Targeted. Becky Avella

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       TWO

      Rick’s spirits had lifted when he rounded the corner of the school building and saw the glow of artificial light coming from the fourth classroom down the wall. He had hoped he would simply have to knock on Stephanie’s classroom window and all of this would be behind them. But once he peeked into her classroom, he knew it wouldn’t be that simple.

      Even through the window’s dirty glass, Rick had recognized Stephanie immediately, but it was the man standing in the doorway behind her, fitting the exact description of Julian Hale, that had caused him to pop back and draw his weapon.

      “Freeze!” Rick shouted through the window. He doubted they could hear him clearly, if at all, but he hoped the raised gun made enough of a statement. The glass wouldn’t stop him if he had to shoot.

      Rick’s gaze locked on Hale, trying to anticipate his next move. What was Hale going to do? Run? Try to take out Stephanie? Hale was caught, and Rick expected to read surprise or even fear displayed in the other man’s body language. Instead, Hale appeared unfazed by the gun and strangely poised.

      Rick needed to get Stephanie out of here and deliver her safely to Terrell Watkins. When they had split up to look for her, Rick had promised Terrell that he would get to her before Hale did. Rick’s gut twisted. He had failed to keep that promise.

      Terrell and his wife, Val, viewed Stephanie O’Brien as a member of their family. The three of them had known one another for years, and Rick had run into Stephanie so often at their house, he had finally asked Terrell if she was living with them. To which Terrell had laughed and answered, “Practically.”

      But Terrell wasn’t laughing now. Back in the attic, Terrell’s broad shoulders had slumped and deep lines of worry had furrowed his forehead as he tried to reach Stephanie on her cell phone.

      “My calls are going straight to voice mail,” Terrell had said, skimming his tightly cropped black hair with his large hand. “That girl never keeps her cell phone charged, and Val hasn’t seen her at all today.”

      Rick had hated seeing Terrell so upset. The team counted on their sergeant’s lighthearted personality to ease the tense situations. His jokes had gotten Rick through a lot of heavy spots, but with the roles reversed, Rick hadn’t known what to say. Finding the photograph of one of your closest friends in the attic of a wanted killer wasn’t a light thing.

      And now here she was right in front of him. How was he going to get her away from Hale?

      Without lowering his gun, Rick reached up and grabbed his mic. “Code 3 assist. I’ve got a visual on the suspect.”

      * * *

      Stephanie wasn’t sure which of the two men to look to for answers. She turned back and forth between Rick at the window and Julian in the doorway until it dawned on her. Rick’s gun wasn’t aimed at her; his target was Julian, and Stephanie was in the way.

      She dropped to her stomach, scattering the papers she held in her arms, and scooted toward the window on her belly. Was that the right thing to do? She wished she could read Rick’s mind. Right or wrong, she had to put distance between her and the doorway where Julian still stood.

      “Stop moving, Stephanie,” Julian’s icy voice instructed her.

      She froze midcrawl. “Why are the police here, Julian? What have you done?”

      Although he spoke to her, his eyes stayed on the window and Rick’s gun. “I suspect the officer is here not only because of what I’ve already done, but because he knows what I’m planning to do next.”

      From her vantage point on the ground, Stephanie looked up and studied Julian’s face. A slow, small smile spread, then flickered out, leaving the flat, emotionless affect he always wore. She had noticed his oddities before—his formal speech, erect posture and unwavering calm. She had written them off as nothing more than a social awkwardness from a man who spent all of his time working with computers instead of people. Now she found the same mannerisms cold and calculating.

       What are you planning to do?

      Fear amplified the flow of blood behind her ears as it raced adrenaline through her body. Her heartbeat paralleled the ticking of the old clock in the front of the classroom. The minute hand kept bouncing into place, marking how long Stephanie lay on the ground waiting for something to happen.

      Julian didn’t say any more; his eyes remained locked on Rick. She waited for Rick’s gun to shatter the glass, but that didn’t happen, either. She remained motionless on her stomach, stuck in the middle of a standoff with no idea what she should do next.

      The distant sound of approaching sirens hit her ears. From the sound of it, a lot of law enforcement was about to descend on this place, yet Julian seemed unperturbed by it all. Maybe she could stall him until they arrived.

      “What are you planning to do, Julian?” she asked him.

      His soulless eyes turned her direction, making her shiver from the coldness she saw in them. “You will have to wait and see, Stephanie. I promise you will know soon enough.” Then he bolted from the doorway and disappeared СКАЧАТЬ