A Twist of Betrayal (2 page)

“I can take care of this baby by myself. I don’t need him.” She patted her belly. “We don’t need him,” she corrected angrily. “But we do need to eat.”

A man wearing a red baseball cap climbed out of a van two spaces over and followed her through the automatic door. With her frustration still swirling around her like the wind blowing leaves, she hardly gave him a second look. Once inside Mike’s Supermarket, Justine tried to push aside the lingering aggravation of her situation, but found it impossible. She was torn between the need to get back to Dan and try to work past this, and to not face him at all.

No, she had to face him. It was what made her a great lawyer—not being afraid to face a fight, even one she thought she might not be able to win. It was also what made their marriage strong—the ability to talk and face their problems together. They just hadn’t had to face this big of a problem before. Yet, right now neither facing Dan nor not facing him sounded promising.

Justine got what she needed. The thought of eating made her suddenly queasy stomach roll in protest. That was how upset her argument with Dan left her. But she knew from experience the past week with morning sickness if she didn’t keep something in her stomach, she would be worse off. She paused only in the liquor aisle where she contemplated a bottle of wine. Maybe a few candles and some wine would help ease things over. Then she walked away and realized she had to settle for the candles alone. Alcohol wouldn’t be good for the baby. Besides, she still wasn’t certain she’d be heading back home. She paused instead at the snack aisle and grabbed a box of crackers.

She could take her sandwich and snacks to the Regency Hotel, get a room, eat while watching cable and spend the night in a whirlpool. Or she could go straight to her brother’s guesthouse and enjoy some quiet time. She should probably opt for the hotel since going to her brother’s would require explanations that would spread to the rest of the family quicker than wildfire.

Yes, the hotel idea sounded much better than facing Dan right now. It would give them both some time to digest the situation. She actually liked that idea and smiled at the thought.

At the checkout, she got behind the man wearing the baseball cap. He bought a six-pack of beer. Justine put her goods on the conveyor belt counter and thoughtlessly watched as Dorie, one of the check-out girls, sent the beer across the laser scanner. Dorie put the beer on the bag turntable and muttered the price, but her startled cry instantly pulled Justine out of her distraction.

Dorie stared at the man in front of Justine, and Justine followed her gaze.

The man held a gun—a real gun.

She would have screamed, but she couldn’t seem to make a sound. Her heart instantly raced and her chest grew tight with sudden fear.

Instinctively, she took a step away. And the man whirled toward her, pointing the gun at her.

“Don’t move,” he ordered.

He’s going to shoot me
, she thought.

She expected to see the muzzle flash and a bright light, or at least her life passing before her eyes. But all she saw was the harsh frustration in his eyes and the way his hand shook. All she felt was ice-cold terror clawing at her back.

She shivered.

Instinctively, she held her hands in the air where he could see them.

Dan came to mind. What would Dan do? Maybe pull out his own gun and shoot the bastard. Just where the hell was a cop when you needed one?

She knew what Dan expected.

Stay calm.

Do whatever is necessary to survive.

She now had more than just herself to protect. Justine forced herself to breathe, nice and easy. It hurt her chest and didn’t calm her much, but at least her knees stopped shaking.

She stared at the man with the gun and tried to memorize his features. Later, she would be able to give Dan or any of his six colleagues a detailed description. He had dark hair, sticking out from beneath a baseball cap. His eyes were dark and uneasy as he tossed his gaze from her to Dorie and back. The beard he was wearing was fake, Justine could plainly see that, but it was impossible to see the shape of his face.

The man swung his gun back to Dorie, his hand still shaking. “I want all the money in the cash drawer. Put it in a plastic bag!”

Dorie moved to do his bidding, and he reached across the counter to jab her with the barrel of his gun. “And don’t you be touching any silent alarms or anything, or it will be the last thing you do, little girl.”

Dorie was deathly pale. Her hands shook as she reached into the drawer. Several coins dropped to the floor.

“Drop anything else and I’ll kill you,” he warned.

His warning only made Dorie shake more.

