Chapter 57

CHAPTER 57

D arius was stirring, confused, but alive and in one piece. I'd heard the shots, seen Norman tumble back, and I knew Max wouldn't miss, so I pulled my scissors from the pocket of my apron and cut the zip ties on his wrists and ankles.

He slowly sat up, looking like hell. "Poppy? Did you get Poppy?"

"We'll get her," Max said from behind me.

I stood up and looked over to where Maggs stood over Norman, who was flat on his back, two small black holes in his forehead. His eyes were open, staring upward, unblinking.

Go to hell, Norman . He'd helped kidnap Poppy. He'd tried to shoot Max and got the Russian instead. He'd been ready to shoot Darius. He'd thought I'd have sex with him. Hell was too good for him.

"Rose?" Max said.

"What do we do now?"

Max checked Norman, maybe to see if his shots were close enough together. He went through his pockets and pulled out Norman's cellphone. Then he looked back the way we'd come. There were two sets of headlights approaching.

"That would be Pike and Luke." Max got his phone out and looked at the screen.

Pike and Luke stopped their vehicles behind the Pathfinder, which was blocking the bridge, and came cautiously forward, both with rifles at the ready.

Then Luke saw Darius and ran to him, and Pike went straight to Max.

"What do they have?" Pike said to Max.

" Poppy ," I said and took a deep breath to steady myself. "They have Poppy. Serena has her at Oddities."

"Take a look." Max crooked his finger and I went to stand on the other side of him from Pike.

All I saw on his screen were dark, bulky objects and then a scattering of red dots. "What is this?"

"State Street from a thermal drone high enough over Oddities to not be heard," Max said as if it were the most normal thing. He pointed at the red dots. "Two people in Oddities, in the front. I bet that's Serena and Poppy. She's hot so she's still alive and Serena won't kill her, she needs her as a hostage."

"Norman was going to shoot Darius," I said, trying to believe him.

"Norman was a dog," Max said.

"The other two?" Pike asked, nodding toward the screen.

Luke was holding Darius up and looking past him, trying to see the screen at the same time. Darius was blinking, disoriented by what Norman had done to him.

"One's there," Max indicated, "in the vehicle. The driver and the engine are still warm." He frowned. "Someone else." He tapped the screen. "Here."

"On top of the building across the street," Pike said. "Probably a shooter waiting in ambush. One of Serena's dogs."

"Wait," I said, trying to understand. "What are we looking at?"

"A live feed of Oddities and the buildings around it."

Darius spoke, although his words were a bit slurred. "Stop talking. Poppy ."

"We're on it," Max said, so calmly and with such certainty that for the first time since Serena had called, I felt my panic subside a little. "We do it smart, though. "

"Right," Darius nodded, still wobbly. "Smart."

Pike's phone chimed and he checked it. "Coral says others are on the way. We need to get going before we have a mob heading toward town. Could get ugly." He looked at me. "Uglier."

"I'm going with you," Darius said.

"No," Luke said firmly. "We'll get her back, don't worry. Coral will be here any minute. I texted her and she'll take you to town. You'll be right behind us. You need to get a little bit straighter."

Max issued orders. "Pike, you take Norman's coat and hat and drive the van with Rose in the passenger seat. You're Norman. Luke and I will take the Pathfinder."

"No," Luke said, "we take the minivan."

Max opened his mouth to protest, but Pike intervened. "Take the minivan, Max."

Max nodded. "Fine. We follow, lights out. Pike, park in front of Oddities but angled so you can't be seen. We'll all go in at the same?—"

"No!" I stepped closer to Max. "I do not want a gun battle. Let me deal with Serena first. If that doesn't work, come in with your guns, but that whole assault thing with guns blazing could leave more good people dead than bad guys, including my daughter. Give me a chance first."

The four of them stared at me for a moment, then Max nodded. "All right. But you get two minutes from the moment you get out of the van. Two minutes exactly, Rose, that's it. Then we're coming in. Got it?"

I nodded.

Max continued with the modified plan. "After two minutes, with Pike keeping time, Luke, the sniper is yours. Pike, you take out the driver. I go into Oddities as point and you two follow as able. Rose, two minutes exactly . Let's move."

And we did. Pike and I got into the van and he called Coral to tell her to pick Darius up at the bridge. Max moved the Pathfinder out of the way and put Darius into it, then got into the minivan with Luke. Then we drove toward town, Oddities, Serena, and my daughter.

I wasn't even shaking anymore. I was so angry, and underneath that, so terrified for Poppy, that I was prepared to rip Serena's heart out with my bare hands.

She should never have taken my kid.