Page 117 of Fatal Mistake
Oren snorted. “So you can overpower me?”
“You could draw your weapon and hold me at gunpoint. Unless you don’t think you can keep me at arm’s length even with a gun.”
Oren’s chin shot up, and he eyed Cal. Just as Cal hoped, Tara suspected.
Oren jerked his gun from his belt and jammed it against Tara’s back, eliciting a growl from Cal before his stoic expression returned. Oren placed his phone on a nearby box.
Cal frowned. “I won’t be happy until you put that somewhere well out of your reach.”
Oren eyed Cal for a moment before picking up the phone.
“March,” he yelled at Tara.
She moved with him across an aisle where he set down the phone. He shoved one hand in his pocket, and with the gun in his other hand, he pushed Tara back toward Cal. “That make you happy?”
“Nearly,” Cal said. “Unless of course you have a remote or other device in your pocket that will set off Tara’s necklace.”
Tara spun to look at Oren, and he was grinning. “Our agreement was for June’s bomb only. Now I’d like to see Nabijah.”
Cal stepped to the side. “Go ahead and take a look at my car where you can see her.”
“I meant in here.”
“One step at a time, Keeler. One step at a time.”
Tara was impressed with Cal’s negotiating skills and his utter calm. She’d known he could do anything he set his mind to, and yet he constantly amazed her.
Oren jerked the gun from Tara’s back and gestured at Cal to move inside. “Stop next to the door where I can keep an eye on you.”
Cal stepped in.
“Okay,” Oren said. “Now give me your gun.”
Cal didn’t hesitate but lifted his weapon from his holster and handed it to Oren. Tara doubted Cal would give up a gun so quickly unless he had a backup plan. Maybe he had another weapon. Or he possessed the skills to take Oren down even with a weapon pointed in his direction.
“Face against the wall,” Oren said, surprising Tara at his ingenuity.
Cal complied slowly, his gaze going around the room, and a sudden dawning light appeared in his eyes before he gave a sharp nod.
Had the team entered the room, and he’d signaled them?
When Oren peeked outside, Tara took a quick look around. Of course she saw nothing. If the Knights were in position, no one would see them, especially not a novice like her.
Cal turned his head to stare at Tara. She smiled at him but soon realized he’d focused on the bomb. He motioned with his eyes for her to turn toward her right, and she did so slowly to keep Oren from noticing her movement.
A smile broke on Cal’s face, and he tried to silently transmit something to her, but she couldn’t understand what he was trying to say.
He eased toward a wooden crate and placed the hand that Oren couldn’t see on the box. Cal acted like he was lounging against the crate, but his fingers worked to remove a nail from the wood. Perhaps he wanted the nail to stab Oren. At least that was the only reason she could come up with. Seemed like if he got close enough to do that, Oren would shoot Cal first. She believed he wore a vest under his shirt, but she didn’t know if the vest would protect him at such close range.
She couldn’t—wouldn’t—let Oren shoot him. If Oren opened fire, she’d try her best to step between them.
Oren spun toward Cal.
“Satisfied?” Cal asked.
Oren scowled. “I won’t be satisfied until Nabijah is standing next to me.”
“Why don’t we find a place to sit down and talk about the next phase of our negotiation?” Cal asked, but it wasn’t a request. “You must have an office, right?”
