Page 93 of Forged in Peril

“All right,” Gabe said, clapping his hands together. Asher told whoever was on his line that he’d call back, and hung up his phone as well, his attention focused fully on their eldest brother.

“Plainclothes SAPD are already outside in unmarked vehicles as we speak. Bomb squad is en route, but they’re gonna be too slow. The van driver is getting antsy, and he still has his cell phone, so let’s watch to see if Jaclyn receives any new phone calls.”

He paused, glancing over at Ben, who gave him a thumbs up.

“Anyway,” Gabe continued, “I suspect that the driver might ditch, and then try to blow the van while still outside of the gate. I don’t want to lose him if SAPD’s undercover guys drop the ball. Right now, the element of surprise is on our side. I’m going down there to get him myself. Reilly, Asher, if you’re up for it, I could use some help.”

“I’m in,” Reilly said.

“How confident are you that he’s not the suicidal type?” Asher asked, his joking tone belied by the grim expression on his face.

“On his last job, he snuck out the back door before the attempted det,” Gabe said. “I suspect he’s feeling pretty happy with the idea of staying alive.”

Cameron clenched his fists as he listened to their back and forth. Every sentence seemed to be taking an eternity.

“I’m not waiting any more, Gabe,” he said. “I’m going up there.”

“You don’t have to wait, but you do need to try and stall if you can once you get to her,” Ben cut in, turning around in his chair and stretching his bulky arms high over his head. “Per the blueprints of the building across the street that I just got access to, SAPD snipers will have a clear shot at Jaclyn if you can’t de-escalate. I already sent Allie the intel, but I’m not about to tell SAPD how I got it. If you can get someone downstairs to watch the cameras, I’ll come and back Cam up.”

“Done,” Gabe said, nodding. “Let’s move. May God be with us all.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-EIGHT

BRISTOL

Bristol closed her eyes, unable to sit there and watch Jaclyn play with the gun anymore.

She had never felt so powerless in her life.

Even that terrible night in Dillon Warrington’s office hadn’t come close.

She’d closed her eyes that night, too, trying to pretend that she was somewhere else, but in the end, it had done little to protect her from the trauma that had followed her long after the deed was done.

No.

This time, she decided that she wasn’t going to try and bear the pain and the fear all alone.

This time, she knew that she had someone else to turn to, even in the darkest and loneliest places.

Despite how often she’d neglected Him, she knew that He was still there, waiting for her to seek Him.

God was listening, and He cared about her.

If it weren’t for God, the bomb would have gone off already, if not the gun.

Her mom had always tried to teach her that the Lord carried the world within His hands, upholding every single part of it in each moment, and finally, she understood exactly what she meant.

Had God not willed it, she wouldn’t be breathing right now.

And while she was alive, there was still hope, however dim.

She prayed in silence, feeling her racing heart beginning to slow as an inexplicable sense of peace washed over her.

She sat there for a long time, her eyes closed against the sunlight.

She heard a knock at the office door.

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