Cold & Deadly (Cold Justice: Crossfire #1)(59)
Compelled by the need to know, he stepped closer and lowered his voice. “And did you? Want to be touched?”
She met his gaze then, hazel eyes warm, vulnerable, tentative. “Yes.”
He swallowed his shock at her honest admission and the hint she might have welcomed more. Yet it shouldn’t have surprised him. Ava Kanas was unflinchingly honest.
“Look, Dominic, there’s something I need to tell—”
“Sheridan!” Another member of HRT yelled at him from the corner of the prison building. “You’re needed in the command center ASAP.”
Dominic squeezed her arm briefly, keeping everything strictly professional to the casual observer even though his blood was pumping erratically through his veins. “Tell me later. I need to get back to the negotiation room.”
Ava pushed off the wall to follow.
He gave her a quizzical glance. “You don’t need to be trapped in there all day. Work in the trailer.”
“Charlotte and Eban need to rest.” Her mouth turned down. “Plus, it’s my job to watch your back, remember?”
Dominic’s mood plummeted. She was right and had reminded him of another reason why even thinking of getting tangled up with Ava Kanas on a personal level was a terrible idea. It didn’t stop him imagining the taste of her mouth the entire way into the building. Or from seeing the smooth curve of her naked shoulders. As soon as he entered the prison doors, however, he shoved distraction to one side.
Charlotte and Eban were headed towards him down the corridor. Both looked strained with exhaustion.
“Any progress?”
Eban shook his head. “We kept them talking for most of the night, but the HTs are getting more and more strained. They’re tired. Milo still won’t talk to us. We suggested sending his medication in via the ductwork and they went for it. No idea if Milo actually took the drugs or faked it. He might fear they’re sedatives.”
“Were they?” Dominic asked.
“Not this time,” Eban smiled ruefully. “Figured we’d try and win a little trust first time around.”
“Go get some food and sleep.” Dominic checked his watch. “I’ll radio you if I need you.” Cell service was blocked, so they used small radios instead.
The two walked sleepily off into the sunshine, and Dominic headed down to the Command Center to find the Incident Commander.
“You better wait outside,” he told Ava when they reached the door. He didn’t want to draw attention to her or explain his own situation of being in danger. None of this was about him.
Inside he found the Incident Commander, SAC Hamner, talking to Kurt Montana, the tactical commander from HRT.
“Any progress?” the IC asked.
“I’m just heading back in there now. The overnight negotiators say the hostage-takers are getting tired. Hopefully we can wear them out further today.”
The Incident Commander rolled his shoulders. “How long is it going to take to talk them out?”
Dominic cocked his head. “How long?” he echoed.
“Yeah. This entire facility has been on lockdown and there are hundreds of prisoners who need to be taken care of.”
The prisoners were all fed and watered. The authorities had started transferring some of the lesser offenders to a minimum-security prison nearby. Ironically, this situation might hasten the release of some of the other prisoners while extending that of Gino, Frank and Milo—not that Milo was ever getting out into the general population again. He was lucky not to have been put on death row down in Florida where he’d committed some of his atrocious crimes.
Dominic knew the Incident Commander was stressed and worried about the fate of the hostages. Dominic was worried too, but rushing the process didn’t help. “I realize this must seem frustrating to you, but progress is being made. So far they haven’t harmed the hostages and they are talking to us—except Milo.” Dominic hoped to talk to the prison psychiatrist today. The guy had been on a European vacation. Now he wasn’t. “I think we need—”
“What about pumping gas into the kitchen area via the air ducts?” the IC shot out.
Dominic crossed his arms and shot Kurt Montana a cool look. “That hasn’t been used very successfully in the past. I’m thinking specifically of the 129 hostages who died during the Moscow theater siege, 126 of whom were believed to be killed by the anesthetic the authorities pumped into the theater prior to the rescue attempt.”
The Incident Commander pursed his lips worriedly. “I don’t want any hostages to die, but this is costing a fortune. Surely they don’t think they can get away with it and actually escape?”
“Waiting these guys out is the best way to achieve a peaceful outcome.” Dominic mirrored Hamner’s body language. Talking to the bosses was often a negotiation in itself.
“I suppose you’re right.” He sounded doubtful.
“Not to mention the millions of dollars in wrongful death suits that the families will bring if we don’t at least try to talk these guys out.”
The Incident Commander frowned at Kurt Montana who adjusted his thigh holster with a tight smile. Kurt was a man of action—a great guy, but not one who enjoyed the waiting part of the game.
“How long will it take you to get inside the kitchen if we need to stage an assault?” Dominic asked the tactical guy.