Page 7 of Deadly Forever

3

Three

“Three down.”

James heard the short message come across a deputy’s radio and clenched his jaw. The mall was set up so that it separated into four arms, all of which met in a shared middle portion that housed the food court and wishing fountain.

James and Jake split from their counterparts to go with one group of sheriff’s deputies and Grady and Finn joined together to go with another. There were four tactical teams moving through the mall, each entering from the far end of the arm and moving to converge on the food court. James had no idea where the bridal store was located, and as much as he wanted to question the deputies, he bit his tongue. There were a lot of people in danger inside the mall. His wife was only one of them.

“They’re safe,” Jake reminded James, a gun gripped in his hand as they followed three members of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department’s tactical team. They cleared stores as they went and ushered the people huddling inside outdoors so another team of deputies could question them. “We’ll get to them and everything will be fine.”

“They were safe twenty minutes ago,” James corrected. “All we know now is that they turned off their phones and were safe last time we touched base with them.”

Jake pursed his lips. “You’re kind of a downer sometimes. You know that, right?”

“I want my wife,” James said. “I want her more than you can possibly understand.”

Jake was used to his boss’s co-dependent tendencies when it came to Mandy, but for some reason the statement grated on his nerves. “Do you think I somehow don’t want Ally?” Jake challenged, catching James off guard. “Do you think I’m not just as worried as you are? This isn’t a competition.”

James balked. “I didn’t say it was,” he said, holding up his free hand in a placating manner. “I’m sorry. I just … it’s like she’s a trouble magnet. She always manages to find herself in mortal peril. I hate it.”

Jake’s expression softened. “No, I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t blame you for being worked up. Mandy does manage to find trouble more often than anyone I’ve ever met. She also manages to get out of it.”

“I would prefer she get out of it without getting hurt … or having to hurt someone else … for a change,” James said. “In fact, I would be so freaking happy if no one pointed a gun at her and threatened her life this go around. That’s what I really want.”

Jake pursed his lips. “We both want that,” he said. “You heard the guy on the radio, though. They’ve got three dead gunmen. That only leaves one still out there.”

James most definitely heard the voice on the radio. Cameras showed four men entering the mall together, masks on their faces and large rifles in their hands. If three were confirmed dead that meant only one remained. Mandy was almost safe.

“Let’s find him,” James said. “I want my baby.”

“She’s with my angel,” Jake said. “They’ll be fine. They can take care of themselves. They’ve proven it over and over gain.”

James forced a smile that didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “I don’t want them to have to deal with that,” he said. “I want them both back. Heck, I want all four of them back. I’ll even buy everyone seafood if I can get my hands on a certain blonde in the next five minutes.”

Jake didn’t want to laugh. It was a serious situation. He couldn’t stop himself, though. “I’m going to tell Ally you said that. She’s going to make you buy her lobster if you’re not careful.”

“Gladly,” James said. “Let’s find our women … and then not tell them that I referred to them as if they were property.”

“You’ve got it. Let’s do it.”

“HOW LONG are we supposed to sit here?”

The longer their forced sojourn in the darkened fitting room dragged on, the more irked Sophie Lane became. She wasn’t used to cowering in a corner when she could be kicking butt.

“Until they come,” Mandy replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. She thought Emma’s whining or Ally’s insistence on being the center of attention was going to be the hardest part of her afternoon. She’d been wrong. Sophie’s refusal to sit still weighed on her far more than the other two combined. “Sit down.”

“You sit down,” Sophie shot back.

“I am sitting down,” Mandy said. “Now you need to do it, too.”

“I … can’t,” Sophie said, frustrated. “I feel as if I can’t breathe when I’m close to the ground like that. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Mandy furrowed her brow, confused. This was a side of Sophie she’d never seen. Heck, a year before when foreign drug runners invaded Mandy’s home and tried to kill them, Sophie remained calm and rational even when she had to fight off their enemies with a gun. This was something new.

“Are you claustrophobic?” Mandy asked, something occurring to her. “Do you feel as if you’re going to pass out?”

Mandy couldn’t see Sophie’s expression, but she could imagine the annoyed look on the woman’s face the second she heard her tone.