An older man and woman approached then, the woman pushed a cart full of groceries.

The man with the gun stepped out from behind the candy display where they could see all of him. In order to do that, he had to step closer to Justine.

She tried to distance herself from him, but he grabbed her shirt with his free hand as he waved the gun in his other.

Justine caught the subtle scent of some outdoorsy aftershave and her stomach did a somersault as she worked to swallow past the burn of bile.

“Stop right there and stand next to this pretty lady!”

“What the—” the older man began. The woman with him merely gasped.

“Shut up!” the robber ordered, shoving the gun toward the older man.

He still grasped her shirt, but when the older couple stepped up beside her, he must have been satisfied that they posed no threat and released her.

Only then did Justine breathe. She also did a quick mental evaluation and was glad to find her bladder still held. Dorie emptied the cash drawer and put all the bills into a plastic grocery bag. A few fluttered to the floor.

“I’ll take your jewelry, too,” the man with the gun barked at Dorie. “And make it snappy!” He pointed his gun at her, as if to remind her it was there.

Dorie didn’t hesitate to toss her watch and the necklace she wore into the bag.

The man snatched the bag from the counter and turned again toward Justine and the older couple. “I’ll take all your jewelry, too, and your wallets!”

The woman started to protest, but the older stopped her. “Just give it to him, Marion.” He slid off his watch and dropped it into the bag before tossing in his wallet.

Justine’s hands shook. She couldn’t get her wedding ring off. As if the token of love that went along with that promise of until death do us part held its own act of defiance, it refused to slip over her knuckle.

“Come on, bitch.” He came closer with the gun, and Justine felt the cold metal of it touch her under her chin. “I can cut it off after you’re dead.”

She couldn’t stop the tears this time and felt the warmth on her cheeks in contrast to the cold metal. “I can get it. Just give me a minute,” she forced out.

“I’ll give you ten seconds.”

She stared into his eyes and thought he would shoot her long before her ten seconds were up. She wet her knuckle with her own saliva and slid the ring off. “There!” She tossed it into the bag, telling herself it was only a ring. Besides, after today, she might not even need it.

She tried to push that horrid thought from her mind, but even with a gun threatening her life, she couldn’t force it away.

“Any money?” The man held the gun near her face, and Justine held her breath. At least it was no longer pressed against her chin. She tossed in the ten dollars she had in her jeans pocket. “Thanks, sweetcakes.” His voice was filled with mock politeness. He looked at her for a moment too long, and his drawn-out study reminded her of an alley cat getting ready to pounce on a cornered mouse.

He turned away.

And Justine let out a breath of relief to have him and his gun facing away from her. This certainly changed her outlook on life. After she got out of this, she thought she just might change careers. Dealing with a man like this—or thousands of others like him—up close and personal was a hell of a lot different that dealing with them in the courtroom.

He moved past the registers.
It was over
, Justine thought. Her sore knees felt like rubber. In another moment, he would be gone, and she could call Dan. She could forget about the flowered sofa. Hell, as long as Dan just held her, she didn’t care what he chose to put in the house. From here on out, she was determined to make her marriage the best it could be.

As soon as she called him, she could just sink to the floor and rest. Justine didn’t think she had the strength to drive home. She needed Dan, she needed his arms around her. They could talk about the baby later.

The man, with the gun in one hand and his bag of stash in the other, headed for the automatic door. Justine stared at him, knowing the others stared at him, too, and shared her relief.

He reached the door, and it automatically swung open.

Three police cars careened into the parking lot at the same time, their sirens screaming through the silence of the store.

Justine thought she was going to have to talk to Dan about the ill timing of the Landston Police Department. When the man with the fake beard turned back toward the interior of the store, his eyes blazing with anger, she prayed she’d get the chance.

“Who the fuck hit the alarm? Was it you?” He pointed his gun at Dorie.

“No-no, I didn’t,” Dorie stammered. “I swear!” She cowered against the thin wall of the small booth that held the register and covered her face with her hands. “Please, please don’t kill me.”

Justine thought of Mary Donnelson back in the deli, but said nothing.

