Page 10 of The Norcross Rescue

“Shut. Up,” Fox hissed.

Brynn needed to deescalate the situation. “Ms. Stewart is doing as you ask.” Brynn kept her voice calm and even. “Please, everyone is scared, and doing as you ask.”

Right then, a phone started ringing.

The masked men all froze, and guests looked around.

It was a phone at the reception desk.

Wolf was still for a moment, then strode over to the desk. He stabbed at a button. “What?”

“This is the San Francisco Police Department.”

Relief punched through her. She recognized the voice—Theo Davies was one of the department’s top negotiators. Vander had gotten word out.

“My name is Theo. I just want to talk, and see if we can get you what you need.”

“How the fuck do the police know we’re here?” Boar growled.

Wolf’s body stiffened. “We’re getting what we need. If any cops try to come in here, be warned, we have all the entrances to the building rigged to blow.” He ended the call, then yanked the phone cord out, then threw the phone viciously at the window. It clattered to the floor. “Bear, disable all the phones.”

“On it.”

Wolf set his hands on his hips. “Everyone, stay quiet and don’t move. I don’t want to kill anyone, but make no mistake, I will if I have to.”

Brynn bit her lip. She hoped that Vander didn’t try any of the doors and get blown up.

No, he wouldn’t try to leave.

Not while she was still here.

Her heart skipped a beat. It was more likely he’d try to take these guys down himself.

CHAPTER THREE

Vander slid into the small, darkened kitchen. He had excellent night vision, and scanned the space. He imagined employees in here during office hours, making coffee and heating their lunches.

Quietly, he opened doors and drawers. He needed weapons.

He checked the knives. Most were blunt, but he found one sharp one. With a grunt, he set it on the counter. Under the sink, he found a flammable air freshener spray, and in a drawer next to some used birthday cake candles, he found a lighter.

After shoving the makeshift weapons into his pockets, he slipped out and down the hall. The first office he checked didn’t yield anything helpful. In the second one, he rifled through the desk drawers and found a sturdy, solid metal pen and slid it into his pocket. He also found a letter opener with a sharp point. Who the hell still used letter openers? That went into his pocket as well.

Leaning under the desk, he yanked a cable out of the back of the sleek computer on the desk. He tested the cable’s strength and nodded. Coiling it, he slid that into his pocket.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He’d already turned off the sound.

There was a message from Hunt.

Negotiator made contact. Entrances to building rigged to blow.

Shit. Vander tapped out a message to Saxon to warn him.

Entrances rigged to blow. Use the roof.

Then, he headed out. As he neared the main room, he heard raised voices.

He fucking hoped Brynn was okay. Knowing his wife, she’d already be trying to find a way to stop these assholes.