Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

1
CommentGo Back

Download

Chapter One

Destin, Florida,4:30 p.m.In 10 minutes, Sarah Greenberg's world was going to end.If she didn't get to the bank, deposit her paycheck, and make it to the training field in the next 10minutes, life, as she knew it, would be over. Her rent check would bounce. But worse than that,she'd be tardy, a major offense in the eyes of Lena McKinney, Sarah's boss and the commander of the Emerald Coast SWAT Team.As the information officer of the SWAT team, Sarah had been begging for a promotion. Theexercise Lena had planned for today was Sarah's big chance to prove she was ready to move up.Wheeling into the bank's crowded parking lot, Sarah slid her jeep into the last open spot andgrabbed her purse. Working for the SWAT team was exciting, but Sarah longed for more action.A multicounty organization, the team handled all the dangerous situations the local police forcescouldn't handle. With their extra fire power and special techniques, the SWAT team was a force of its own.But Sarah's position on the team seemed mundane to her. Whenever there was a hostagesituation, it was her responsibility to find who the captors were and how they could impact thesituation. She garnered floor plans and telephone numbers, neighbors' names and relatives' jobs.If it was a domestic complaint or an assailant was holding a gun to someone's head, it was her job to discover who he was and why he was doing what he was doing.Her job was vital, but she could do more and she wanted to prove that fact to Lena.Jumping from her vehicle, Sarah ran toward the door of the bank and slipped inside just as thesecurity guard was reaching out to close it.She gave the gray-haired man a grateful look. She'd lived in Destin all her life and Tommy Tiptonhad been the guard ever since she had come here with her father. "Thanks, Tommy," she saidbreathlessly."No problem, Sarah." He grinned. "It's always a pleasure to see you, late or not."She flashed him a smile, then hurried toward the front of the lobby. There were two tellers and ahalf-dozen waiting customers. Sarah almost groaned out loud. The wait would be forever!Before she could decide to leave or stay, a motion caught her peripheral vision. She focusedwithout thinking, her cop's radar coming on, her gaze swinging to a man near the front of the line.After a moment's study, she decided she was being paranoid. There was nothing that unusualabout the stranger. Casually dressed and wearing sunglasses, he seemed anxious for the line toprogress, stepping slightly out of the queue to look ahead. He was tapping his foot impatiently.She relaxed, but all at once, the feeling returned, even stronger than it was before.Sarah looked again, her stare going down the line a little more closely this time. The man she'dfirst noticed had stepped back and she could now see the people ahead of him. Along with acouple of teenagers and a gray-haired retiree in shorts and dress shoes, there was a womancorralling two little boys, an impatient businessman batting papers against his leg, and a solitaryfigure dressed in black, standing completely still.

Sarah concentrated on the last person, her heart first stalling then accelerating. No one else hadshoulders that wide or hair that dark. No one else could send her pulse into such panic. No oneelse could make her want to turn and run.No one but Ray Maitland.The only man she'd ever loved and hated at the very same time.

ChapterTwo

Chapter Two5 p.mSarah whispered his name to herself. Ray Maitland. She'd known he was still in town, but theyhadn't had any real contact or even spoken since they'd both been seniors in high school. She'dbeen young, and so had he, the last time they'd embraced, yet if she lived to be 100, she'd never forget the feeling of his body against hers.As if sensing her stare upon him, Ray turned slowly and looked over his shoulder. His hair waslonger growing over his collar; his brown eyes even darker and more cynical than when he'd been18. He searched the queue as she had, seeking the source of his discomfort.A second later, he saw her. Before he could stop himself, everything that had once been betweenthem flashed across his face. Love, hate, confusion, resentment. She could feel the searing heatas the emotions burned their way toward her.In a single heartbeat, she was 18 again.Back then, Sarah had thought nothing could separate them. She didn't care that his father wasn'taround or that his brother was in a mental hospital. His mom did the best she could but awaitress's salary didn't put her in the same social set most of Sarah's friends and family enjoyed.Her parents had told her Ray wasn't good enough for her but she'd stood up for him. She'd lovedhim.Then he'd dumped her.Sarah, her brother, and her mom and dad had gone on vacation. Almost as soon as their car hadpulled into their driveway, Ray had called and told her to meet him. She'd grabbed her littlebrother for cover and stuck him in the backseat of the car, telling her parents he'd asked for icecream. Five minutes later, she'd met Ray at the Dairy Queen.He'd told her he had married Joan Wilson, a former girlfriend.Naturally Sarah had been devastated. She and Joan hated each other, always had. Thestepdaughter of the local sheriff, she'd been Ray's girlfriend before Sarah, and she'd never forgiven Sarah for 'taking him away' as she always put it.Ray had married Joan.Ray wouldn't explain, despite the barrage of questions Sarah had thrown at him. She'd cried andpleaded, making a fool of herself. Dignity fled. In the end, he'd said nothing but goodbye. Thehumiliation of being so wrong had hurt for a long time. After the pain had come the anger.Unable to look away, Sarah met Ray's gaze, but she kept her thoughts to herself or so she

hoped. He stared back, his own expression under control once more.There were lines in the corners of his eyes and a hardness behind them. She'd heard the divorcehad been a bad one, but he still had his business. Sometimes, she drove past it on her way to thebeach. Maitland's Motors. He owned a high-powered mechanics shop that specialized inexpensive motorcycle repair and sales.She broke their gaze by glancing down at her watch, then she cursed silently, her fingerstightening on the deposit slip and paycheck. She'd just leave. To hell with the rent. Her decisionhad nothing to do with Ray, she told herself. He meant nothing to her anymore. All that hadpassed between them was just that. In the past.She turned to get out of the queue, but at the very last second, shock rooted her to the marblefloor, her eyes disbelieving what she was seeing.The man behind Ray, the stranger who'd first caught her eye, had suddenly grabbed Ray. AsSarah watched, horror sweeping over her, he stuck a gun in Ray's neck."This is a holdup," he screamed. "Everyone down! Down on the floor, right now!"

ChapterThree

Chapter Three5:15 p.m.Ray could feel the gun pressed against his temple. He could smell the oil from the weapon'schambers, could feel the cold, hard metal.For just a second, though, he couldn't comprehend exactly what it meant. He could onlyconcentrate on Sarah. Her shocked stare, as she saw what was happening, actually registeredmore powerfully with him than the .38 now jammed into his flesh.Don't do anything stupid, he told himself. Not with Sarah here. God help him, he'd hurt her enough already.But his instinct for survival was stronger than his need for caution. He twisted abruptly and seizedthe man's arm. Squeezing tightly, Ray pulled at the weapon, but the guy seemed to possess analmost supernatural power. He held on and crammed the pistol even deeper into Ray's flesh."Keep trying," he yelled, "and I?ll shoot!"Ray heard the note of insanity and recognized it; his own brother had screamed at him that way.He immediately went still."Everyone on the floor. Now!" The crazed man repeated his command then began to shout asone of the smaller children, not understanding, broke free of his stunned mother's grip and ranaway.The terrified customers watched helplessly, some shrieking, some frozen in shock. The robber pushed Ray to the floor, sending him spinning away from where they'd been. Ray stumbled andfell, but not before he realized there were more of them.Three other robbers had now joined the first, each holding a gun. Ray's eyes returned to Sarah's.They were filled with a fear so palpable it made his stomach clench. He followed her gaze andsaw the reason why.The man who'd first grabbed Ray now had the small child tucked under his arm.