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Chapter Nine When the phone rang, Pete's gaze shifted automatically to the big clock on the wall at the opposite side of the lobby. 6:20. He figured one of the hostages had been missed, and his gut said it was him. The good thing about a terminal case of punctuality: it didn't take long for people to notice something was wrong. Ben's head swiveled around to stare at the phone, and the men inside the vault stopped their work to look. Any call after closing time was suspicious—a call to the tellers would have been made to their cells—and it ratcheted up the nerves in both rooms. After the fourth ring, Ben gestured with the pistol to Audra. She managed to sound pretty damn normal when she answered. "American Federal… Just a moment." She put the call on hold. "It's for Pete." The gun shifted in his direction. Not knowing how good a shot Ben was, Pete wished Libby wasn't so close. Hell, he wished she was safe in her rental car, speeding along I-20 to Atlanta. "Who would be calling you here?" He put a few inches of space between Libby and him. "I'm late for dinner with my girlfriend. It's either her or my buddy. We were going out together and I told them I had to stop by the bank first. They probably figured I was delayed by my dad." "What will happen if she tells them you're not here?" He shrugged. "I told you, they know I'm here. And my bike's parked out front." Ben considered it a moment then ordered, "Put it on speaker." Audra did so as Pete, pulling Libby after him, got up and walked to the counter. "This is Pete." "Where are you, man? We've been waiting over at Sophy's for ten minutes." The male voice sounded mildly irritated, but it didn't sound a thing like his friend Ty Gadney… Because it was one of their bosses, Tommy Maricci. Relief flooded through Pete. Ty had seen his bike and known something was wrong. Whatever plans Ben had, now the best cops in Copper Lake were plotting to thwart them. "Come on, man. Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Pete said, thinking fast. "I don't consider myself late until at least forty-five minutes have passed. I thought I'd hang out here and walk Audra and Amy to their cars once they've closed up. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them." "So thoughtful," Maricci said sarcastically. "I'll be sure and tell your girlfriend." "Yeah, you tell her, and Sophy, too. Tell them I'll be there four—nah, make it five minutes after Amy and Audra are done here." "We'll believe it when we see you." Maricci hung up, and Audra did the same. Pete glanced at Ben. The guy didn't seem overly suspicious. Granted, the clues Pete had tried to give were piss-poor, but without planning and with everyone listening… Still, Maricci and Ty were the best. They'd figure it out. They had to.



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