He hit Lola square in the shoulder.
The gun flew from her hand, and she crashed to the floor. Mo pinned her down, his large paws planted on her chest and his snarling face in hers, dripping saliva on her nose and cheeks.
The lobby erupted.
Beau lunged forward, swiping the gun up off the floor, pointing it at her, and ordered, “Don’t move.”
Amy rushed in and went straight to stand alongside Beau.
Ian leaned over me where I landed on the floor. “Are you hurt, Pep?”
“Not in the least.” I smiled and he scooped me up off the floor and tucked me against his side.
“For safekeeping,” he said, and I didn’t mind at all.
Seconds later the front doors burst open.
Stone entered first with FBI agents close behind him.
Right behind them came my dad, looking relieved to see I was just fine.
Stone took one look at the scene.
Lola pinned to the floor.
Beau holding the gun on Lola.
Amy beside him.
Mo’s front paws planted triumphantly on Lola’s chest.
And there I was tucked against Ian.
Stone shook his head. “The Willow Lake Gang is at it again.”
CHAPTER 32
Three days after the excitement at the Ridgemont Bank, I decided the best way to restore order in my little corner of Willow Lake was with hamburgers, hot dogs, and enough food to feed half the county.
Which is how I ended up standing on my deck Sunday afternoon with a bowl of German potato salad in my hands while Mo supervised the grill like he had personally organized the entire barbecue.
My dad stood in his favorite spot at the grill. No one grilled better than my dad. He was busy turning burgers and hot dogs and keeping watch on the shrimp kabobs. Mom appeared beside him with a tray of corn on the cob and held it as he placed each cob in an area on the grill he had saved just for them.
He kissed her on the cheek. “Bring me more sausage, pepper, and onion kabobs. They went fast, and Danny’s going to want some when he gets here with Kelly and the baby.”
Across the deck Amy and Beau sat at the patio table while Amy explained something to Thomas that they viewed on his phone and involved several columns of numbers. Thomas listened with the expression of a man who wished numbers had never been invented.
“Trust me,” Amy said patiently. “I made sure to move most of your accounts into the protected structure we talked about, you’ll recover far more than you would have otherwise.”
Thomas shook his head slowly. “I still can’t believe how close I came to losing everything.”
“You didn’t,” Amy reminded him gently. “You came to me before things went too far.”
Beau slid an arm comfortably around her shoulders. “That’s my girl.”
Thomas managed a grateful smile.
Nearby, Vera sat in one of the deck chairs with Bill beside her. Vera held a glass of iced tea and watched the gathering with the air of someone evaluating the overall organization of the event.
