Mockingbird (A Stepbrother Romance #2)(53)

He has his finger on the damned trigger. I walk over and shield the women with my body, for all the good it would do. The gun dips as he leans on the table to get up, and I think about it. If I took him by surprise, hit him at the right angle…

He's taught me all my moves. He sees me thinking it and he knows exactly what I would do. What the f*ck am I supposed to do about that?

"Good," he rasps, clutching his side.

Might be a broken rib. It could slow him down, make him weak on that side, if I-Damn it, he sees me looking.

"This is what's going to happen. Diana is going to open the door and you two will walk through it. If you run or raise any kind of alarm, I'll shoot her in the back, right above her pelvis. Long, unpleasant way to die. Understood?"

I nod, and look at Carol. I don't know what to make of her. She's gone still, like she's just accepting it.

"Do it."

Diana steps to the side and looks at me the whole time she slowly opens the door. I take Carol by the arm and lead her out, my heart pounding as I wait for Diana to follow. She steps out, and then my father lurches behind her. He's pulling his right leg a little. Not bad, just a little. Not enough for me to make a move. He's watching, always one eye on me.

"Close together. No running, no sounds. We're going to walk over to the loading dock and inside the building. Carol, are you ready to open the vault for me?"

She doesn't hesitate. "Yes. Take whatever it is and leave us alone."

"I'm taking the Lost Vermeer."

"I don't care. Just don't hurt Diana."

Diana flinches at that.

"Let's move," I whisper to them. I take each of their arms in my hands and walk between them.

"I'm going to get us out of this," I whisper. "I promise."

"I know," Diana whispers back.

"Quiet," my father growls.

It's not a long walk. Damn it, why couldn't someone have hung around? The security guy was supposed to be close by. If I could get his attention…

Dad will shoot Diana. No, I can't risk that. It's dark out, now, but the path is bright, lit by high pressure sodium lamps. He has one eye on me but Dad has his head on a swivel, looking everywhere. I walk slowly, forcing Diana and her mother to do the same. I don't know what he'll do if he thinks we're going to try to bolt. Finally, we reach the loading dock.

"Stop. Do exactly as I say."

I freeze, and the girls stop on either side of me.

"Carol. Go up and open the gate."

She nods, walks up the ramp, and opens the gate.

"You two. Inside. Stay still, Carol, or I'll paint the wall with Diana's brains."

Carol freezes. I lead Diana inside. She's shaking like a leaf. She must be terrified. Once I'm in Carol follows, and then my father.

"Open the vault."

There it is. I've never actually seen it.

"I need Diana's help," Carol says.

"I know. Get over there and do it. Either of you make a move and I'll kill the boy."

For emphasis, he puts the gun to the back of my head.

Fuck.

"He'll do it," I say, softly.

He pushes the gun harder into the back of my neck. "Shut. Up."

Carol nods to Diana and they walk to the vault door. There's a keypad on both sides, too far apart for a single person to reach both.

"The passcode is your birthday. After it's in we need to enter the encryption key. I'll tell you what to do."

Diana gives her a trembling nod, and they type in the code. Carol calls out the letters and numbers for the encryption key. Diana's hand is shaking like a leaf. I can see Carol tensing up as she puts in the last letters, calls them out to Diana. Finally the vault opens with a dull thudding clang and the door moves, just a little. Carol grabs it and pulls with her weight, walking back as it swings open. The inside is smaller than I expected.

"Where is it?" my father demands.

"There," Carol nods at the table in the middle.

There's a crate in the center. It's… little. I seriously thought it would be bigger than that.

"This is how it's going to work. You two, get in the vault. Apollo is going to set the painting on the floor and get in there with you."

Carol's eyes go wide.

"Wait, no! You can't!"

He snaps the gun away from my head to aim at her. "Yes, you can."

"No, please! If they don't know the painting is missing, no one will check in the vault for days, we'll suffocate-"

"That would be terrible," he says, and shoots her.

The bang next to my head is more than a gunshot, it's a physical force. I stumble sideways. Diana lets out an almost inhuman cry of fear and aguish. Carol falls against the wall and slides to the floor, leaving a smear of blood down the concrete as she goes.

"Mom!" Diana wails, "Mom!"

"You son of a bitch," I roar, turning. I swing both hands. I"m too close. He got too close to me. His arm is out straight and I catch his elbow. It goes off again, and Diana dives to the floor. We go down in a heap, grappling. I claw at his hand, trying to get the gun away. Something drives into my side, and agony spreads through my body like liquid fire.

I jerk back and swing at him. We turn and twist. I smash my fist down on his hand, and his fingers fly open. The gun skids away. We roll. My side is hot, sticky. I touch my shirt and my hand comes away red. He's got a punch blade in his hand, a little knife with a t-handle so the point sticks out between his fingers.