A jolt of adrenaline rushed through her as the heel of her hand brushed over the hidden hilt on her way up the last of the steps. But she’d checked herself in the mirror countless times before leaving the room, and as long as she moved or stood just-so, there’d be no reason for Landy to suspect she was armed.
Yes, he had a gun, but at least with the knife, Evie wasn’t completely helpless. And the first chance she got to use it?—
“Stop right there, Granger!” A man yelled as she and Landy cleared the top step. “Put the gun down, and let the woman go!”
Evie’s eyes flew to her left. It took her a full two seconds to realize who’d just given Landy the order, but once she did…
“Beckett?” She instinctively took a step toward him.
But Landy grabbed her upper arm and yanked her back. The cool barrel of his gun pressed against her temple as he kept the back of her body flush with his front.
He’s using me as a human shield.
One more bit of proof the man only cared about himself.
“Drop your guns, or she’s dead!” he shouted next to her ear.
Evie winced when the gun’s cold metal began cutting into her skin.
“P-Please, Landy,” she tried begging. “If they’re here, that means there’s no way out.”
“She’s right,” Beckett spoke directly to Landy. “It’s over, Granger. So put down the gun, and let Evie go.”
He’s really here! Beckett’s here, which means everything is going to be okay!
But even as the wistful thought drove through her frantic mind, Evie knew his team’s presence alone wasn’t enough to secure a positive outcome. And until Landy agreed to lower his weapon…
“Please, Landy. Do what he says, and no one else has to get hurt.”
“It’s too late for that,” her father’s partner growled.
“No, it’s not.”
“Enough with the bullshit, Granger,” Digger chimed in. “Drop the gun and step away from the woman, or you’ll be as dead as the rest of your crew.”
“Wait!” Evie heard herself coming to Landy’s defense. Not because she forgave him for what he was doing, but because she didn’t want to see him or anyone else get killed. “Y-You need money, right?” She spoke directly to Landy. “You said you made some bad investments, so you used your clients’ money to cover it. And when that didn’t work, you came up with the plan to use me to get money from Phillip. And because that fell through, we’re here, right? But we don’t have to be.”
From her peripheral, she could tell Landy was already shaking his head.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he dismissed her completely.
“Yes, I do!” she pleaded with Landy as the man held her in place with a gun to her head and an arm around her neck. “And I think I have a way we can all get out of this thing without anyone else getting hurt.”
Beckett and his teammates remained quiet as Landy considered what Evie had just said.
“How?” he finally asked after a long, tortuous few seconds of silence.
“My trust,” Evie announced. “My grandparents on my mom’s side set it up for me shortly after I was born. It’s a living trust, and one my father can’t legally access. But I’ll be able to as soon as I turn thirty-two, which is in just a few?—”
“Months?” Landy’s laugh held no genuine humor. “I can’t wait months, Evie. The men I owe will kill me long before that time comes.”
“Yeah?” Apollo shot daggers from his deadly stare. “What do you think we’re going to do to you if you don’t drop that fucking gun and let Evie the fuck go?”
“It will work, Landy!” Evie kept fighting a losing battle. “You can live out here in the middle of nowhere until after my birthday. I’ll wire the money to whatever account you want, and?—”
“Shut up!” He pushed the barrel even harder against her temple. “Everyone just shut the fuck up!”
“P-Please, Landy. I’m b-begging you.”