Chapter 68

68

Max jerked his head toward Alex and Nathan. "What's Sebastian talking about?"

Alex held up her hand. "Maybe she'll tell us."

All three leaned closer to the receiver.

"I'm here. You can turn my dad loose," Jenna was saying.

"Not yet."

"What are you doing ... That's a jam—"

The receiver emitted nothing but static.

"He's jamming the system. Our phones are useless," Nathan said.

Max pulled out the key he'd gotten from Weaver. "I'm going in the back door."

"Coming with you." Alex checked her Sig.

Max started to argue with Alex but stopped. She was the top law enforcement officer in Russell County. And Alex having his six wasn't a bad idea. "Let's go—there's not much time."

"I'll create a distraction with the guard. Once I get him away from the door, I'll take him down," Nathan said in a tight voice. He drew Alex into a quick embrace.

It was plain he wasn't happy about Alex going, but like Max, he knew there would be no stopping her.

Max and Alex circled around behind the cabin. No outside light—good. They crept to the door, and he silently inserted the key and eased it open.

The door opened a couple of inches and stopped. Safety lock. He slipped his hand in and felt the device. An arm and ball, like in a hotel room. Good. He'd practiced opening the swing bar latch a few times.

Max jerked the shoelace out of his right shoe. He quickly worked the ends of the string under the top and bottom ball bearing on the arm and pulled the loose ends toward him. Then he worked the looped string on the back side of the knobbed bar and eased the door shut.

"Pray this works," he mouthed to Alex.

Max pulled the two ends of the lace tight and heard the lock swing open. He released the breath he'd been holding. Now, if no one else heard it ...

Max pointed for Alex to go to the right, and they slipped inside, Max to the left. Both stopped, listening as light filtered in from the hallway.

He recalled the layout of the cabin. There was one way into the kitchen—through a hallway that had bedrooms and a bathroom on one side and the living room on the other. Judging from their voices, they were in the living room.

"Let me get this straight—if I don't kill Phillip, you'll kill my father?" Jenna was saying.

Max's chest tightened. They were out of time.

"Give the cop an A. And I want it up close and personal."

"Jenna," another male said. "Don't do it. I know you—you won't be able to live with yourself if you kill me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Phillip," Jenna said. "And then, Sebastian, you'll shoot me with Phillip's gun."

"Make that an A plus."

Max's heart stuttered.

"What's to stop me from shooting you instead of Phillip?" Jenna asked. "Three men aren't enough to stop me from shooting you first."

Okay. They knew how many they were dealing with.

"You'll never get the shot off," Sebastian said.

"Are you willing to risk your life that I won't?"

Alex tapped him on the leg and held up two fingers. He gave her a thumbs-up. That left him Sebastian and one other man.

He visualized the layout of the living room and knew Alex was doing the same. If he were Sebastian, where would he station his men? It wasn't huge—fireplace on one end—probably where either Phillip or Jenna's dad was being guarded. A sofa in the middle of the room. Sitting chairs on either side of a window—

"On the count of three, you'll fire or your dad is dead. One ... two—"

Max burst into the room. Alex followed and took out one of the men.

Sebastian jerked his head toward him. Her dad rocked his chair, toppling it against Sebastian. The gang leader hit the floor and bounded up, firing.

Jenna fired, hitting Sebastian in the arm, but the bullet didn't seem to faze him.

The other two men raised their guns. Alex and Max fired simultaneously, dropping them both, and Max turned toward Sebastian.

"Watch out!" Jenna screamed.

Pain rocked Max's head as Sebastian's foot connected with his temple. Faster than Max could move, the gang leader whirled around and knocked Jenna's legs out from under her. He leaned over and held his gun to her head.

"It appears we have a standoff." Sebastian nudged her with his gun. "Get up, and you two drop your guns."

Alex dropped hers and Max laid his gun on the table directly in front of him.

Jenna slowly climbed to her feet. "You can't kill us all."

"Yeah," Alex echoed. "The cabin is surrounded with my deputies, and I have a really accurate sharpshooter."

"This deputy and I are walking out the door." He jerked Jenna in front of him. "Tell them to stand down."

"I can't," Alex said. "You jammed the signal."

Indecision crossed his face. "The jammer is on the table. You"—he pointed to Alex—"turn it off and then call off your deputies."

Alex slowly walked to the table. Max locked in on Jenna's eyes and dropped his gaze. He pointed three fingers down before closing two of them.

He prayed she understood.

Max dropped another finger.

When Alex picked up the jammer, he dropped the third finger and grabbed his gun, firing as Jenna dove for the floor.

The front door burst open, and deputies spilled into the room.