Chapter 13

Stealthily, Milly moved her phone to a metal rack beside her and propped it beside a large box. She'd hit mute to make sure voices on the other end wouldn't be heard. She'd called Cyrus because he was at the top of her phone list, and she knew he was there. He'd told her that morning he was working locally, and enough time had passed since the start of this incident for him to make it to the park. There was no way he hadn't moved heaven and earth to be there.

Cyrus was a protector by nature. And he loved her. He might not have said the words yet, but his every action, the care he took with her, told her this was true.

Bobby Cantor was on the phone now with the on-scene commander or a negotiator. They weren't making any progress. Her guess was that it was deliberate. They were simply trying to keep him on the phone while they scrambled a team to enter the building. She didn't think Bobby had intended to hurt anyone except his former boss, but he wasn't backing down, and as nervous as he was, he could still panic and hurt someone inside this room.

She hoped her call helped the incident commander better understand the situation. Now, she could turn her attention to the other hostages and prepare them for what was coming.

When he turned to pace away, she scooted closer to the woman who had been speaking with Bobby. Leaning close, she said, "We need to be ready."

The woman's eyes widened, but she nodded. "What do we do?"

"When it goes down, we get down and cover our heads," she whispered. "Spread the word. But no sudden moves until then, or he'll get suspicious."

The woman nodded and leaned toward another co-worker to whisper.

Bobby made another turn and narrowed his eyes at Milly, but she gave him a small, tight smile. "You're doing the right thing, Bobby, talking to them. They'll help you work this out."

Bobby gave her a fierce frown and halted in front of the group. He lifted his chin to her. "Get on your feet."

Milly sighed inwardly. He was already suspicious, but she could make this work. Everyone else would get ready while she kept him distracted. She stood. "Do you want me to talk to them?"

"No, I want you in front of me," he said, holding his weapon to the side while he indicated with the hand holding the phone for her to come closer.

She stepped in front of him, lifting her gaze to meet his while keeping her expression neutral even though her heart was racing.

Chatter sounded on the phone. "They're trying to talk to you."

"Turn around," he said, then waited as she followed his direction and angled his rifle toward her head before putting the phone to his ear. "I've got one of yours," he said into the phone. "No, I'm not gonna let you talk to her."

Milly was close enough to hear the calm, commanding voice on the other end of the call speak. "It's time for you to consider letting hostages go. You've got one of ours; you don't need the others. Do it as a show of good faith."

Bobby shook his head; she could feel it against her hair. "Nah, I'm good. You might be willing to sacrifice one of your own, but not civilians."

"Then let half of them go. Anyone who might be hurt or causing you problems. It'll make it simpler for you to maintain control over your situation. You need to prove you're willing to work with us so we stay back."

Bobby drew a deep breath, then turned sideways to glance down at the hostages. "Nate, Bebe, Rafael… Get up. The rest of you don't move a fucking muscle. I'll give you three," he said into the phone.

"That's good. Three's good," the commander said. "We'll have folks waiting outside the kitchen door to lead them out.

"They step a foot inside the kitchen, I'll start shooting," Bobby said.

"I understand. They'll wait until your friends come outside the kitchen to help them."

Two of the hostages helped the man who'd been bludgeoned to his feet, supporting his elbows as they slowly walked toward the doorway. Bobby moved in front of them, then slid to the side, bringing Milly with him as he glanced out the doorway at the kitchen. "Go."

The three moved past him, then hurried to the double doors, pushing through them.

Milly caught sight of a man in a helmet and tactical uniform who reached out to help them through the swinging doors.

Then Bobby moved quickly back, bringing her with him. "You got your hostages. When is Shorty getting here."

"Shorty's on his way here."

"I think you're lying."

"I wouldn't do that. I don't want to see anyone hurt. Is there anything you need in there?"

"I just need Shorty. He has to answer for what he did. This is all his fucking fault."

Milly stayed silent and still against his body, trying to angle her head slightly away from the end of the rifle, but Bobby bumped her back to remind her not to move. She took a half-step forward, and he followed. "Sorry," she muttered. Now, she was sure whoever was watching her call had them in sight.

She didn't dare try to talk to him herself and tear his attention away from the man on the other end of the phone line, but her nerves were stretched. She knew the commander had achieved part of his goal, which was to reduce the number of people inside before he sent his team in. Any time now, she'd be forced to do her part. She hoped she had the courage to follow through.

After glancing at the people on the floor to make sure they had their eyes on her, she looked at the camera, partially hidden by the box, and gave a slow nod.

Cyrus was allowed to remain inside the small, blocked-off area of the on-scene commander. Milly's phone was connected to a screen, and they all watched intently what was happening inside the room.

His entire body had tightened with fear when Bobby had forced her to stand with him, his rifle pointed at her head. He was so goddamn proud of her courage as she'd whispered to the hostages and then kept her cool as Bobby had moved her around the room during the release of the three hostages.

