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His eyes sparkled, and he took a step nearer. “So you do know where it is.”
She lifted her chin and stared at him. “I didn’t say that. But you don’t know whether I do or not. If you kill me, you’ll always wonder if I did.”
An angry scowl covered his face, and he stormed toward her. “Tell me what you know right now, or I’m pulling this trigger.”
He raised the gun, and she took a deep breath as she stared at the barrel pointed at her head. Taking another deep breath, she reached behind her, her fingers groping across the surface of the desk. He took one more step, and she clamped her fingers around the handle of the coffeepot.
“You’re going to be sorry you messed with me,” he muttered as he racked the first bullet into the semiautomatic gun’s chamber.
“No, you’re the one who’s going to be sorry,” she snarled.
Her hand whipped around as she hurled the scalding contents of the coffeepot at his face. A howl of pain rumbled from his throat, and his hands grabbed at his face. The gun tumbled to the floor.
Mia didn’t hesitate but pushed past him and ran for the door. “Come back here!” he screamed as she ran into the hall.
The linen cart still sat outside her door, and she pushed it closer to the entrance to her room in hopes of delaying him. Behind her she could hear him yelling obscenities at her as he tried to follow.
She looked down the hall and decided her best avenue of escape was down the steps. She ran toward the stairs as fast as she could go. The sound of the door to her room crashing against the wall sent a wave of terror through her, but she didn’t look back. At the end of the hall an exit sign above a door blinked its welcome to her, and she pushed through it like a speeding rocket. Her foot slipped as she hit the first step going down, and she stumbled, barely managing to grab the handrail.
Pain shot up her leg from her ankle, but she couldn’t slow down. Escape was just a few feet away. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when the door at the top of the stairs crashed open, and a man’s footsteps echoed on the first steps.
She staggered down the last two steps and launched herself at the door leading into the lobby. The security officer near the hotel’s front door looked around in surprise as she plowed into the room. She stumbled toward him.
“Help me!” she cried. “There’s a man trying to kill me!”
The officer’s eyebrows arched as he stared past her. Before he could get his gun from the holster, a shot rang out, and he toppled to the floor. Mia glanced over her shoulder and screamed at the sight of Tony behind her, rage on his face evident under the red burn marks. He glared and pointed his gun at her.
Mia put up her hands and glanced around the lobby. Scared guests sat huddled in chairs and on the floor as they watched Tony stride closer to her. She backed away until she was beside the concierge’s desk. His muffled voice drifted up from beneath the desk where he crouched on the floor. Her heartbeat quickened as she realized he was on the phone with the police.
Tony must have heard him, too, because he fired one shot at the desk. A groan followed by silence sent chills racing up Mia’s spine. A woman across the lobby screamed, and Tony turned the gun in her direction.
Mia knew it was now or never. The front door was only a few feet away. If she ran, Tony might follow her and leave the others in the lobby alone. And she might be able to evade capture until the police arrived. She had only a split second to decide before he shot the woman who had yelled.
Breathing a quick prayer for God to watch over all of them, she turned and bolted for the front door.
FOUR
Lucas pocketed the receipt for the gasoline he’d just purchased, climbed back in the car and turned the key in the ignition. Good thing he’d noticed the gas gauge had been nearing empty when he left the hotel. He felt more comfortable knowing his vehicle was ready to go if he received an urgent call in the middle of the night.
He’d just put the car in gear when his cell phone rang. Ryan’s name and number flashed on the caller ID on the vehicle’s dashboard screen. With a frown he connected the call.
“Hey, Ryan. What’s up?”
“Where are you, Lucas?”
Lucas stiffened at the curt tone. “I left Mia at the hotel, and now I’m headed home. I stopped for gas. Why?”
“Because I’m at the house of Mrs. Peterson, who lives across the street from you. Her daughter came home from work and found her mother tied to a chair in the living room. She’s been held prisoner in her home all day by a man who’s been watching your house from her front window.”
