Rafe felt sick. “A siege isn’t going to protect the hostages. If anything, it’ll get them killed.”

  “I’ll try to talk Fleming down first. We’ve already cut off escape by land and I’m working on blockading the river.”

  “There’s still the air to think about,” Rafe warned. “I told you what happened to the first chopper they brought in. I’ve since heard that they’ve got more than one. With all the flat fields around here they won’t have trouble finding a new place to land.”

  “We’ll use drones to reconnoiter once we’re in position. Do what you can on your end to keep them from being shot down.”

  “Copy.” He coughed more, smothering the sound with his sleeve. “I’ll try to check in again if I can find a secluded spot to call from. If you don’t hear from me, that won’t mean I’m out of commission, okay? According to what I’ve been hearing, the women and the dog are locked up with the other prisoners. I’m going to do my best to get them out of here before it’s too late.”

  “Just don’t get yourself killed, Gavin.”

  It seemed odd to hear his real name spoken when he’d been called Rafe for so long. Nevertheless, it was strangely comforting to hear his boss refer to him that way.

  “From your lips to God’s ears,” he said, repeating a saying he’d heard Hannah use as he ended the conversation. That led him to add, “Please, Father. Help me help her and all of them.”

  Resolved, he opened the closet door, checked the hallway and started out.

  He’d barely gone ten paces when he turned back, reentered the closet and tipped every bottle on its side. It wasn’t much but who knew? It might actually help.

  TWENTY

  As far as Hannah was concerned, as long as the heavy doors stayed closed they protected as much as hindered. Since Gram had arrived so unceremoniously, she’d kept insisting she felt fine. Hannah was not so sure. She didn’t like the older woman’s pale color or the perspiration glistening on her forehead when the room was anything but hot.

  “Just let me catch my breath for a few seconds,” Lucy said. “Then we’ll figure out how to escape.”

  “We could wait for rescue,” Hannah told her. “The bridge must be clear by now.”

  “Right, I...” Lucy’s voice faded to nothing. She closed her eyes and slumped in the chair.

  Hannah caught her before she could slip to the floor. Kristy helped her lower the older woman onto a blanket on the floor. “What’s wrong with her?” the teen asked.

  “I don’t know. It could be anything. She drove our SUV into the helicopter. I thought she was faking being out of it when they brought her in, but maybe she really was injured.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Kristy said. “How can I help?”

  Normally, Hannah would have deferred to her grandmother. Now that wasn’t an option. She checked Lucy’s pulse and found it strong, watched her breathing and judged it even enough for now. If she hadn’t seen Gram faint moments ago, she’d have thought she was merely sleeping. She knew enough about human medicine to alleviate serious worry, at least for the present, although broken ribs were a worrisome possibility.

  “Okay,” Hannah said. “Here’s what I know and what I don’t. I came here with Gram and one other person, the man who calls himself Rafe McDowell. He said he was your dad’s state trooper partner and he’s been helping us track Fleming ever since the jailbreak.”

  “I heard them talking about that,” Kristy said in a near whisper. “That was you with the dog?”

  “Yes. Thor,” Hannah replied, causing the K-9 to lean against her even more.

  Kristy fell to her knees next to the German shepherd and hugged him as if he were a big stuffed toy. That Thor let her do so was something of a surprise to Hannah. Soothing the dog with a “Good boy,” she touched the girl’s slim shoulder through her shirt. “You should never hug a strange dog like that.”

  “He’s a sweetie. I can tell.”

  “Sometimes,” Hannah said. “He’s been known to bite the bad guys.”

  “Smart, too, huh?”

  That made Hannah smile. “Yes, but untrained. Always keep that in mind. He’s protective but not predictable.”

  Seeing Thor duck out of the girl’s embrace and turn to the blanket where Lucy lay, Hannah was relieved to see her grandmother had regained consciousness so she knelt next to her. “How are you feeling?”

  “Good enough to get out of here.” Lucy raised on one elbow and grimaced. “Ouch.”

  “Stay down and rest a bit more,” Hannah said. “Kristy and I are going to scout around for an escape route.”

  Lucy glanced at the heavy brocade drapes. “Can’t we break a window?”

  “They’re barred,” the girl said.

  “Then we’ll find some other way,” Hannah said flatly. She touched the older woman’s shoulder. “You stay put and just use your brain to figure things out. We’ll walk around and investigate.”

  “I can come with you.”

  “And keep me from concentrating on my job because I’m too worried about your health? I don’t think so.” This was the first time in recent memory she had overtly disagreed with her wise grandmother and refused to consider doing everything her way. In Hannah’s mind it was less a matter of independence than it was of respect. As long as Lucy was at her best Hannah was perfectly willing to defer to her opinions. Now, however, things were different.

  The expression on Lucy’s face was a combination of surprise and disagreement so Hannah restated her decision. “You know I love you, Gram. I do. But I’m right this time and you know it.”

  “Okay, okay.” Lowering herself all the way, Lucy tucked part of the blanket beneath her head as a makeshift pillow. “Go explore without me. Just don’t do anything rash.”