After that, things happened quickly.

One minute, Justine was standing, just praying she could fall into Dan’s arms, and the next, the man with the gun grabbed her a second time and pressed the cold steel of his gun to her cheek.

Justine didn’t think anything could
be worse than having that gun beneath her chin, but this was. Looking down and seeing the gray barrel pressed against her stopped her heart like a clenched fist. Then she realized her heart hadn’t stopped at all. No, it raced, and she heard the rush of each beat in her ears. She heard and felt every panting breath she took.

“I need some insurance to get out of here and get past all those blue uniforms out there, and it looks as if you’re it, sweetcakes.”

His hands on her were hot. In contrast, the cold touch of the barrel of the gun against her face was paralyzing. She thought she should say a silent prayer, but all she could mutter over and over was a desperate plea for him to let her go.

She found herself outside, in the late fall sun that suddenly felt strangely electrified, leaving the hair on the back of her neck standing, and she couldn’t remember taking the steps it took to get there. She recognized the three police officers all pointing their guns in her direction. They were her and Dan’s friends. They had been to her home, along with their wives. Steve Harlome, Dan’s best friend, was there, too. He ducked behind the open door of his police car. Even from this distance, Justine saw the shock and fear in his eyes.

Steve pulled back the hammer of his gun. Justine heard the small sound as if it had been the crack of a firecracker, and her heart skipped. Her knees were weak. She could hardly stand. Her stomach felt as if a hand with long pointed fingernails squeezed it so tight it hurt.

Steve was going to take a chance. He was going to take a shot at the robber with the gun. Justine wasn’t afraid Steve would miss. She knew of his accuracy when it came to target practice. He and Dan practiced on a regular basis. It was what would happen in that split second after he shot the maniac that held a gun to her face that worried her. Would the guy reflectively fire his own gun? She closed her eyes for what felt like an eternity, hoping that when she opened them again, it would all be over. That is, if she got the chance to open them. But she only succeeded in having more tears fall on her face.

No, it was far from over.

The robber must have sensed something because he suddenly twisted her around and used her as a shield, placing her directly in between himself and Steve. He went so far as to crouch down slightly and put his face next to hers. The feel of him made her skin crawl. She tried to pull away, but he held her too tightly.

Steve would have to shoot through her first, and thank God he was smart enough to see that. Justine wanted to scream at him as he lowered his gun, wanted to tell him to take the chance and not let her go with this guy.

The robber held her closer and dragged her across the parking lot. Justine couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from Steve’s. This could not be happening. This had to be a nightmare.

It wasn’t.

Yes, it was. It was a nightmare from which she couldn’t wake.

“Stop right there,” Steve tried. Justine heard so many emotions in his voice—worry and fear and frustration.

“Forget it,” the robber called back. “I’ll shoot her before I stop!”

Justine knew she couldn’t get into any car with this man. She knew if she did, her chances of ever coming back were slim to none. She stared at Steve, terrified that he might go ahead and take a chance at the robber, and equally terrified at the same time that he wouldn’t. The robber dragged her to the van she’d seen him climb out of before. She had to do something now. Her legs felt like water and were leaking strength like a sieve, and she finally let her weight drop to the asphalt. The pain of her fall shot up her legs, but she ignored it. It was all she could think to do, knowing if she tried to fight him, the gun might go off.

“Don’t think you’re getting away, sweetcakes.” He grabbed her ponytail, pulling her to her feet. She couldn’t help but cry out as the pain in her scalp met the pain from her knees somewhere in her middle. Justine’s throat burned, and for a long, heart-wrenching moment, she thought she was going to be sick right there in the parking lot.

She thought she had a chance as the robber let go of her ponytail. The hope that he would leave her there soared through her since he looked like he might jump into his van and attempt an escape.

Justine screamed as she saw she wasn’t going to be that lucky. He raised the gun, and Dan’s handsome face flashed through her mind. He was going to shoot her, she had no doubt. She was never going to see Dan again. She was never going to get the chance to make things up to him…