LITMIR.BIZ

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Jose.”

      “Who the hell is Jose?” Dillinger asked.

      “Our security guard. The injured man,” Kody said.

      Dillinger glanced restlessly at his watch and then at the phone. “Give them a few minutes to get back to me.”

      He walked out of the room, leaving Nick alone with Kody.

      “How are you doing?” he asked her.

      She shrugged and then looked up at him. “So far, I have all the same information everyone has had for years. Anthony Green robbed the bank, but the police couldn’t pin it on him, couldn’t make an arrest. He wrote in his own journal that it was great watching them all run around like chickens with no heads. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy for anyone to find the stash. What it seems to me—from what I’ve read—is that he did plan on disappearing. Leaving the country. And he was talking about boats, as well—”

      She broke off, staring at the old journal she was reading and then flipping pages over.

      “What is it?” Nick asked.

      She looked up at him, her expression suddenly guarded. He realized that—to her—he was a death-dealing criminal.

      “I’m not sure,” she said. “I need time.”

      “You’ve got time right now. Use it,” he said.

      “We need to see some of the hostages out of here—returned to safety,” she said firmly. “In good faith!”

      They were both startled by the sound of a gunshot. Then a barrage of bullets seemed to come hailing down on the house.

      A priceless vase on a table exploded.

      Nick practically flew across the room, leaping over the desk to land on top of Kody—and bring her down to the floor.

      The barrage of bullets continued for a moment—and then went silent.

      He felt her move beneath him.

      He looked down at her. Her eyes were wide on his as she studied him gravely. He hadn’t just been intrigued, he realized. He hadn’t just wanted to see her again.

      He’d been attracted to her. Really attracted.

      And now...

      She was trembling slightly.

      He leaped to his feet, drawing her up, pulling her along with him as he raced down the hall to the stairs that led to the right tower where Schultz had been keeping guard.

      Nick was pretty damned certain Schultz—a man who was crazy and more than a little trigger happy—had fired the first shots.

      “What the hell are you doing?” he shouted.

      As he did so, Dillinger came rushing along, as well. “What the hell?” he demanded furiously.

      “I saw ’em moving, boss. I saw ’em moving!” Schultz shouted down.

      The phone started ringing. Nick looked at Dillinger. “Let me take it. Let me see what I can do,” he said.

      Dillinger was already moving back toward the library. Nick followed, still clasping Kody’s hand.

      When they reached the library, Dillinger stepped back and let Nick answer the phone.

      “Hello?” Nick said. “This is Barrow speaking now. We don’t know what happened. We do know that you responded with the kind of violence that’s going to get someone killed. Seriously, do you want everyone in here dead? What the hell was that?”

      “Shots were fired at us,” a voice said. “Who is this?”

      “I told you. Barrow.”

      “Are you the head man?”

      Nick glanced over at Dillinger.

      “No. I’m spokesman for the head man. He’s all into negotiation. What we want doesn’t have anything to do with a bunch of dead men and women, but that’s what we could wind up with if we don’t get this going right,” Nick said.

      “We don’t want dead people,” the voice on the other end assured him.

      “We don’t, either,” Nick said.

      “Barrow. All right, let’s talk. I think everyone got a little panicky. No one wants anyone to die here today. We’re all working in the same direction, that being to see that everyone gets out alive. Okay?”

      Nick knew who was doing the negotiating for the array of cops and FBI and law enforcement just on the other side of the gates.

      He was speaking with Craig Frasier. Nick was glad the FBI and the local authorities had gotten it together to make the situation go smoothly. He knew Craig; Craig knew him. There was so much more he was going to be able to do with Craig at the other end.

      “How are they doing on my boats?” Dillinger asked, staring at Nick.

      “We’re going to need those boats,” Nick said. He needed to give Craig all the information he could about the situation, without making Dillinger suspicious, and he wanted, also, to maintain his position as spokesman for Dillinger.

      “Yes, two boats, right?” Craig asked.

      “Good ones. The best speedboats you can get your hands on. Now, we’re not fools. You won’t get all the information you need to save everyone until we’re long gone and safe. But, right now, we’re going to give you a man. Security guard. He’s got a bit of a gash on his head. We’re going to bring him out to the front and we’ll see that the gate is opened long enough for one of you to get him out. Do you understand? The fate of everyone here may depend on this nice gesture on our part going well.”

      He knew that Craig understood; Nick had really just told him the guard had been the only one injured and that he did need help.

      “No one else is hurt? Everyone is fine?”

      Craig had to ask to keep their cover. But Nick knew the agent was also concerned for Dakota Cameron. That the Cameron family owned this place—and that Kody was down here—was something Craig must have realized from the moment Dillinger made his move.

      “No one is hurt. I’m trying to keep it that way,” Nick assured him, glancing over at Dillinger.

      Dillinger nodded. He seemed to approve of how Nick handled the negotiations. There was enough of a low-lying threat in Nick’s tone to make it all sound very menacing, no matter what the words.

      “That’s good. Open the gate and we’ll get the man. There will be no attempts to break in on you, no more bullets fired,” Craig said.

      Nick looked at Dillinger. Yes? he mouthed.

      Dillinger nodded. “Keep an eye on her!”

      As he hurried out, Kody stood and started after him, then paused herself, as if certain Nick would have stopped her if she hadn’t. He held the phone and stared at her, wishing he dared tell her who he was and what his part was in all this.

      But he couldn’t.

      He couldn’t risk her betraying him.

      He covered the mouthpiece on the house phone. “Don’t leave the room.”

      “Jose Marquez...” she murmured.

      “He’s really letting him go,” Nick said.

      She walked over to him suddenly. He was afraid she was going to reach for the mask that covered his face.

      She didn’t touch him. Instead she spoke quickly. “You’re not like that. You could stop this. You have a gun. You could—”

      “Shoot them all down?” he asked her.

      “Wound them, stop this—stop them from killing innocent people. I’d speak for you. I’d see that everyone in court knew that people survived

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