Page 41 of Snowbound Threat

The look on his face was crazed. “That’s right. Me.” He motioned at her with the gun. “Your boyfriend and I are going to have a reckoning. He owes me and I intend to collect.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She shook her head, wondering where Pops and Gus were but also praying they didn’t come in. Tessa didn’t want them to get hurt.

“Take a seat.” He motioned toward the table with the gun.

Tessa couldn’t move. He raised the gun to the ceiling and pulled the trigger. She hunched in on herself, screaming.

“Sit!” His yell echoed in the room.

Tessa scurried to the table and sat. “Whatever you want, just take it and go.”

Maybe he wanted her life, but it might be better if he just killed her and ended it quickly. Would he give herthe consideration of killing her in a way that would be instantaneous? She couldn’t find the words to ask.

Special Agent Edwards. Bruce—that was his name.

“Bruce—”

“I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

She hesitated.

“Hands on the table.”

She laid her palms on the table, her fingers splayed.

“If you move I’ll put a bullet in that pretty face of yours. Which would be a shame.”

Tessa gritted her teeth, no weapons she could use to fight back. Nothing she could say that would resolve this. And yet, she still had all the power contained in a simple prayer to her Creator. She had the power of God to stand firm no matter what happened.

She said, “What do you want?”

His lips curled as if her question amused him. Edwards shifted and winced but pulled out a chair across from her the way Pops had done. Such a different situation. She wished she could run—or call the sheriff.

Was that what Pops was doing outside? He didn’t always carry his phone on him, but she hoped he had it right now. The older man had to be doing something, or he’d be back in by now. Gus hadn’t come back in and he wasn’t barking.

Please have a plan.She needed Pops to get help.

Edwards said, “Payback.” With the gun in one hand, he pulled a phone from his inside jacket pocket and dialed.

He set the phone on the table in front of him while it rang through the speaker. Someone picked up and a man said, “Is it done?”

Edwards answered, “It will be soon.”

“Enough screwing around. Get me that envelope.”

“Yes, sir.”

The line went dead.

Edwards stared at her. Did he expect her to offer him the envelope, or tell him where it was? She had no idea where Caleb had stashed it, or if he had it on him.

Edwards said, “One more step, old man, and I’ll blow her head off.”

“You shoot her, and they’ll be scraping you off my kitchen floor.” Pops’ voice came from her right, but she didn’t take her attention from the gun pointed at her.

Edwards chuckled, a low and throaty sound. “So you’re the one who raised Caleb Rourke.”

“It’s in the blood.”