The bank smelled like her sweat, but that might just be her nose, as Jose held Elizabeth’s elbow and she brushed against the gun under his jacket. It was probably obvious just to her, but if someone noticed, she might be saved. Elizabeth glanced toward the security guard near the door as Jose held her arm firm. The guard wasn't paying her any attention and when she stared at him, he glanced at his cell phone. Jose directed her to the offices in the bank in a bruising grip.
Customers milled around, but the bank staff all looked down as she passed.
If she screamed for help, he’d promised to shoot her. How to get home to Brandon, while staying alive? And not putting other people at risk? Banks had a million ways to call the police if something happened.
Her gaze roamed around the rooms. Somehow, someway there had to be a trigger she could find.
He knew she banked here, so he must know her family owned the bank. Her father had been who she thought of as her banker while he was alive. “We’re going right toward a friend. Don’t look up at anyone.”
Right, as if she didn’t already stick out in her ice blue dress and heels. For now she did as she was told, even if someone here might be willing to assist her. Perhaps if she figured out the layout, she could get inside a vault and lock herself in until help arrived.
They made their way toward offices on the opposite side of the tellers.
Jose spoke to a female employee with the name badge, Lily. Lily avoided her gaze as Jose said, "Ms. Morgan would like to transfer some money."
Again, Lily glanced away from Liz to nod at Jose. "Yes, of course. This will go just as we discussed."
Collusion. Liz's spine tingled as she focused on somehow making it to the money safe.
"Absolutely."
Jose tried to drag her further into the private office with a door. He closed the door. At least there were windows inside, but trapped wasn’t good. "Can I use the rest room?"
"No."
He continued to drag her and as they were in the back, no one paid them attention.
If she went in, she'd lose her chance. She crouched low like she was in need of the ladies room. Customers stared at her as she said, "Please, Jose."
"Pee on yourself for all I care."
A customer in the waiting area to speak with a banker about a loan stood up. "Don't treat women so harshly."
Jose squeezed her arm so hard she knew it would be black and blue. "You're making a scene. Go into the office and let's get this over with."
The attention meant she had a chance. Jose snarled at the man, but then pulled out his badge from his back pocket and showed the stranger. She bit her lip and then tugged her arm away, not that it worked. "Please, Jose. The bathroom is right there."
The customer's face turned red as he stared at her and then Jose's badge. He put his hands in his pockets. "Is she under arrest, officer?"
"No, I am not." She held the partition wall so hard it shook.
Jose stepped forward, his badge out for all to see. "She's under police protection."
Now or never. Her heart pounded in her chest and she yanked free. "I'll take my chances in the bathroom."
The man staring at Jose turned red, but he stayed where he was. Jose gritted his teeth. "You have sixty seconds or I'm coming in to get you."
"Fair enough." She bolted toward the bathroom that was right next to the safe. She'd have two seconds to get in the safe that was ajar and lock the door.
The clip of her strappy heels sounded against the linoleum floor. As she neared the bathroom, she dove into the safe instead. She grabbed the door and slammed it shut as two people behind her shouted. "You can't be in here!"
The two tellers were both at the window with customers in their cars. This wasn’t the vault, even though the door looked like it and locked like one. One woman named Naomi according to her name tag, crossed her arms and stood in the small office with the window to the car customers. "You locked us in."
Instead of explaining, she held out her hand and asked, "Naomi, do one of you have your phone? There is a man with a gun inside the bank. If you get me out of this, I promise the CEO will give you a bonus."
Liz read the woman's name tag and memorized her name, Naomi, as she stared at her more closely, including her brown eyes. "Miss Morgan?"
"Yes." She came closer to Naomi, and refused to even blink while she stared at her. "Please, we're running out of time. There is a rogue cop who wants to steal my money outside."
"What the..." Naomi stopped speaking halfway through and handed Liz her phone. Liz stared at the monitor where Jose was now center screen. She paused before dialing. Jose had Rafe's phone, but Rafe wasn't the only man she could rely on in the world.
A second later, she waited for someone to answer. Her heart beat faster—Jose pointed his gun at the teller. She practically screamed when her brother answered his phone. "Luke! Are you with Rafe?"
"Not exactly. He's looking for you. Where are you?"
On the monitors above the door, people inside the bank looked frightened as Jose told the teller something. Liz’s breaths turned into quick, painful pants for air. "Tell him to get to our family bank in Miami Springs. His friend Jose kidnapped me, stole his phone and is now robbing the bank."
"What? Rafe's already en route."
Liz jerked the phone from her ear. That was fast. "How?"
"His car has a tracker and when it wasn't in your garage he activated the device."
Thank goodness. A different teller screamed as Jose held a gun to her head. If Liz had given him his money, would this be over? She hugged her waist. "I should go, Luke, and call the police now."
"Police were called, ma'am," Naomi interrupted. "I hit the silent alarm."
At least someone did something right.
Luke said, "Rafe says don't do anything stupid and he'll be there soon."
If Rafe was coming for her, what if Jose kept his word when he left here and he killed her? Her pulse raced. "Where is Brandon?"
"With us. Right now, I need to know you’re safe. I can't live if..."
"I'm okay." Her older brother. She trusted Luke implicitly; just as Rafe had stepped in for Caro, Luke had been a makeshift dad for her and Matthew. "I locked myself and a few employees in the drive up window. Tell Peter that Michael and Naomi, the employees I'm with right now in the Miami Springs branch deserve a bonus for keeping me safe."
She regretted putting them in danger.
"If he doesn't, I will."
Once again, Luke watched out for her. He'd watch out for Brandon if anything happened to her. "Luke, I love you."
"I love you too, sis."
