but there was nothing. How could she get through to him? She thought back to a television show she’d watched a while ago, trying to concentrate. “You saw me at the golf course the other day, right?”
Gary lifted the blinds to check the darkened road. “Yeah.”
“I was there with my family.” She remembered an investigator on the show telling people to personalize themselves to bad guys. “I have three sisters. Do you have any?”
“No.”
Tires screeched outside. Gary nodded. “Backup has arrived. That was quick—must’ve been in the neighborhood.” He let the blinds fall back together and turned to face her, looking like one solid lump of muscle.
It couldn’t be Wolfe outside. He’d probably just be landing, and the airstrip was at least thirty minutes away. Dana sat on the edge of the sofa, her body tense and ready if an opportunity came. “I’m a journalist because I like to write.” She tried to look into the kitchen but could only see Roscoe’s motionless tail. Her eyes filled and she batted emotion away. “Articles right now, but like most journalists, I’ve thought about writing a book. Maybe some sort of young adult novel with an element of science fiction.”
Gary’s bushy eyebrows rose. “Dana? Do you think my getting to know you is going to help somehow?”
“It can’t hurt,” she said. “Why don’t we talk and get to know each other?”
He stared at her chest. “I want to know two things about you. First, how loud can you scream, and second, is your blood sweet or spicy tasting?”
Something buzzed, and he reached in one of his many pockets for a small phone. “It’s about time,” he muttered, lifting it to his ear while also pointing the gun back at her. “Where the hell have you been?”
If she could get into the bedroom, she could lock the door and run for the window. She stiffened.
He shook his head and dropped the aim of the gun to her leg. Then he frowned, his nostrils widening. “What are you saying to me?”
Dread slammed into Dana.