“What?” Lucas shouted.
“Yeah, he stole her car and left nearly an hour ago. The EMTs are getting ready to take her to the hospital, but I pulled up Tony Chapman’s picture on my cell phone. She identified him as the man.”
Lucas’s stomach clenched. This explained how Chapman knew Ryan had come to his house. The memory of seeing Mrs. Peterson’s car pulling out of her garage flashed into Lucas’s mind, and he sucked in his breath. How could he have dismissed what he’d seen without checking on it? He hadn’t even looked to see if Mrs. Peterson’s car had followed him to the hotel. He had to get to Mia right away. But he might already be too late. If his negligence had caused anything to happen to her, he would never forgive himself.
“I’m heading back to the hotel,” he yelled as he floored the accelerator and did a quick turn onto the street from where he had just come.
Swerving in and out of traffic, his hand pressed to the car’s horn and his caution lights blinking, he drove like a madman toward the hotel. Behind him he could hear sirens. The police had to be after him for speeding. Good. He increased his speed. Now to lead them right to the hotel.
He roared into the hotel driveway and screeched to a stop at the front door. He was out of the car by the time the engine died. Suddenly the front door of the hotel swung open, and Mia ran outside, her face a mask of terror.
Her eyes grew wide when she saw him. “Lucas!” she screamed. “Tony Chapman’s after me.”
He reached her in two steps, grabbed her by the arm and propelled her behind him. He held her with one arm protectively as he shielded her with his body and pulled his gun from its holster with his other hand. Behind him three police cars and two ambulances came to a halt, and suddenly officers swarmed around them.
“Where is the shooter, ma’am?” one of the men asked.
Mia raised a shaking hand and pointed toward the hotel entrance. “Inside.”
Lucas glanced at the door, and the image of a man holding a gun was visible through the glass. A surprised look flashed on his face before he turned and disappeared from sight.
Mia had seen the same thing. “That’s him!” she screamed.
The police officers fanned out, some going around the side of the hotel and others toward the door. As they moved forward, their guns drawn, Lucas pulled Mia back toward his car. Two EMTs jumped from each of the ambulances, and the four crouched low as they followed the lawmen to the door. Evidently they expected a large number of injuries and had come prepared. Within minutes all of them disappeared into the building.
Lucas pulled Mia around to the far side of his car, using the vehicle as somewhat of a shield for them. He stopped beside the car’s back door, shoved his gun in its holster and grasped her by both arms. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, and then it was as if the fight went out of her body. She sagged and would have dropped to the ground if he hadn’t been holding her. His grip on her tightened, and he pulled her to him. She clutched his jacket with both hands and buried her face in his chest as she sobbed. He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her as his other hand stroked the back of her head. She’d taken her hair down from its earlier ponytail, and the strands felt like silk slipping through his fingers. He swallowed at the memory that hit him in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn’t pull his hand away.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “It’s over now. The police will catch him.”
“H-he shot two people inside, and he was going to kill me.”
A shiver went through her, and her fingers tightened on his coat. After a moment she quieted, and he loosened his hold on her. “Tell me what happened.”
She took a deep breath and pulled away. Another tear trickled from her eye, and she swiped at it with her fingers. “I shouldn’t have opened the door,” she said.
He listened as she told him what had transpired in her room after he had left. When she’d finished, he shook his head in regret. “I shouldn’t have brought you here and left you alone. I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I didn’t think it would be so easy for him to find me.”
Lucas exhaled. “I’m afraid that’s my fault, too.”
Her eyes grew wide as he related what Ryan had told him on the phone. “So, I made a mistake, and you almost died because of it,” he said. “I’m so sorry, Mia, but I promise you it won’t happen again. I’m going to protect you until this guy is caught.”
At that moment the hotel door opened, and one of the policemen walked outside. Mia straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Maybe they already have captured him.”
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