Page 27 of Deadly Pride

She cut Liam a sharp glance. If they shot, they’d hit him. She opened her mouth to say something only to find the barrel of the man’s rifle aimed at her gut. He shook his head again.

A muscle ticked in Liam’s jaw. Without speaking, he moved to stand next to their captor.

Harper took a deep breath and did the same.

The man, Billy, covered their heads with the tablecloth which fell to their waists. “We’ll go out the back. Any funny moves and someone gets shot.”

Hopefully, Billy. Light filtered through the red tablecloth. She hoped enough light got through that the SWAT team could tell the difference between Billy and Liam. “Where are we going?”

“Shh.” Billy hushed her. “It’s the next step.”

She didn’t like the sound of that at all.

Liam reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.

“Detective, please reach out and open the van door,” Billy said. “Then, we’ll all crawl inside together.”

She reached from under the cloth and felt around the smooth panel of the van until she located the handle. The door swung open easily, and the three got inside.

“Now, Detective, please zip tie the agent’s hands behind his back.” He tossed the cloth to the floor.

The van was an old 1970s model complete with shag carpet and curtains. Through the dim light, she located the zip ties. “Sorry, Liam.”

“No worries.”

She tightened the tie. “Now, what?”

“Remove the wire on you and on him and give them to me.”

“Do as he says,” the chief spoke through her earpiece. “We’ll find you.”

She nodded and stuck her hand down Liam’s shirt. Her hand brushed against the warmth of a toned chest. A scattering of chest hairs tickled her palm. Her eyes locked with his. A slight quirk on his lips helped diffuse the tension.

She smiled and pulled the wire from his chest, taking care not to rip the tape too hard, before removing his earpiece. She did the same to herself and handed it all over to Billy.

“Wonderful. Now, sit in the passenger seat and open the curtain.” He slid into the driver’s seat and opened that window and the one over the front windshield before slamming his foot on the gas pedal and rocketing them away from the police, news reporters, and curious crowd.

Hopefully, that meant any danger to innocent people had been lessened. Not having direct contact with the chief anymore left her palms clammy. It took several tries before the seatbelt would click into place around her.

She turned to check on Liam who sat with his back against the wall behind Billy. He gave her a nod, then flicked his gaze to Billy. She nodded back. She’d take the first opportunity to yank the wheel away from him. “Be careful,” she mouthed to Liam. He wouldn’t have a seatbelt to save him.

“Now that you’ve tossed the wires out the window, what’s the next step, Billy?”

She had to repeat the name, affirming that wasn’t his real name.

“We’ll find out when we reach our destination.”

“How far is that?”

“Not too far.” He glanced in the rearview mirror and slowed the van’s speed. “We’ll be told what’s next then.”

She wouldn’t let them get that far. He still drove too fast for safety. She’d have to wait until he slowed more or Liam could be severely injured upon impact. The only one she didn’t want left standing at the end of the day was Billy.

“Unbelief was the first sin, and pride was the first-born of it....” Billy said.

“What does that mean?” Were they going to be forced to join this, what she was quickly starting to believe was a cult?

He cut her a sideways glance. “You do not believe. That causes you to be sinful with pride.”