James Patterson - Blindside

“I don’t want any trouble,” I say to the guy. “I’m going to let you walk right out of here. You don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“If anyone’s gonna get hurt, Ranger, it’s you. I hate the fucking Texas Rangers. I might kill you just ’cause I feel like it.”

The guy’s voice is rough and strained. These guys might be professionals, but this one’s nerves are shot. I need to find a way to keep him under control.

“Let me remind you,” I say, maintaining a steady, calm voice, “killing a Texas Ranger is capital murder. They’ll give you the needle for it.”

In other states, death-row inmates die of old age while their lawyers delay their sentences with endless appeals. But this is Texas, which executed more people last year than every other state combined.

The hand holding the gun trembles slightly.

“It’s also capital murder,” I say, “to kill someone during the execution of a robbery. If you shoot anyone today, anyone at all, that’s a death sentence. Automatically.”

I’ve scared him, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

“You and your partner are free to go,” I assure him. “I don’t care about the money you’re stealing. Maybe you’ll get caught at a later date. Maybe you’ll get away with it. That’s not my problem today. What I care about is that no one gets hurt.”

I can’t gauge the impact of my words. The guy watches as his partner lugs two loaded duffel bags, one on each shoulder. He hauls them up onto the counter and then, like a bank robber in a movie, climbs atop the marble. He stands and shoulders the assault rifle, swinging it around at the people standing in the lobby.

Some are crying. Some are shaking. All of them look scared to death.

“All right,” Mr. AR-15 announces, breath heaving from carrying the bags, “since we had the bad luck of a Texas Ranger walking in on us, we’re going to have to take us a hostage.”

“There’s no need to take any hostages,” I say. “I’m going to let you walk right out of here.”

“We seen you circle the parking lot,” he says. “We know there’s another Ranger out there. We need some insurance we won’t be followed.”

Mr. AR-15 looks overly confident, crazed almost. But his partner, Mr. Beretta—I can tell he’s spooked. His eyes bulge in his mask. And his arm is getting tired, too. His gun hand is shaking more and more.

“If you have to take anyone,” I say, “take me.”

Also by James Patterson

ALEX CROSS NOVELS

Along Came a Spider • Kiss the Girls • Jack and Jill • Cat and Mouse • Pop Goes the Weasel • Roses are Red • Violets are Blue • Four Blind Mice • The Big Bad Wolf • London Bridges • Mary, Mary • Cross • Double Cross • Cross Country • Alex Cross’s Trial ( with Richard DiLallo ) • I, Alex Cross • Cross Fire • Kill Alex Cross • Merry Christmas, Alex Cross • Alex Cross, Run • Cross My Heart • Hope to Die • Cross Justice • Cross the Line • The People vs. Alex Cross • Target: Alex Cross • Criss Cross

THE WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB SERIES

1 stto Die • 2 ndChance ( with Andrew Gross ) • 3 rdDegree ( with Andrew Gross ) • 4th of July ( with Maxine Paetro ) • The 5th Horseman ( with Maxine Paetro ) • The 6th Target ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 7th Heaven ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 8th Confession ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 9th Judgement ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 10th Anniversary ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 11th Hour ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 12th of Never ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Unlucky 13 ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 14th Deadly Sin ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 15th Affair ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 16th Seduction ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 17th Suspect ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 18th Abduction ( with Maxine Paetro ) • 19th Christmas ( with Maxine Paetro )

PRIVATE NOVELS

Private ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Private London ( with Mark Pearson ) • Private Games ( with Mark Sullivan ) • Private: No. 1 Suspect ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Private Berlin ( with Mark Sullivan ) • Private Down Under ( with Michael White ) • Private L.A. ( with Mark Sullivan ) • Private India ( with Ashwin Sanghi ) • Private Vegas ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Private Sydney ( with Kathryn Fox ) • Private Paris ( with Mark Sullivan ) • The Games ( with Mark Sullivan ) • Private Delhi ( with Ashwin Sanghi ) • Private Princess ( with Rees Jones )

NYPD RED SERIES

NYPD Red ( with Marshall Karp ) • NYPD Red 2 ( with Marshall Karp ) • NYPD Red 3 ( with Marshall Karp ) • NYPD Red 4 ( with Marshall Karp ) • NYPD Red 5 ( with Marshall Karp )

DETECTIVE HARRIET BLUE SERIES

Never Never ( with Candice Fox ) • Fifty Fifty ( with Candice Fox ) • Liar Liar ( with Candice Fox ) • Hush Hush ( with Candice Fox )

INSTINCT SERIES

Instinct ( with Howard Roughan, previously published as Murder Games ) • Killer Instinct ( with Howard Roughan )

STAND-ALONE THRILLERS

The Thomas Berryman Number • Hide and Seek • Black Market • The Midnight Club • Sail ( with Howard Roughan ) • Swimsuit ( with Maxine Paetro ) • Don’t Blink ( with Howard Roughan ) • Postcard Killers ( with Liza Marklund ) • Toys ( with Neil McMahon ) • Now You See Her ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Kill Me If You Can ( with Marshall Karp ) • Guilty Wives ( with David Ellis ) • Zoo ( with Michael Ledwidge ) • Second Honeymoon ( with Howard Roughan ) • Mistress ( with David Ellis ) • Invisible ( with David Ellis ) • Truth or Die ( with Howard Roughan ) • Murder House ( with David Ellis ) • The Black Book ( with David Ellis ) • The Store ( with Richard DiLallo ) • Texas Ranger ( with Andrew Bourelle ) • The President is Missing ( with Bill Clinton ) • Revenge ( with Andrew Holmes ) • Juror No. 3 ( with Nancy Allen ) • The First Lady ( with Brendan DuBois ) • The Chef ( with Max DiLallo ) • Out of Sight ( with Brendan DuBois ) • Unsolved ( with David Ellis ) • The Inn ( with Candice Fox ) • Lost ( with James O. Born )

NON-FICTION

Torn Apart ( with Hal and Cory Friedman ) • The Murder of King Tut ( with Martin Dugard ) • All-American Murder ( with Alex Abramovich and Mike Harvkey )

MURDER IS FOREVER TRUE CRIME

Murder, Interrupted ( with Alex Abramovich and Christopher Charles ) • Home Sweet Murder ( with Andrew Bourelle and Scott Slaven ) • Murder Beyond the Grave ( with Andrew Bourelle and Christopher Charles )

COLLECTIONS

Triple Threat ( with Max DiLallo and Andrew Bourelle ) • Kill or Be Killed ( with Maxine Paetro, Rees Jones, Shan Serafin and Emily Raymond ) • The Moores are Missing ( with Loren D. Estleman, Sam Hawken and Ed Chatterton ) • The Family Lawyer ( with Robert Rotstein, Christopher Charles and Rachel Howzell Hall ) • Murder in Paradise ( with Doug Allyn, Connor Hyde and Duane Swierczynski ) • The House Next Door ( with Susan DiLallo, Max DiLallo and Brendan DuBois ) • 13-Minute Murder ( with Shan Serafin, Christopher Farnsworth and Scott Slaven )