“Yes, sir.”
Duval had never appreciated Fox’s calm tone so much before.
Calm.
Easy.
“What can we do to resolve this, Tony?”
He turned his head back toward Noelle and Duval drew a breath in through his nose, his jaw tightening.
Tony’s gun hand didn’t waver as he spoke.
“The only thing I want is to walk out of here and disappear. So how does that happen?”
“We’ll work with you, Tony-”
“Don’t waste my time, Kelly.” The man’s voice was more than a little mocking. “I have a handful of hostages, Ranger. I hold the cards here. And right about now. All you have to look forward to is a bunch of body bags and a black eye in the press.”
“We’ll find a way to work through everything, Tony. But right now, why don’t you take a breath and relax a little.”
Tony turned his head in one direction and then the other.
Before he was finished, he turned his whole body and looked up at the camera above and behind him.
He gave the camera a smile and pulled the hammer back on the pistol in his hand. “I know you’re watching. You’ll have a front row seat to what I’m doing in here. So why don’t we skip to the meat of the problem. How you’re going to get me out of here before I decide to take everyone down with me.”
Kelly turned his head and West nodded when their gazes met.
West stood up from his chair and gestured for the others to follow him out of the back of the Bearcat.
It took seconds for them all to drop to the ground and surround him.
Every gaze was focused and ready to listen.
West addressed them all in a few words. “He’s not going to do this the easy way.”
Duval nodded and saw his team doing much the same.
West’s assessments had never been wrong.
It was the reason they put him in charge of the team.
The reason they would follow him blindly and without question.
“Dally?”
Dally nodded. “Yeah?”
“Show us the plans. We’re going in.” West let out a deep exhale. “Quickly.”
Duval felt his whole heart expanding in his chest along with his lungs.
West looked at Duval. “I need to know that you’re going to follow orders and the plan.”
Duval narrowed his eyes at West, knowing that his friend had to ask.
“I’ll follow the plan and bring Noelle home.”
