Lynette Eason - Danger on the Mountain

The woman obeyed, tears tracking her cheeks, hands raised as she backed up away from her station. “D-don’t shoot me. Take what you want.”

Slim continued to hold his gun on the man on the floor while Charlie threw a large bag at Maggie’s teller. “Load it up. Now.”

The woman caught it, fumbled it, shot a terrified glance at the man, then went to work. Even from her spot at the last teller station next to the wall, Maggie could see the woman’s hands shaking.

“Hurry up!” The lookout man next to the door shifted, the chink in his calm demeanor grabbing Maggie’s attention. So he wasn’t as cool about this as he’d first appeared.

Charlie shot him an aggravated look, his eyes piercing and hard behind his mask. “Just watch the street.”

Then he turned back to jab the teller with his weapon. “Move! Move! This ain’t a tea party!”

Lori’s hands shook so hard Maggie was afraid she’d drop the cash and the man would shoot her. She almost offered to help but bit her tongue. As long as Lori was getting the money in the bag, Maggie would stay quiet and keep her body covering Belle’s. She darted a glance in the direction of the offices. One door was closed. The bank manager in hiding?

She prayed that no one else would walk in and this would all be over in a few seconds. Dark spots danced before her eyes, and she realized that she was holding her breath. She gasped in air. The dancing spots disappeared, but Belle started to cry. Maggie froze.

The lookout lifted his gun and pointed it at her. “Shut the kid up.”

Immediately, Maggie knelt and unbuckled Belle from her car seat. Picking her up, she settled the baby against her and turned her back to everything going on. Belle sniffed and lay her head on Maggie’s shoulder, thankfully content to be out of the carrier and to suck on the pacifier Maggie shoved in her mouth.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder as Charlie hauled himself back on the other side of the counter and held up the bag. “Got it!” His gaze landed on Maggie and she stilled, not liking the look in his eyes.

Slim spoke. “Get the other drawer.”

“We don’t have time for that, Slim,” the lookout protested. So maybe Slim was the one in charge?

Charlie ignored his partner and slung the bag back at the teller who moved to the next drawer.

Sirens sounded and the three masked men exchanged a glance. Slim growled, “Who tripped the alarm? Who?”

The robber nearest the door immediately turned and disappeared through it.

Maggie saw the well-built customer on the floor clench his jaw even as he slowly moved his hand back under his jacket.

The door burst back open. “The cops are almost here! I got the car! Let’s get this done!”

Slim looked up and his gaze slammed into Maggie’s. “Get over here.”

She froze once again, arms gripping Isabella too tight. The baby hollered her displeasure, and Maggie shushed her even as her eyes met the narrowed brown ones of the man who’d ordered her to move.

“My name’s Reese Kirkpatrick. I’m a cop. You’ve got what you want, you’d better leave while you can.”

Maggie jerked her gaze to the man on the floor. He’d been silent throughout the whole ordeal. Silent and watchful. Slim raised his gun and brought it crashing down toward Reese’s head. Reese rolled. Slim missed and stumbled, his finger jerking the trigger. The weapon bucked in his hand, the bullet shattered the tile floor beside Reese’s left leg.

Reese now had a weapon pulled and aimed at Slim. Without a word, he pulled the trigger.

Slim screamed and jerked as his gun tumbled to the floor.

Charlie whirled and dropped the bag of money as he moved toward his wounded partner. He lifted his weapon, aiming toward Reese who was now moving across the floor toward Slim. Charlie’s left leg stepped in the midst of the red velvet ropes.

Without thinking of the possible consequences, Maggie jerked on the rope.

Charlie went down hard, the back of his head cracking against the floor. Reese lunged for Slim and snagged the mask. It came off and Slim howled his outrage even as he landed a lucky blow with his good hand to Reese’s solar plexis.

Reese grunted and stumbled back, gagging. Slim looked like he might go after Reese again, but the screaming sirens outside seemed to change his mind and with a final glance at the unconscious Charlie, and a hard glare at Reese, he backed toward the door, hand held tight against the wound in his shoulder. “I’ll kill you for this!” His gaze landed on Maggie and she flinched when he said, “Her and the kid, too!”

* * *

Reese finally got his feet under him, snatched the weapon from the unconscious man on the floor, then stumbled after the wounded robber. But by the time he hit the door, the man was in the car. The door slammed shut halfway down the block.

Reese whirled back into the bank and checked to make sure Charlie was still out cold.

He was.

Next he checked on the woman with the baby. She sat on the floor, eyes dry, jiggling her infant in her lap. He noticed the ringless left hand. And wondered why he would notice such a thing at a time like this.

“Are you all right?”

She lifted soul-deep dark brown eyes to his and the fear in them felt like a sucker punch to his midsection. Her low “Yes” vibrated through him. Then she drew in a deep breath and a tinge of color returned to her pale cheeks. “Yes, we’re all right. Thank you.” Then the baby turned her attention to him, spit out the pacifier, stuck a finger in her mouth and grinned around it.

This time it was a blow to his kidneys.

He nodded and turned, hoping his desperate need to get away from them didn’t show on his face. He forced his mind to the matter at hand. Thank goodness she’d kept her cool over the last few minutes. If she’d been the hysterical type, they might all be dead. His ringing ears testified to just how close the gun had been to his head when it went off. He just hoped the ringing wasn’t permanent.

“Is it over?” One of the bank tellers—the one named Lori—peered over the edge of the counter, mascara streaking her cheeks.

Grateful for the interruption—and the fact that he heard her, Reese nodded. “All except for the cleanup.”

More tears leaked from her eyes and he saw her lips move in a grateful, whispered prayer.

Rose Mountain Police cruisers pulled in. Eli Brody, sheriff of Rose Mountain, bolted from the first one like he’d been shot from a cannon. The man strode toward him and Reese quickly filled him in. Eli snapped orders into his radio and two cruisers immediately headed out after the escaping getaway car. He then marched toward the other two officers, leaving Reese to question the tellers.

“Thank you.”

The quiet words captured his attention and he turned to see the woman with the baby gazing up at him. Clearing his throat, Reese said, “You’re welcome.”

“I’m Maggie Bennett.” She shifted and before Reese could gracefully slip away, she blurted out, “Was he serious? Do you think he’ll come back and—” She bit off the last part of the sentence, but the fear lingered and he knew exactly what she was asking.

Reese shook his head. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. All those guys care about is getting away.”

Doubt narrowed her eyes. “But we made him really mad. And you have one of his partners in custody because I interfered. We saw his face. You honestly don’t think they’ll be a tad upset about that?”

So she had spunk and she wasn’t comforted because he told her what she wanted to hear. She wanted the truth, no matter what. He liked that.

He said, “All good points. The fact is, I don’t know. We’ll take precautions, get his picture from the bank camera and distribute it around the town. But as for whether he would really come back here...” He shrugged. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you.”