Page 91 of Forged in Peril

Jaclyn seemed stable enough for the moment, but he’d handled enough hostage situations to know that things could change in a heartbeat.

He needed backup, and then he needed a plan–even if it meant leaving Bristol alone with a possible killer.

As he turned away and headed back down the hall, he felt as though his heart would shatter before he made it to the stairs. Bristol had already been through so much, and now, a new nightmare had come to haunt her waking hours.

“Hey, boss,” someone said as she passed him near the stairwell, her face pinched in confusion. Some part of his brain registered that she worked in accounting, but that was all.

He forced himself to wave back as he jogged past, but he could offer no other explanation.

Causing a panic wasn’t an option.

He glanced down at the glowing screen of his phone as he pushed his way through the heavy staircase door. Somehow, he still had just a little under five minutes before Gabe would call down to security to let the truck through–not that it mattered.

He had the proof he needed, but there was no sense of triumph.

The phone rang a moment later, and he answered it, pressing it to the side of his sweaty face.

“What is going on with this footage?” Gabe demanded.

Cameron’s shoes pounded against the metal stairs as he hurried down toward the second floor, but he could hear his brother’s raised voice loud and clear.

“Jaclyn is holding Bristol hostage in her office,” he said matter-of-factly. There would be time for I-told-you-so’s later–for the moment, he needed Gabe to help him get ahold of the situation before it spun totally out of control. “She’s armed. I need you to get the cops here, but make sure they come in quietly. Jaclyn can see the front of the building through her windows, so keep that in mind.”

“Noted.”

“I’m going to see what Ben can dig up on Jaclyn. Obviously, we missed something. After that, I’m going in to extract Bristol, and I could use some help.”

To Cam’s relief, Gabe didn’t argue or ask any needless questions. He was in security professional mode, and it showed in every word he spoke.

“I’ll tell the guys what’s going on and start quietly evacuating. It’ll have to be through the front, though, even if it tips Jaclyn off.”

“I guess calling in the bomb squad doesn’t sound so silly anymore,” Cam replied, chuckling without mirth.

There was a brief pause.

“Hang in there, bro,” Gabe said gently. “She’ll be okay. We’ve got this.”

Cameron prayed that he was right.

BRISTOL

The minutes continued to tick by as the two women sat in silence.

Jaclyn had taken the gun from the table again and was turning it over in her hands, looking out the window every couple of minutes.

She looked calm–relaxed, even–but Bristol had the distinct feeling that she was paying close attention to everything that was going on.

As for herself, she was desperate not to allow the chaos she felt within to show on the surface. Thinking of her mother or of Cameron was out of the question. If she did, the tears would come, and crying was not something she was willing to do.

Not in front of this sociopath.

Thinking about the delivery van downstairs, however, only brought a fresh wave of fear.

At any moment, it could explode, blowing them all sky-high. Despite Jaclyn’s insistence that they might survive the blast, it was hardly a guarantee–and for those who worked in the lower floors of FBS, it was a death sentence.

She glanced up at Jaclyn as she stared out of the window again, her fingertip gently stroking the side of the gun.

Something was off.

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