From the monitor she saw Jose bang the locked vault-style door. Inside it hardly rattled. Then he took out his gun and pointed it at the lock. She swallowed and hung up on her brother as the bullet ricocheted out of the barrel. She held still. The bullet rattled the metal door, but nothing pierced through.
On the monitor, Jose was red-faced and cursed with narrowed eyes as he yelled, “Get down.”
Everyone else at the bank hid on the floor. Then with bulging muscles, Jose banged the door. "Elizabeth, come out or I will hunt down your boy."
She handed the phone to Naomi and took a step toward the locked door. She couldn’t let random people get hurt because of her. Naomi pulled her back. "Miss, the lock is bullet proof. Don't open the door."
Naomi was right. Liz rolled her shoulders and thought about Brandon He deserved two parents growing up, like she’d never had. "Okay."
Michael spoke from his chair as police sirens echoed in the distance. "The police are almost here, Miss Morgan."
Jose cursed and kicked the door. She stared at the monitor as Jose held his gun pointed at the crowd of people who covered their heads on the ground.
Without warning he shot out a light and showered the people on the ground with glass. They screamed, and Jose yelled, “Come out now or I start shooting one-by-one every hostage in your family’s bank. I hope you can live with their blood on your hands.”
"I still can't let innocent people suffer because of me."
Naomi stayed beside her. "You will do no good if you go out there."
Elizabeth paced back and forth. If anyone was hurt, the blood was on her hands. She went to the window and saw more blue and red flashing lights in the distance. The police cars surrounded the bank coordinated as they set up a perimeter.
Michael stood and pointed at the monitor. "Ms. Morgan, look!"
Elizabeth's fingers covered her lips. Jose grabbed a young woman who held a baby and forced her to stand. Her entire body froze as he faced the terrified woman toward the security camera. "Oh God."
Jose smacked the screen. Elizabeth took a shaky breath. "This is Jessica. She's a mother, like you. Come out or I will shoot her."
Liz couldn’t look away as Jessica quickly tossed her baby to a surprised bank employee. The baby cried in shock.
“No?” A loud bang rang out in the air and a splotch of red blossomed over Jessica’s shoulder.
Liz screamed at the same time the woman did. “He shot her!”
Jose pounded the camera with the gun. "The next shot will be in her heart. You have sixty seconds to get out of there."
Liz reached for the door.
"Don't go, Miss,” Naomi put some pressure on her shoulder to keep her. “He'll kill you."
Her stomach churned. She couldn’t move. She stared at the screen as Jessica bled and her child cried uncontrollably. Jose had said he wanted ten million dollars. Money meant nothing, not that she had trusted him.
She felt adrenaline rush in her veins. Then she straightened her spine, walked out of Naomi’s grip, and went to the door. This was probably the stupidest idea she had, but she held up her chin. Jose would kill the woman. "I can't let Jessica die."
Naomi followed her to the door. The second Liz turned the lever, more alarms went off. As she walked through and met Jose's cold, furious stare, a stillness enveloped her. Then the safe door slammed at her back and Jose charged.
She closed her eyes, the safe door at her back, as he took over the space between them. She could smell the stale garlic on his breath. Her stomach turned. He aimed his gun and she prayed that Luke and Rafe protected Brandon. Money twisted people who thought it was the answer to happiness, but it wasn’t. If she died right now, Rafe would take care of Brandon. "Don't shoot."
“Nobody move.” Jose said while he pointed his semi-automatic weapon toward the crowd again. Then he grabbed her hair, tugging her into the main section of the bank. She passed Lily who must have herded the customers and employees together in one spot, though her face was white.
Jessica crawled to her crying son. Elizabeth watched them both from the corner of her eye take cover behind a desk. Jose paid them no attention as he dragged her toward the desk they were at earlier and pointed to the computer. "You made this difficult princess. Now get over here and transfer the money."
"Let everyone else go, Jose." How those words came out of her mouth she had no idea as Lily walked over and placed the computer key board and signing pad at her fingertips.
Lily’s fingers trembled as she hit a button, but then Jose pointed the gun at Liz’s head. "Sign."
A chill raced through her, but somehow she felt better as she typed. If she died, she died. Her son would be safe. Sirens pierced through the air. She typed her passcode into the computer and nodded. "Done. Now please let everyone go."
Jose sneered as he grabbed her hair again and pulled her up. "Maybe that helpless pleading was how you ruined my friend. This way."
Rafe was nothing like Jose. The blue and red lights of the police cars outside filled the bank with pulsing colors. Jose walked her fast toward a back door away from the main parking lot.
Outside the glass door, her gaze met Rafe's. He was here. Her heart pounded as Jose dragged her through the lobby and headed toward the back.
"You won't get out alive." She elbowed him and tried to wiggle free. "The police won't let you out."
Jose breathed his hot disgusting breath on her neck. "Sure they will. I have you."
Rafe looked furious as he pounded on the door. Jose stopped for a moment and Elizabeth tried to jerk free as she said, "Rafe!"
"That looks like a man in love. Things just became more interesting." Jose pulled her out the lobby and away from Rafe.
She reached for the doors, but he dragged her down a hall into a utility room. Cops couldn’t be seen as he led her through a small corridor toward an open armored truck.
Her heart skidded in her chest. He must have planned every detail.
She was thrown in the back of the armored vehicle used to transport money. It lurched forward with her and Jose in the back. He slammed the doors shut leaving them in total darkness.
He’d had an escape plan. Lily had to be the driver. In the dark, all she could smell was Jose’s stale garlic and onion scent. If she didn't get free, she'd be dead. Her life didn't matter though as long as this crazy man never came near Brandon, ever again.