Undercover Jeopardy. Kathleen Tailer

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       THREE

      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.

      As if to accent the point, the phone started ringing again.

      Terrell motioned toward the phone. “Go ahead and answer it. I’ll keep an eye on these folks. If it’s the cops, we need to start the dialogue so they don’t raid the place.”

      She hesitated but finally slung her rifle over her back and walked over to where the phone was ringing on the desk. She picked it up. “What?”

      “This is Sergeant Michaels with the police department. Who am I talking to?”

      “You can call me Bonnie.” Bethany smiled, thinking of Bonnie and Clyde. “By the way, you get an A+ for response time. I must say, you got here quicker than we expected.”

      “We aim to serve,” he responded dryly. “Am I speaking to the one in charge?”

      “Not likely.”

      “Well, who would that be?”

      “He’s a bit busy right now. We’ll have to hold introductions later.”

      Sergeant Michaels paused, obviously taking notes. “Alright, Bonnie. Is anybody hurt in there?”

      “We’ve had a few mishaps.”

      “Do СКАЧАТЬ