Authors: Carey Baldwin
Hush (15 page)
Novak glanced protectively at his sister, and then nodded at Blackbeard before crumpling back into the booth.
Time for a new plan.
Be a good witness—no longer an option. Not with this asshole grinding a pistol in Nevaeh’s face. But rushing the guy was also not an option. Danny would have to cross a distance of three yards before he could make the tackle. Blackbeard had only to squeeze the trigger to blow Nevaeh’s face off. Danny was good at math. He opted for another tactic—gentle persuasion.
Schooling his voice into a sincere tone, he said, “Please, let her go. You don’t have to do this. We’ll cooperate. All of us.” He nodded his head and made eye contact with every individual in the room until each one nodded back. “See. Every last one of us. You got what you came for. Just let her go, and you can leave with the cash.”
“Fuck you, cowboy.” Blackbeard drilled the gun deeper, and then pulled it away to reveal the dimpled brand of the muzzle on Nevaeh’s cheek. “You can’t order me around.”
“Damn straight. You’ve got the gun. You don’t need to hold the girl for protection. None of us here could take you on. In fact, the longer you stay, the greater the chance you’ll be caught. I’d like to see everyone get out of here alive, including you. So what do you say?”
By way of an answer, Blackbeard popped off a shot, nailing Cookie in the foot. The old man went down sideways. His hip struck the floor with a bone- chilling crunch.
Gentle persuasion—no longer an option. The gunman had just revealed himself to be no petty asshole, but rather a bonafide motherfucker. In other words, they were screwed. Danny had plenty of training in hostage negation, but most of what he knew didn’t apply in this scenario. He had no backup surrounding the building for leverage and nothing to offer in exchange for Nevaeh. He was going to have to wing it.
Danny relaxed.
He was
good
at winging it.
Author’s Note
T
HIS NOVELLA WAS
both incredibly difficult and incredibly joyful to write. The original story was crafted at a turbulent time in my life, and I had to set the book aside for almost a year before I could come back to it. But once I did come back, I loved telling the story of Charlie and Anna, and that little place called Tangleheart, Texas. Thanks so much for reading. You make this journey worthwhile.
Acknowledgements
I
AM DEEPLY
grateful to my family, Bill, Shannon, Erik, and Sarah for their love and support. Thank you to my outstanding editorial team, Janine Allen and Martha Trachtenberg; and to my technical advisors, Thomas Brousseau and Luz Aragon. My heartfelt thanks go out to the Kiss and Thrill ladies: Lena, Rachel, Manda, Sarah, Diana, Sharon, Krista, and Gwen for their relentless encouragement, support and wisdom. And last but never ever least, Courtney, Leigh, and Tessa, your shining examples inspire me, and your friendship lifts me up every day.
Copyright
Hush: © 2013 by Carey Baldwin.
Front cover design © Regina Wamba.
Digital Edition 1.0
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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