Addicted to You (One Night of Passion 1)

Sherona shut her eyes as though she were trying to see a film clip in her head. “Monty was there with Nick Brown. Errol was sitting next to Katie. Miles Fordham was having dinner with that man from the gaming commission that Marcus says he’ll shoot, George Harlan, but then Miles left right before I did. I have no idea if anyone left while I was gone.”

“And then Derek went in, you think?”

A single tear skipped down her cheek when she nodded.

“Did you say that Marcus Stash called you? Not the police directly?”

“No, he called me while I was still at my house. He wanted me to call Mulligan and have Mulligan call him. He seemed angry that I was there instead of at the diner.”

Rill noticed Sheriff Mulligan—a squat, balding, middle-aged man—coming to join them in the distance and spoke quietly under his breath.

“Stash has a bit of a thing for you, doesn’t he?”

“Yes,” Sherona admitted reluctantly.

“He didn’t realize you weren’t in the diner. He must have been disappointed.”

Sherona looked at him with glazed shock, but Rill didn’t explain as Mulligan approached. Rill had met the sheriff on only two or three occasions and wasn’t a huge fan. Mulligan disliked Rill in return, and Rill had never done anything to alter that opinion. He’d never much cared about the local sheriff’s opinion one way or another, but he’d made his own character assessment of the man. Mulligan wasn’t that bright and he must have known it on some level, because he bulldozed over people who even hinted at challenging his authority.

“What are you doing here, Pierce?” Mulligan blustered.

“My fiancée is in there,” Rill said levelly. Sherona glanced at him in surprise, but he continued. “She’s pregnant. I suggest you call Stash immediately and try to encourage him to release Katie Hughes and Derek Legion. Stash considers himself a hero . . . a patriot, not a murderer of women and children. You can start negotiating with him for the release of the others following that.”

Mulligan blinked, obviously shocked that Rill had the nerve to issue such concise instructions.

“This isn’t a movie set, Pierce. What I suggest is that you leave this to me. We have local backups and hostage negotiators on the way from St. Louis.”

“Who knows how long they’ll take to get here?” Rill asked. “Besides, you aren’t taking Stash’s character into account. He hates outsiders. That’s one of the reasons he’s doing what he’s doing, because he doesn’t want outsiders polluting Vulture’s Canyon. You’d be much better off negotiating with him now, before the others get here. Federal agents from the city will just make Stash more paranoid.”

Rill knew he’d gone too far when Mulligan shoved a fat finger at him. “You need to keep your mouth shut. You’re not the expert here; I am.”

Fury and helplessness boiled near the eruption point in Rill’s chest. “Neither one of us are experts, you idiot. Don’t tell me you’ve ever handled a hostage situation before. The fact of the matter is, though, you do have some pull with Stash because you are the local authority. He knows you. He asked Sherona to call you. You,” Rill repeated loudly. “Would you pick up the fuckin’ phone and at least try? What could it hurt and you’ll more than likely save a couple lives with just a few dozen words?”

Mulligan’s face turned beet red. “I will do no such thing. I’m waiting for the hostage negotiators to handle this, as will you! I’m ordering you to vacate this area and move a full block away. This is a restricted area. You, too, Sherona.”

“But, Rodney, Derek is in there,” Sherona pleaded.

“That building may blow at any second,” Mulligan said, his face g

etting redder. “I can’t have civilians standing around here.” He gave Rill a venomous glare. “Or ordering me around. Now, get out of here!”

Rill had to stop himself from causing bodily harm to the sheriff when Sherona’s knees wilted under her at his mention of the diner blowing up. Instead, he steadied Sherona in his arms and led her down the sidewalk.

When they reached the steps in front of the now-closed Vulture’s Canyon Savings and Loan, Rill eased Sherona down on the stone steps. In the distance, a couple men wandered out of the tavern and Rill caught phrases like “go on home” and “restricted area” as Mulligan shouted at them.

“He’s an idiot,” Sherona said numbly.

“Are any of his deputies any better?” Rill asked hopefully.

Sherona just shook her head, her gaze glued to the diner as though she thought she could retract her little brother by staring at it hard enough.

“Rill, what did you mean earlier, when you said Stash must have been disappointed I wasn’t in the diner? Are you suggesting he’s pulling this crazy stunt for me?”

Rill gave her a quick glance before he went back to studying the strip of buildings across the street. “He had to get your attention somehow . . . show you how powerful he was. It wasn’t as if you were giving him the time of day otherwise.”

“You can’t really believe that.”

“Not entirely, no, but it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if his obsession with you played a part in all this shit,” Rill replied distractedly. He nodded across the street. “These storefronts are relatively new, even if the structure is ancient. Sometimes when you have old buildings like this, they’re divided in different ways over the years. Any chance the diner is connected to the vacant space next to it, or the Trading Company?”