“I think I’ll sit this one out,” she told her friend. “I have some work to get done if I’m not needed here.”
Livie tipped her head to the side. “What happened with the phone call?”
“Are you having trouble?” Jax asked, taking a step toward her.
“No, no trouble. I’ll just head back to the house and get some things done. If you need me, just text.”
Melanie turned to grab her purse from the sofa.
“Mel.”
Livie’s firm tone had Melanie turning back around. “I swear I’m fine. Go shopping. I’ll catch you the next time.”
Melanie headed out of the building to the car that she’d become used to. Her simple life here in Haven was clicking into place one portion at a time. She didn’t want anyone to know about the meeting with Neville. They’d try to talk her out of it.
But she needed to go. She had to, for herself. There was something therapeutic about knowing he held no power over her anymore, and a thrill
of strength shot through her because soon he would realize it as well.
She had greater things planned for her life, for her baby’s life. And quite possibly a future with a man she’d fallen in love with.
* * *
Tanner pulled his patrol car up next to the curb a block away from the bank where currently a deranged man inside was waving a gun around and demanding money. The alarm had come through only six minutes ago, but those six minutes must seem like a lifetime to the innocent bystanders inside.
Ducking alongside his car, he moved toward one of the other officers on the scene. “How many hostages?”
“We have a teller inside the boardroom. She closed the door and the blinds as soon as the guy started yelling demands.” The officer pointed toward one of the windows. “That’s the room right there. She’s in the utility closet in there on her cell phone. She can hear a little, but she’s been giving us updates.”
Well, at least they had someone inside. But damn it, things like this didn’t happen in Haven. Tanner stared at the building, blinking against the bright afternoon sun despite having his sunglasses on.
“Just one armed gunman?” he asked.
“Yes. Other than wanting the money from the vault, he hasn’t made demands to us or tried to contact anyone outside.”
He would. No doubt the guy would try to use an innocent as a bartering ploy to escape safely. Tanner’s main objective here was to make sure each and every person got out of that bank safely.
So far there were four deputies and three officers on hand. Over his radio he heard requests for more backup from neighboring towns. The place needed to be completely surrounded.
“Captain is calling in now,” the other officer said.
Making contact with the gunman was imperative from the start. Any good negotiator could get him talking, play to his sympathetic side, and try to pretend to understand where the suspect was coming from.
Tanner’s gut tightened. He didn’t like the waiting game, it only made his anxiety that much worse. He focused on his breathing, on looking ahead to an outcome where everyone remained safe and unharmed. He refused to think any other way.
He glanced down the row of police cars lined up against the curb facing the bank. His captain was on the phone and it was only a matter of time before they knew more and could make a plan of action.
“Damn it.” The other officer pointed over Tanner’s shoulder. “The media is here.”
Not what they needed right now. Having even more innocent people around was never good. Besides, they didn’t need this on the news or all over social media because the trickle effect would be hell. Once family members realized their loved ones were inside, then they’d come down, too.
Tanner remained crouched behind the car, but patted his buddy on the shoulder. “I’ll go to them.”
Someone had to field them and keep them at a safe distance. Already two other officers were sectioning off the area and pushing the journalists back.
“If you all could hold the photos and reporting for just a bit,” Tanner yelled to the growing group. “We promise to give a full statement shortly, but we don’t want to cause more havoc than necessary and we need to focus on the situation inside.”
“So there is a gunman with hostages?” one young female reporter asked. She had her cell pointed toward him and Tanner had to resist the urge to jerk it from her hands. She was only doing her job; unfortunately it interfered with his.