  Relieved to be able to carry on a lucid conversation with the sweet lady who had practically raised her, Hannah managed a smile. “What, like helping felons escape from prison, you mean?”

  “Yeah, something like that.” Lucy returned the smile.

  Standing beside Hannah, Kristy grabbed her arm. “Wait a second. You got Fleming out of jail?”

  “It’s a long story,” Hannah told her. “One for another time. Right now, you and I need to check this room for some way out.”

  “There isn’t any. We looked.” She gestured at her fellow kidnap victims. “All of us did.”

  “I’m sure you did. Now we’ll see what the dog can tell us.”

  In reality, Hannah wasn’t expecting much. She already knew the heavy doors were locked and the windows barred. Still, as she’d just told Kristy, it wouldn’t hurt to look again.

  Leading the shepherd to the wall on her left, she walked slowly along it, came to the rear corner and made a turn. The walls looked solid. Impenetrable. When Fleming had chosen to lock his victims in the ballroom, or whatever it had originally been, he’d chosen wisely.

  There was one thing she was thankful for, the view through the tall windows. Checking each one as she passed, she noted the wrecked SUV embedded in the lower part of the helicopter tail section. No way was that bird going to fly anytime soon.

  A dusty, camo-painted Jeep was slowly circling the building. She ducked behind the curtain to keep the driver from noticing her. If Rafe could steal that and wrap a chain around the grid on one of the windows he might be able to pull it off and let them escape that way, except what would they do about Fleming’s armed men? she asked herself. And what good would it be to get out of the hotel with nowhere to go, no place to hide?

  Most of all, Hannah wished she knew how much longer it was going to be before the force she’d seen preparing to attack actually got there. Not knowing that crucial detail meant they didn’t dare leave the hotel. They’d be sitting ducks out in those flat, treeless fields.

  It occurred to her that escape from that room was only the beginning. Once she’d gotten all the kidnap victims out, what was she going to do with them? And how much cooperation could she expect if and when they were free?

  Pulled from her whirling thoughts by Thor’s tug on the leash, Hannah frowned. He was pawing at the base of an ornately carved credenza. She signaled Kristy. “Come help me push this.”

  Although the teen asked why, she nevertheless put her shoulder to the heavy piece of furniture and shoved.

  Dust swirled. A mouse darted out. Thor ignored it, continuing to dig at the narrow space between the cabinet and the wall.

  It wasn’t necessary to completely displace the furniture in order to see the waist-high, built-in pass-through. It had obviously been closed off long ago.

  Hannah dropped the leash, worked her fingertips into a gap between the small door and jamb, then yanked. It took her three tries before it budged. By this time, some of the other victims had joined her.

  “Back off. Everybody. Give me room.”

  Eager hands pushed and pulled the credenza until the small access to the opening was clear. Hannah paused, waved both hands and shushed them. “Quiet down before somebody hears you and comes to see why you’re so excited.”

  She opened the door to the passage and saw a similar one barring the way on the other side. If there was another piece of heavy furniture barring that door, they’d never manage to push hard enough to move it.

  Turning to address the prisoners, she waited for complete quiet. “Listen carefully. I have no way of knowing who or what is on the other side of this hole. I did see a diagram of the hotel when we met with members of your rescue team and I think there’s a kitchen through there. If so, there may be a bunch of men using it right now.”

  A murmur went through the group.

  “It might make noise when I try to open it and that may bring guards to check on us.” She had an idea. “Get a couple of those blankets and drape them over me to muffle the sound, just in case.”

  As soon as her plans were in place she gave the door a push. Nothing happened.

  “Okay, it’s really stuck. A few of you stand close and support me so I can lean back and try to kick it open.”

  Ranks closed behind Hannah. She rested against helpful hands and arms to literally walk her feet up the wall, planted the left one and kicked with the right. The jamb splintered. The little door swung open so hard it hammered the wall then vibrated to a stop.

  Hannah jumped down to peer through. As she had hoped and prayed there was an empty room on the opposite side. They had a way out!

  The blankets fell away. Someone cheered softly while some wept and hugged each other. Only Hannah seemed to realize they weren’t in the clear. Far from it. Once she had moved all the prisoners out of their temporary prison they still had nowhere safe to go. Not until the task force arrived.

  Joy mixed with trepidation brought unshed tears to her eyes, too. Seeing her grandmother at the rear of the group, silently clapping her hands, was enough to make the tears fall. She dashed them away and climbed up on a chair to stand where they could all see and hear her.

  “This is just the beginning,” Hannah said. “If we run outside we’re bound to be recaptured. We have to be smart. Smarter than the gang that put us here.”

  A low rumble filled the room, causing Hannah to pause her instructions. “Listen. Listen.”

  Eager faces were upturned, watching her intently. “Here’s what we need to do. This is a big hotel and I doubt they’ve opened many guest rooms because they don’t need them. It will be up to us to find those empty spaces and hide ourselves until we hear the police arriving. They are coming, I’m just not sure how soon. Above all, we need to keep from being transported somewhere else. That’s the key to survival and rescue. Understand?”

  She saw nods spreading through the group. “All right. Who’s first?”

  From the rear, Lucy’s voice rose over the ambient noise. “Send the dog and then you follow him to defend us when we get there.”

