This wasn’t happening. A jolt of pain shot through Jake’s shoulder as it connected with the linoleum floor, the toy gun bouncing beside him as it came free of his grip. His own groan merged with a cry of pain from Hannah.
The next few seconds passed in a blur. Blood, bright and red, smeared on the floor beside him. Shouts from the men chasing them. Footsteps pounding a few yards away.
His mind was barely beginning to process the reality that Hannah was wounded when Cheng appeared at the end of the aisle, his gun now aimed at Jake.
Hannah rolled over on her back, her airsoft gun still gripped in her right hand, and shot.
The pellet hit Cheng square in the left eye, resulting in an immediate cry of agony. His left hand lifted to protect the wound, and his gun hand dropped to his side.
Jake and Hannah clambered to their feet, and Jake was surprised to see that Hannah was keeping pace with him despite the bloodstain seeping through the sleeve of her shirt. “You okay?”
She winced but said, “Yeah.”
They retreated to the center section of the store, and Jake saw Owen along the back wall, his line of fire impeded only by the stuffed animals they had hidden behind earlier.
They were trapped.
Hannah’s airsoft gun wouldn’t do her any good because her line of fire was blocked as well, but they had to get clear of Cheng without running into even more danger than they were currently in.
He reached into a wire bin filled with baseballs and hurled one at the Lego sculpture to Owen’s left. The spaceship exploded into thousands of pieces, and Owen caved to his protective instincts, pulling his arms up to protect his head.
“This way!” Hannah whispered, rushing toward a part of the store they had not yet passed through.
Jake saw Owen straighten and lift his gun once more. Afraid he now had a clear shot at Hannah, Jake sent another baseball flying in his direction and then a third.
The moment Owen ducked to take cover, Jake started after Hannah.
She was five yards away when Phil popped out of the aisle she was approaching.
Hannah came skidding to a stop, lost her footing, and fell to the ground, her own impromptu weapon falling beside her.
Now standing over Hannah, Phil swung his gun toward Jake. Jake darted behind a wire bin filled with oversized rubber balls. A gunshot blew through three of them, amplifying the sound.
Ducking behind the nearest shelves, Jake peeked out long enough to see Phil grip Hannah by the hair and haul her up until she was forced to stand in front of him.
What Jake wouldn’t give right now for one of his father’s hunting rifles.
“Come out of there, or I swear I’ll kill her,” Phil said.
“Don’t do it!” Hannah cried out. “He’ll kill you.”
Jake wavered. Could he trust these men to spare Hannah’s life if he gave himself up? Was he willing to trade his life for hers? The second question startled him when the answer came almost instantly: yes, he would sacrifice himself for her. Yet everything in him and every instinct he had seen Hannah exhibit told him these men would kill them both. His best bet to save Hannah was to save himself first.
* * *
Charlotte could sense Jake’s indecision. “I’ll unlock guardian. I swear. Just let him go.”
“We’ll see if you’re more cooperative this time.” Phil kept his gun trained in Jake’s direction, his other hand still gripping her hair.
Charlotte prayed Jake would stay where he was, that somehow he could continue to avoid Owen and Cheng.
She yelped in pain when Phil tugged on her hair so she had no choice but to go with him. Keeping her in front of him as though she was a shield, he walked backward, constantly ready to shoot if Jake dared peek out of his hiding place.
They were nearly to the storage room when she saw Owen once more heading toward Jake.
As much as she wanted to believe Jake could find his way free, she had to face the facts. They were outnumbered, and it was only a matter of time before Jake was cornered once and for all. Now it was up to her to decide if she could sacrifice Jake for the men and women working in the field to protect her country or if she would give these men everything on the off chance they would spare their lives.
* * *
Jake watched helplessly as Hannah and Phil disappeared from sight. He heard a shoe squeak nearby and realized Hannah wasn’t the only one in danger.
He reached onto the nearest shelf, his fingers gripping a hard plastic phone intended for toddlers. The moment he saw movement at the end of the aisle, he sent it hurling. In quick succession, he sent three more phones flying.
Worried he would get trapped between Owen and Cheng, he hurried back into the main aisle and started toward the front door. If he couldn’t get to Hannah, maybe he could get to the door, or at least to a working phone. There had to be one at the customer service desk.
Cheng appeared in his path, and once again Jake used toys as projectiles. This time he threw Barbie dolls, still in their pink packages, through the air.
Cheng kept one hand up to protect his face from getting hit and lifted his gun with the other. The fury on his face was unmistakable, and Jake didn’t waste time taking cover.
The sound of the gunshot was expected, but he heard something else that put his already rapid heartbeat into overdrive: a door opening.
His sense of urgency spiked. Eluding two men to get to help had already proven more of a challenge than he’d hoped. If they had help arriving, he didn’t know how he could get out of here, much less help Hannah. His stubborn streak and sense of self-preservation took over, and Jake grabbed another toy. Whether he was up against two men or twenty, he had to try.
* * *
Phil shoved Charlotte into the chair by the computer. “It’s now or never. You help me—you and your boyfriend live. You don’t—I’ll kill you now, and I’ll make sure you aren’t the only body that’s found tomorrow morning.”
Charlotte sucked in a breath, feeling like the air was too thick to pull into her lungs. The cold metal of the gun barrel pressed against the back of her head, her eyes were now locked on the computer screen in front of her, and a trickle of blood dripped down her wounded arm.
Her vision blurred, and all too clearly she could imagine this scene playing out at her family’s farm. How had her father felt when faced with this decision? Had he died protecting her? Or had his foremost concern been for the intelligence operatives he had dedicated his life to supporting?
She would never know the answer to her questions, but she liked to think it was both. Now she was faced with a nearly identical situation. She could cooperate and possibly live a little longer, or she could ensure the failsafe protocols remained intact. The guardians would have to start over if she died, no longer able to coordinate intelligence or utilize the resources the ghosts so uniquely provided, but at least they would be alive for now and still keep their anonymity.
Her resolve and stubbornness were strengthened when Phil pressed the gun even harder against her.
“Let Jake go, or I won’t help you.”
“You know, from what I understand, your father made almost the exact same statement about you before he died.”
“And you killed him.”
“Not me.”
Charlotte swallowed the huge lump that had formed in her throat. “Maybe you’ll have better results than your friend did if you consider the request.”
“Or maybe you’re destined to join your father.” He reached down with his free hand and shoved the keyboard closer. “Now, type.”