Kathleen Tailer - Undercover Jeopardy

He looked up into her eyes, those gray-blue eyes that reminded him of polished steel, and backed off. There was strength there, and memories flooded back at him. He remembered her laughing during a funny part of a movie and accepting his comfort when her cat died. They had shared a lot during their relationship, but the woman standing in front of him brandishing the gun as part of a robbery gang seemed like a total stranger. Yet, the love remained. He couldn’t erase it, no matter how much he had tried to forget her during the last year. He eyed her critically, noticing small details about her. She was thinner now, and her hair was a bit longer, but now that he knew her identity, it was hard to figure out why he hadn’t identified her sooner, even with the mask distorting her facial features.

Why? Why had she left him without an explanation? Had she never loved him in the first place? Why had she never followed through and walked down the aisle with him? Where had she been for the last year? Pain slashed across his chest, but he tried his best to push those questions out of his mind. As much as he wanted to confront her and demand answers, they would have to wait. This wasn’t the time or place. In fact, he might never get a chance to talk to Bethany privately during this bank robbery. Right now, he needed to focus on stopping this crime, if it was possible, and make sure nobody got hurt, including the woman he loved.

Suddenly, another man from the middle of the group started to stand, as well. Bethany swung her rifle in his direction and let fly a short burst of bullets. She must have aimed high on purpose, because each shot missed and hit the wood paneling about two feet above his head. Still, the shots had the desired effect, and the man quickly sat back down again, his eyes wide with fear. She took a few steps back, apparently making sure she had a good view of all the hostages.

When she spoke, her voice was tough as nails, and her body language said she was more than just angry. “I said, stay where you are, all of you. Make no mistake, I am in control of this room and I missed on purpose. The next person that moves will be dead. Got it? I don’t have to miss. I’m an excellent shot. We’ll be out of here in just a few more minutes, and then you can all go back to your lives. Until then, you stay quiet and out of our way.”

Daniel couldn’t keep silent despite her orders. He changed his tactic, knowing Bethany would always want to make sure a life wasn’t lost during an operation but also ensuring he didn’t make her appear vulnerable in front of the other hostages. The last thing he needed was for the hostages to feel empowered and attempt to rush her or try to take away her weapon. “We get it. You’re in charge. But please, let someone take your man outside. He’s injured and needs medical attention.” Daniel paused, waiting to see how Bethany would respond to his argument. Seeing no change in her expression, he tried a different approach. “If he dies, it will go worse for you in the long run.” Daniel knew she had a better chance of keeping her cover intact if no one died during this operation, and if law enforcement could interrogate the robber lying on the floor, all the better.

She laughed. She actually laughed at his suggestion. “So the police can arrest him on sight? No, thank you.”

Was she being sincere, or acting the part? He honestly couldn’t tell. Maybe he didn’t know her anymore after all. A lot could change in a year. “He’ll die if he doesn’t get help. He’ll also slow down your escape.” He pointed to one of the stronger looking men. “Let him do it. He can carry the guy out and make sure he gets the help he needs.”

He waited as the seconds slowly ticked by, stretching into minutes. The air felt thick.

As if on cue, the phone started ringing again, slicing into the silence. Bethany eyed her watch, then the doorway that led to the vault. Something must have gone wrong; they were taking way too long to get the money and emerge from the back room where the vault was located. She knew that Jackson had already knocked out the video feeds and alarm system, but she wondered fleetingly if there was an issue with the bank manager’s code. Jackson swore he could bypass the electronic lock on the vault by doing some fancy wiring if he had to, but she wasn’t as confident in his abilities as he was. If he wasn’t going to be able to open it after all, her undercover mission was going to last even longer than she’d thought. The group she had infiltrated needed money to operate, and if they didn’t get it here and now, they would have to commit more crimes in the future to fund their operation. It was better all-around if they were successful here today. Then she could focus on building her case and making her arrests as the robbers put their more devious plans into motion.

She eyed the group of hostages in front of her and tried to look tough and demanding. So far, she was confident that they wouldn’t do anything foolish—except for Daniel, that is. She could tell he was testing her. Maybe if their relationship hadn’t ended so badly he wouldn’t be challenging her, but now he knew her true identity, and she wasn’t sure what to expect. No matter what, she couldn’t blow her cover. Not here and now when she had come so far and given this operation a year of her life.

“Let me get that phone for you,” Daniel suggested again. She swung back and stalked toward him. She doubted that the ringing phone was the police. This was a place of business after all, and phones probably rang constantly throughout the day. Still, the sound was eerily annoying, but not as annoying as the look of hurt in Daniel’s eyes that he was apparently unable to hide. His expression surprised her. Hadn’t they both said angry words to each other on that fateful day when they had ended their relationship? Pride made her push past the feelings that were starting to bubble in her chest.

Maybe she had hurt him by not giving him an opportunity to explain after the big blowup. He never apologized, but she had basically vanished and never given him a chance to do so. She paused, reliving some of the argument in her mind. She was mature enough to realize that the fault had been hers, as well. Her disappearance had been swift after their relationship had collapsed, but her superiors had required an immediate response when they had offered her this assignment, and there had been no time to contact anyone. She had jumped at the opportunity to go undercover and further her career, but it had also been an excellent way to avoid the hurt and anger she had felt and evade any further confrontation. She had never thought of herself as a coward, but she had definitely wanted to avoid ever running into Daniel again. She glanced at him now and another wave of emotion swept over her. Why did he have to be here today? He was already pushing her buttons. Why wouldn’t he just sit down and stay out of her way?

Terrell suddenly emerged from the back room, which instantly stopped her woolgathering and made her alert. His hands were empty except for the rifle, and he approached Bethany and leaned forward so only she could hear. “Jackson is having trouble with the safe. The manager couldn’t get his code to work, so Jackson is working on the wiring. He’s trying to override the system.”

“We don’t have time for this,” she hissed. “The cops will be here in no time.”

“Jackson wants to wait. He’s convinced he can open it if he’s just given a few more minutes.”

“J.P. might die.”

Terrell laughed. “I never liked him anyway, and I sure never thought you’d care with the way he treats you.”

“I’ve never liked him either,” she whispered back. “But that doesn’t mean I want him to die.” She glanced around at the people lined against the counter, then at her watch. “We really need to get out of here. Forget the vault. Let’s get the cash out of the registers and bounce.” Fear swept down her spine. She wasn’t afraid of getting caught. Her FBI handler would deal with that if she were arrested. But the longer this robbery stretched out, the more probable it became that someone would get hurt.