  That made Hannah smile. So did Kristy’s comment. “I see who you inherited your brains from.”

  “Right,” Hannah said. She lifted Thor’s head and shoulders to face the opening. Kristy boosted from the rear. As soon as he landed and Hannah saw he was waiting for her, she stood on tiptoe and wriggled through.

  “I recommend coming feet first,” she called quietly back to the others. “Unless you want to land on your heads.”

  As she stepped back, arms out and ready to assist the next young woman to pass through, it occurred to her that she might have just put them all in worse jeopardy so she began to pray.

  “Thank You, Father, for providing this chance. Please continue to protect and guide us. Guide me.”

  Hannah had to believe God was on her side and had placed her with the prisoners in order to help them, because if she was wrong about divine guidance she could very well be making a grievous error.

  That thought made her tremble. If they were caught again it was possible Deuce Fleming would keep his promise to shoot Thor and probably her, too.

  The urge to turn and flee, to run from the duty she had accepted regarding everyone else, was so strong it made her weak-kneed. It also brought unfounded guilt for merely considering abandoning them. Of course she was staying. There was no doubt of it.

  Considering her past life in comparison to an unsure future, she had only one regret. That she hadn’t spoken up when she’d had the chance and told Rafe McDowell how fond of him she had grown. Now he was out there somewhere, risking his own life for all of them.

  “Please, Lord, let me see him again,” Hannah added to her ongoing prayers, promising herself she’d confess everything she felt for him. The only question left to ask was, why had she grown to care so deeply for that man when she didn’t even know his real name.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Working his way through the hotel on the main floor, Rafe managed to keep from being spotted. The last he’d seen of Fleming he’d been climbing the staircase, meaning he was likely still upstairs.

  It occurred to Rafe that if he could actually capture the leader, the gang might surrender. Then again, they might not. Plus, he had Hannah and Lucy to worry about besides the original hostages. One man with one gun, namely himself, was not going to be able to control everybody. Period. He might be good, actually he was very good, but that didn’t make him omnipotent. Only God was that and judging by their present predicament, Rafe wasn’t convinced He was paying enough attention.

  Looking back on the trials he and Hannah had shared, he did have to admit something awesome was happening. When she’d broadcast Kristy’s name over and over, as if they were already friends, he’d felt an enormous relief. A burden had accompanied that, of course. Now he knew for sure that Andy’s daughter was among the prisoners, meaning there was no margin for error. Truth to tell, there never was when he was on the job, even if a few mistakes did sneak past him from time to time.

  The key to being fearless in the face of danger was total self-confidence. Doubting himself even a little was not a good sign. Not good at all. And doubting the sovereignty of God? Worse. Way worse. Rafe closed his eyes and sent up a silent prayer for forgiveness. For strength of body and character. And for the innocent victims he and those in his profession had not been able to save in the past. Their numbers had to be staggering.

  He had earlier muted the Bluetooth-like radio receiver stuck in his ear. Now that he was away from anyone else and able to listen without risk of being detected he reactivated the sound. Instead of the conversation he’d heard before there was shuffling and grunting and panting. Whispers were distorted by background noise. Oh, how he wished the connection was two-way so he could ask what was going on.

  Breaking cover, he headed for the core of the hotel, the central ballroom. That was where Hannah had reported being held with the kidnap victims and that was where he’d seen them put Lucy. Since he had not heard or seen any mass movement of gang members or prisoners, they had to still be in there. What he’d do when and if he reached them was an unanswered question.

  As he peered around a corner into a section of the lobby he noticed two armed men; a bulky one with a military buzz cut and another, shorter and slimmer, with a head of brown curls. They each had an ear pressed to massive oak doors and were arguing.

  “I tell ya, I heard something,” Curls said.

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re always hearing stuff that ain’t there.”

  “We need to have a look.”

  “Well, I’m not unlockin’ this door. If you want to do it and the boss blows a gasket, it’s all on you.”

  Rafe watched Buzz Cut hand an ornate large antique key to his partner and back away. Curly holstered his gun then bent over the lock, apparently having trouble inserting the key.

  “If I’d known you were gonna shake so bad I’d of done that myself,” the larger man said. “Hurry it up, will ya?”

  Yes, please, Rafe thought. As soon as they opened that door he would know Hannah and Lucy and the others were all right and could proceed to locate Deuce so he’d be in position to detain him when the strike team was about to arrive. Forcing him to call off his men wasn’t the best plan Rafe had ever had, but given the situation he saw no alternatives.

  Cursing, the short-haired thug shoved his own sidearm into its holster and wrested the key away. Unlocking the door he gave it a hard push, shouted to the slimmer man and they both disappeared through the doorway.

  Rafe paused only a millisecond before sprinting across the lobby to the same door. Neither gang member noticed his entry. They were too busy fighting over which one was going to crawl through a small opening in a far wall.

  The enormous room was empty except for the three of them.

  “Hands in the air,” Rafe shouted. “Now.”

  Buzz Cut started to go for his gun, then froze when he turned and saw Rafe pointing the Glock at him. Curls raised his hands first.