Fox swore under his breath. “Do you think she recognized him?”
“Of course she did,” Jack muttered back. “She’s got a good eye. But how did Tony know-”
“Fucking Douglas,” Oxy slammed his fist against the wall. “When I see him, I’m going to-”
The Bearcat lurched from one lane to the next, the siren suddenly blaring outside.
Duval took cold comfort at the realization that the lights were on as well. If the people on the road did what they were supposed to, they’d have the way cleared for a U turn and head back the way they came. That was the quickest way to the store.
West’s phone rang and he handed it off over his shoulder.
Duval looked down at his phone that Jack dropped back into his lap as she took West’s phone from his hand.
Duval called his mother back, hating the wait for her to pick up while Jack spoke to Tracy to gleen more information.
“McCrae, thank god you’re there.”
“Mom, what can you tell me?”
He heard his mother sob and closed his eyes.
“She gave us time to get out, McCrae. She gave us time-”
“Noelle?” He asked the question, but he knew the answer before she gave it.
“Something happened while we were across the room from her.” He heard a sharp inhale of breath. “A man... with a gun... Tracy heard a name-”
“Tony Coolidge.”
“Yes! That’s the name.”
“We’re on our way, Mom.”
“Hurry, McCrae... please. She’s still inside and no one will tell us what’s going on.”
Duval couldn’t think of what to say to soothe his mother.
He had no words for himself, either.
Beside him, Dally shifted to look at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Hold yourself together, man. We’ll make sure she gets out of this okay.”
Duval looked at him, his face a mask of stone.
He wanted to believe Dally, he wanted to believe that she’d be okay, but they were miles away from the store she was in.
Would they get there in time?
CHAPTER 17
NOELLE
Later, she’d hear them telling her that the shot went wide.
But after the gun went off, she couldn’t hear much of anything.
The loud noise that sounded like a canon she’d heard at a Revolutionary War Reenactment she’d been to for a school field trip. This time, it was more deafening and infinitely more frightening. At least on the field trip the canon fire was meant for education and entertainment.
This?
