How long would it take for him to come this way?Micah didn’t know, but all he could do was stay put and wait.
He’d waited in worse and more uncomfortable positions than this during his last tour in Afghanistan, but he was more on edge here because of Bryn.Listening to her talking with the other gunman made him realize she was doing her best to buy him time.
That she’d sacrifice herself for him was humbling.Incredibly annoying and frustrating beyond reason, but still humbling.
His fellow soldiers had put themselves in harm’s way for him, just as he had in return without hesitation, but that was different.They were well trained and armed.Doing what Bryn had, purposefully putting herself in the lion’s den, was not typical.Especially for a woman without any police or military training.
His former fiancée couldn’t even support his admittedly erratic schedule, must less put herself in harm’s way for him.After spending time with Bryn over the past few days, he realized Leah had done him a favor by ditching him.He hadn’t loved her the way he should have loved the woman he had planned to spend the rest of his life with.
His feelings for Leah were a pale comparison to the way he loved Bryn.
And there was no way he was going to let these guys kill her.
When the gunman in the office space shouted Phil’s name, he realized the guy sweeping the building was Phillip Justin.Bryn had mentioned him as the person who’d hired Damien to put a positive spin on this data center project.Phil had responded from someplace far away, maybe all the way outside near the SUV.
Good thing he and Bryn had left their vehicle hidden behind the dirt pile and backhoe.
He held his breath, waiting for Phil to return to his field of vision.
Then he cautiously turned to make sure the guy wasn’t someplace behind him.He’d chosen this position because it was the only viable hiding spot and because of the close proximity to the office.He didn’t see anyone behind him, but his muscles remained tense at the thought of Phil stumbling across him.
Bryn’s voice drifted toward him.He understood she was speaking louder than usual to hide whatever noise he might make.She was also clearly trying to buy some time for the police to get there.
Bryn’s faith and her ability to pray made him open his heart to the Lord.He realized he couldn’t do this alone, so he silently prayed that Rex had gotten his text, made the emergency call, and that the Wild Prairie police were on their way.
Hearing a nail being kicked across the floor had him going completely still.It was the same thing Bryn had accidentally done, only this time Phil had been the one to disturb the construction debris.He peered through the narrow crack, waiting for the guy to come into view.
There!Phil stepped into his line of sight and paused, looking around as if sensing Micah’s presence.Phil still held his weapon in hand, but the barrel of the gun was lower now, pointing toward the floor.A lot of people didn’t realize how heavy a handgun could be when holding it for a prolonged period.
He estimated the distance between his hiding spot and Phil as being twenty-five feet.Too far for him to spring out of hiding.Even though his weapon was down, it wouldn’t take long to bring the barrel up to fire.
Come on, walk this way, he silently urged.Phil hadn’t come near the drywall pails yet, and if the guy knew anything about clearing a building, he should be walking toward him at any moment to check things out.
Micah planned to be ready.
Phil paused, glanced both ways, then seemed to notice the drywall containers for the first time.Micah figured he must have gone straight through the building to check the area outside to make sure nobody was out there.
Any soldier would have cleared the building first.That’s fine, he welcomed the opportunity to get this guy.Phil turned and made his way straight toward Micah’s hiding spot.
To his credit, Phil moved slowly, as if anticipating a trap.Apparently, his instincts weren’t all bad.
Micah didn’t so much as breathe while Phil approached.Micah kept his gaze steady, watching and waiting, while mentally ticking off the series of movements he planned to execute at precisely the right time.
Now!
Micah sprang up from his hiding spot, reaching Phil in less than two steps.He clamped his hand around Phil’s right wrist and wrenched the weapon free.Then he yanked Phil’s arm down and behind his back and used his body to plaster the guy up against the drywall.
“Don’t make a sound,” he whispered, “or I’ll kill you.”
Phil didn’t speak, possibly too surprised and scared by how quickly Micah had managed to disarm him.But Micah doubted the shock would last for long.
With his other hand, he reached up and clamped his palm hard over Phil’s mouth and nose, just in case the guy changed his mind and screamed out his name.Then he swiftly released the wrist he held behind Phil’s back so he could grab his weapon from his waistband.He pressed the muzzle of his gun against Phil’s temple.
“Don’t make a sound,” Micah whispered again.For several long moments, Phil didn’t move.Micah didn’t relax his grip, knowing Phil could still alert the gunman who was holding Bryn.
After a long moment, Phil began to struggle in his grip.Micah was bigger and stronger, but he still worried the guy would make enough noise to draw attention.
He decided Phil needed to be taken out of the picture.He shifted his stance, using his body to keep him in place, then tucked the gun away so that he could use both hands to encircle Phil’s neck.He pressed firmly against the guy’s carotid arteries, cutting off the blood supply to Phil’s brain.While he didn’t necessarily want to kill him, he needed to disable him as a threat.
