A Grant County Collection Read Online Free PDF Page A

thinking about her family, about all that had been left unsaid between them. Then she pushed them out of her mind and instead thought about the children left in the room. She stared at the gun in Jeffrey's hand, pinning everything on the weapon. If she could get to Jeffrey's gun, maybe they would have a chance. Four more desks. Jeffrey was only four more desks away. She let herself look at him again. His body was still, his hand unmoving.
    Smith was still focused on Brad. 'Where's your gun?'
    'It's here,' Brad said, and Sara darted toward the next desk, overshooting it but managing to stop short behind a lateral filing cabinet. 'I gotta bunch of little girls here, man. I'm not going to draw on you. I haven't touched my gun.'
    'Throw it over here.'
    Sara held her breath and waited until she heard Brad's gun sliding across the floor before she ran to the next desk.
    'Don't move!' Smith screamed as Sara skidded to a stop behind the desk. Her feet were sweating, and she saw her own bloody footprints tracing her route across the floor. She stumbled, but caught herself before she fell into the open.
    Maria wailed, 'Please!'
    There was the loud retort of flesh against flesh. Maria's chair gave a god-awful groan, as if it had snapped in two. Sara watched under the desk as Maria's body slammed into the ground. Saliva spurted from her mouth and her teeth slid across the tiles.
    'I told you not to move!' Smith repeated, giving Maria's chair a vicious kick that sent it spinning into the wall.
    Sara tried to control her breathing as she moved closer to Jeffrey. One desk stood between them, but it was turned the wrong way, blocking her path. She would be in Smith's line of fire if she ran. She was almost directly across from the children. They were three desks away. She could get the gun and . . . Sara felt her heart stop. What could she do with the gun? What could she accomplish that nearly ten cops could not?
    Surprise, Sara thought. She had surprise. Smith and his accomplice did not know that she was in the room. She would surprise them.
    'Where's your backup?' Smith demanded.
    'I'm patrol. I don't carry a second –'
    'Don't lie to me!' He fired in Brad's direction and instead of the screams Sara expected, there was silence. She looked back under the desks, trying to see if anyone had been shot. Three sets of glassy eyes stared back. Shock had taken over. The girls were too afraid to scream.
    Silence filled the room like a poisonous gas. Sara counted to thirty-one before Smith asked, 'You still there, man?'
    She put her hand to her chest, scared her heart was beating too loudly. From what she could see of Brad, he was not moving. Her mind flashed on an image of him sitting there, his arms still around the children, his head gone. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the image from her brain.
    She chanced another look at Smith, who was standing where Maria had greeted her less than ten minutes ago. He had a nine-millimeter in one hand and the shotgun in another. His jacket was open and Sara could see two empty holsters along with extra shells for the shotgun strapped to his chest. Another pistol was tucked into the front of his jeans and at his feet was a long black duffel bag that probably contained more ammunition. The second gunman was behind the counter, his weapon still pointing toward the front door. His body was tensed, his finger resting to the side of the trigger on his rifle. He was chewing gum, and Sara found his silent gum-chewing more unnerving than Smith's threats.
    Smith repeated, 'You there, man?' He paused before trying again. 'You there?'
    Finally, Brad said, 'I'm here.'
    Sara let out a slow breath, relief weakening her muscles. She flattened herself to the floor, knowing the best way to get to Jeffrey would be to slide past a row of overturned filing cabinets. Slowly, she made her way along the cold tiles, reaching her hand out toward his. The tips of her fingers finally grazed the cuff of his jacket. She closed