Her face was pale, but wasn't it always? Her breathing was steady. Her gaze was wary, searching for an opportunity if it presented itself, but he prayed she wouldn't have to put herself in more danger. He held out hope that Bobby would make the smart choice and surrender.

But that didn't look like it was going to happen, and now, the team was moving silently inside the building, taking up positions as they prepared to breach the back room.

When he saw Milly position her and Bobby in full view of the camera and give that slight nod, he knew what she was doing—signaling it was time to breach and that she was ready.

"That's my girl," Cecily said beside him.

Hands gripped his shoulders, and he didn't need to look back to know that Mike was holding him down because he wanted to bolt toward the building. He had to get to her. Needed to save her, but she was doing it all herself.

"She's got this," Mike whispered close to him.

The commander raised a fist and pumped it up and down, relaying the signal to the man at the Bistro door.

Cyrus kept his gaze on the camera feed as Bobby whirled with Milly in his arms toward the doorway, stepping slightly out of view.

He saw the hostages dive for the floor and cover their heads and Milly as she shoved at the rifle barrel and leaned sharply away, her foot slamming down on top of Bobby's. Bobby let out a roar, and the pair wrestled for a moment when something large and dark hurtled toward them, taking them both to the ground. Then the feed from the phone whipped sideways as the phone fell toward the floor, the screen going black but shouts and screams filling the air.

No shots were fired, thank God, but not being able to see, not knowing, had him shaking off Mike's hold as he hurtled toward the restaurant.

Once inside, he moved quickly out of the way as officers led hostages with their hands raised out of the kitchen and toward the exit. He tried to move forward, but a man pushed him back and held his vest. "She's coming out," he said. "She's coming. Wait here."

How the guy knew what he was there for was only a fleeting thought. Maybe he'd shouted her name. But his gaze clung to the far doorway, and finally, he saw Milly, looking disheveled but unharmed, moving through the propped open swinging doors. Her gaze locked with his, and then she was running.

The man restraining him let him go, and Milly slammed into his chest, knocking the breath out of both of them.

He held her against him, his hand smoothing over her hair, his face tucked beside hers. They both dragged in deep breaths, and then she lifted her face to his. He gave her a hard kiss, then held her away from him, glancing down her body to reassure himself she was all right.

Only then did he fight to calm his racing heart. "I've never been so fucking scared."

She gave him a watery smile. "Me, too."

He bracketed her face with his palms. "I love you, Milly. You need to know that. I should've said it sooner."

Her smile widened. "I love you, too, Cyrus. Have since day one, I think."

"Seriously?" he said, catching himself sniffing, and realized his eyes were burning, too. "Since day one?"

She nodded.

"Guess I'm not as smart as you. It didn't hit me until you walked that property on Catfish Lane and chose the same house site I did. I thought it was…fated, our being together, and I couldn't imagine living there without you."

"If you two are through with the I-love-yous, the commander wants a word with Milly," Mike said from behind him.

Cyrus kissed her one more time. "Let's get this done because I can't wait to get you home."

Milly lowered the anchor over the side of the boat, letting the chain play out until she felt the anchor catch on the lake bottom. She glanced at the sky. The horizon was alight with bands of red, orange, and pale violet, deepening into dark blue as the moon rose higher.

She and Cyrus went through the moves of casting their fishing lines. They'd both been quiet after deciding to head to the lake rather than the nearest bed. It had felt right to search for the most peaceful place they could both imagine. Lake Hegben had been their choice.

Holding his fishing pole aloft, he reached for her hand and tugged her closer.

She leaned over the space between them and met his kiss. It lingered and deepened, and when they both pulled away, they were breathing hard. She couldn't imagine life without this man. "I can't believe we owe everything to a bear."

"A bear and Tate Smith," he said, shaking his head. "Sometimes life's strange like that."

"So, Randy called you back?" she said, referring to the realtor they'd been working with. "We were in such a hurry to get out the door I forgot to ask you what he said."

"Yeah, while you were finishing in the shower, he said our offer was accepted. He's going to get the ball rolling on the closing."

She drew a deep breath. "I can't wait. I have a list of things we have to do after we sign."

He chuckled. "I bet you do. I have one, too. Bet ours looks pretty much the same."

"We'll need to start mobile home shopping."

He wrinkled his nose. "We don't need anything fancy."

She nodded. "We won't be in it long. We should look for something used. Hell, it could be a camper trailer for all I care. All we need is a bed, a bathroom, a small shower, and a kitchenette."

"I like the way you think. If we keep it small, it'll force us to move quickly on getting the house up."

Again, she nodded. "If we keep it small, we'll always be within arm's reach. Think we'll get tired of being that close all the time?"

"I can't imagine being that close and not being inside you," he said, his voice nearly growling.

"Now, you start with the sexy talk," she said, laughing. "Fish faster."