“What are you doing, you little fool?” he hissed. “You’ll kill yourself. You’ll kill your father.”
“Ava was right.” Shelby’s beginning tone came out quiet and calm. “You wouldn’t have let us live. At least I can die knowing I took a lying,dishonorablesnake with me!” The volume and venom in her words had increased until she was shouting. Taking a deep breath, she held her hands a little higher. “Shall we do this now?”
“No! Riah needs me alive.” Philip’s breathing had continued to increase until he was nearly panting. “Don’t do this.”
“Father—” Shang Junior’s cry broke off.
For the first time, Shelby became aware of noises outside. Voices. Lots of them.
“Philip Shang,” a man’s voice called. “It’s over. We have your team in custody.”
The former Grantham Industries head of security seemed to shrink even more. His goon turned his rifle around and pointed the butt out the door. Someone ripped it from him, and he raised his hands over his head.
Shelby’s entire body began to shake.
The door opened and light filled the room again. Philip’s man nudged him to exit. Once they had, another guy entered, someone she didn’t recognize. He wore a flak vest that said “Police.” His eyes widened when he recognized what she held.
“Please ... take this.” She felt dizzy and swayed a little. “The pin’s ... out.”
“Don’t drop it! You need to calm down, ma’am. Take a slow, deep breath.” He held her gaze, his calm words steadying her.
“I—” She did what he said, but her hands still shook.
“I’ll help you.” He put aside his rifle and eased over to her, his attention on her hands.
“We need a doctor,” she said.
“Medic, in here,” he called, as he slowly encircled her hands with his.
“Ava was shot.” Her hands shook harder. “And I think my father had a heart attack.”
“Take another deep breath, ma’am.”
The light from the door dimmed as someone else entered the room. The policeman froze. He looked up at her.
“Where are Ava and your father?” he asked.
Shelby blinked furiously, trying to focus on his face, too afraid to look. They had to be okay. Theyhadto be. “Behind the crates, back there.” She tilted her head in the direction. The newcomer hurried past them.
“Remember not to let it go, ma’am— What’s your name?”
“Shelby.”
“Remember, Shelby, slow, calm breaths.”
“And don’t drop it,” she whispered.
“That’s right.” He gave a dark chuckle. She did what he said, watching with a kind of morbid fascination as the officer pressed his thumb against the grenade’s lever.
“I have it. Slowly slide your hands out from under mine,” he said. “Do you know where the pin is?”
“I dropped it.” Shelby scanned the floor. “Well, to be honest, I kind of flipped it like I was in a freaking movie.” She laughed, not surprised at the hysterical edge to it. “You should have seen Philip’s eyes. I thought they were going to pop right out of his head.” She was blabbering. “Sorry. It can’t be too far. I think—” She went down on her knees and pulled out a bit of metal that shone in the now-bright morning light streaming from the open doorway. She rose and handed it to him.
“That’s it.” He grinned, sliding the pin into place. “Shelby, if you held them off with this, you’ve got guts.”
“No, I don’t.” She hugged her arms around herself. “If I did, I wouldn’t be afraid to turn around.” Her father and Ava had to be okay.
The officer nodded, seeming to understand. He slid past her and looked in the corner, one hand on her shoulder. She appreciated the support but dreaded what he might say.
“Mr. Grantham?” he asked.
“Is my daughter all right?”
At the sound of Alan’s voice, she spun around. The medic knelt beside Ava’s prone form, Wade on her other side. Still lying on the cot, her father’s gaze met hers, and he raised a weak hand to her. He was alive.
“Is Ava going to be okay?” she asked.
“It doesn’t appear to have hit anything vital,” the medic said. “She should be fine.”
Shelby started to cry.
