Undercover Jeopardy. Kathleen Tailer

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СКАЧАТЬ It would get a bit exciting if you tried to get in here.”

      There was another pause. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt here.”

      Bethany nodded, switching the phone from one ear to the other so she could keep a better eye on Terrell and the hostages. “We share that goal.” She lowered her voice. “My boss, however, isn’t as concerned about that as we are. I urge you not to try to breech the front or the back of the bank.” There. She’d warned them. Her handler should have already notified the local authorities of her role in the heist and of what they were facing, but there were no guarantees. She had notified her handler of the details and he, in turn, had passed on the details, such as the explosives at the doors, to the local teams. Still, she knew she was in a risky position, and there was always a possibility that things could go terribly wrong. Since banks were federally insured, the FBI always got called in when a robbery occurred, but that didn’t mean the communication between the various law enforcement agencies was decent or accurate.

      Sergeant Michaels cleared his throat. “Can you give your boss a message for me?”

      “Sure thing, Sergeant.”

      “Well, Bonnie, first let him know we’ve got control of the landlines coming out of the bank, so you can reach us by picking up any of the phones in the building. Anytime you or your boss want to talk, I’ll be available.”

      “Aren’t you the Southern gentleman?” She let a tad of sarcasm touch her voice. She was supposed to be a bank robber after all. Sergeant Michaels didn’t take the bait though, and when he spoke again, his voice was calm and controlled.

      “You should also know that we have this bank surrounded. You’re not going to be able to get out of there without my help.” He paused. “You believe that, don’t you, Bonnie? That I’m here to help you?”

      She laughed. “Sure. You’ll help me all the way to a prison cell.”

      Again, he didn’t react to her taunting. “I’m here to help make sure you don’t get killed. I don’t want any more bloodshed. Let’s end this peacefully. I want you to be able to see tomorrow.”

      “Sergeant, let me remind you that we have eighteen hostages in here. If you want them all to walk out of here, you’ll keep your distance. Otherwise, you’ll be picking up the pieces.”

      “Well, Bonnie, like I said, my goal today is to make sure no one gets hurt. What can I do for you to make sure we resolve this quickly and quietly?”

      “I’ll get back to you on that.” She hung up, not willing to drag out the conversation. She was sure they were recording her voice and doing a voice recognition test. Hopefully that would remind them that she was law enforcement and the snipers that would inevitably be put in place wouldn’t put a target on her.

      She glanced at her watch and noted the time. Jackson was taking way too long to get into that safe. They’d had a plan in place if the police showed up before they could escape, but it was dangerous. Now they had no choice but to start following it. She thought about J.P. lying on the floor and stole a glance in his direction. He was still grimacing and holding his side where he’d been shot, but he was moving around less. His face was also much paler, and she wondered if he was going into shock. She decided to check on him and went back over to his side. She bent and took a look under his bandages while Terrell checked in with Jackson at the vault. She kept a close eye on the hostages while she did so, but none of them seemed anxious to challenge her authority this time, even though she had to lay down her rifle to check J.P.’s wounds.

      “How’s it look?” J.P. asked, his voice laced with pain.

      “Not so good,” she said softly. She kept the panic out of her voice, but she was deeply concerned about the amount of blood on the bandages. Daniel was right. J.P. needed a doctor, and he needed one now. If he didn’t get one, he might end up bleeding out right there on the floor. She adjusted the bandages and tied them a bit tighter. “Don’t worry, J.P. I’m going to get you some help.”

      He grabbed her arm and held it way too tightly. “Don’t turn me over to the cops,” he hissed.

      “I don’t have a choice. If I don’t, you’ll die right here and right now. Is that what you want?”

      “Don’t do it, Hailey. I’m warning you.”

      “Warning me?” she laughed, even though there was no mirth in her voice. “What do you plan to do to me if you’re six feet under, pushing up daisies?”

      He tried to pull himself up but groaned and fell back against the floor. He grabbed for her arm again, but she stayed just out of reach. “I’d rather die than get caught. If you turn me over to the cops, I’ll end up in prison, and it will be all your fault. If that happens, I’ll make you pay. I swear I will.”

      “Maybe,” she said with a frown. “But at least you’ll be alive.” She knew J.P. was a true believer in the cause, and the chances of him ratting them out were next to nil once he was arrested, but she took his threat against her seriously. J.P. was a dangerous enemy to have. Still, she couldn’t just let him die.

      “How is he?” Terrell asked as he reappeared and sauntered over to her side. He must have noticed her worried expression because some of the confidence went out of his step as he looked between her and J.P.

      “Not good.” She stood and motioned toward the vault. “How’s the progress back there?”

      Terrell shrugged. “The same. Slow but steady.”

      She motioned to J.P. “He’s going to die if we don’t get him some help. He’s bleeding way too much.”

      Terrell shook his head. “Then he dies. The boss won’t like it if we let anybody in here or if we let them take him to a hospital. You know the rules.”

      J.P. called out to Terrell. “Hey, man. Don’t let her turn me over to the cops.”

      Bethany moved so she was blocking Terrell’s view of J.P. and caught the bigger man’s eye. “Did you hear what I said? He’ll die if we don’t get him to a hospital.”

      “Then let him die,” Terrell suddenly yelled, his voice filling with anger. “Aren’t you listening? There’s a bigger picture here, woman. You can’t take a chance that he’ll talk.” He stalked up to Bethany and leaned over her, his stance threatening. “The cause is the only thing that matters.”

      She didn’t back down. “I won’t let him die.”

      “It’s not up to you. Listen to what he’s saying. He doesn’t even want your help.”

      “Do you want his death on your conscience?” she spat. She knew Terrell was twice her size and strength, but she had to stand up to him. This was important. This was life and death. She looked into his eyes and wondered how far he would go. He looked angry enough to shoot her just for daring to challenge him. Or would he shoot J.P. himself and make the whole argument moot? Despite his glare, she couldn’t back down. “I don’t want him on my conscience when I know I could have saved him.”

      “The boss will not be happy about it. Let him die.”

      Bethany looked from J.P. to Terrell, both of whom were glowering. Her insides were fighting a raging battle. Was this the end of her undercover assignment right here and now? Even if it meant she had СКАЧАТЬ