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payingsome kind of price. The worst part is that you’re going to take her down with you. You know what? You don’t deserve a daughter like her. You don’t deserve anything as long as you go on putting yourself first. The best you can do now is face what you’ve done, and let her go. Give her a chance.”
    Ella saw the flicker of anger in his eyes, and for a second she thought he was going to shoot her. Thenhe glanced at his daughter. “Take Lisa out of here,” he snapped, looking at Ella. “Go on. Move!”
    Ella went quickly to the little girl’s side, but the child huddled even deeper into the cushions of the chair. Without hesitation, she scooped the girl into her arms and opened the door.
    She’d just stepped clear of the porch when she heard a click that made her blood turn to ice. Ella set the childdown, urging her forward with a push. “Run!”
    When the girl hesitated, Ella shoved her into the arms of a SWAT-team member, who had run over from the side of the house. Lifting the child in his arms, he ran behind the line of vehicles.
    Ella turned and stepped back onto the front porch. As she entered the house again, she saw Tony bring the barrel of the gun up to his mouth.
    “No, don’t!” sheyelled, lunging forward.
    A deafening roar shook the walls of the house. The air seemed to turn crimson as Ella collided with Tony, knocking him backward. The massive slug that had exploded his skull plastered tissue and blood on the walls in a horrific spiderweb pattern.
    Ella sat back on her legs in despair as the SWAT unit came storming through the door. She tried to get to her feet and outof the way, but no part of her body seemed to work right. Her legs had turned to rubber, and her vision was blurry. She couldn’t hear clearly either. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make out what anyone was saying through the incredible ringing in her ears.
    Then she felt a pair of hands under her arms tugging her up, and as her eyes focused, Ella saw Blalock. She knew his lips weremoving, forming words, but nothing made sense.
    “What happened?”
    She could read the question on his lips, but the reality of what she’d done slammed into her with such force, it knocked the air out of her. “Mistake,” she managed.
    “You got the kid out alive, you did okay. You’ll get a commendation for this.”
    Ella felt ill. It was like déjà vu. Another hostage situation, another incredible fiasco,and he wanted to give her another medal.
    “I’m going to need you to answer some questions,” Blalock continued. “Are you up to it?”
    Her vision had cleared, but the sight before her, and the smell of gunpowder and blood, almost made her choke. “Get me outside,” she whispered in a shaky voice.
    He took her arm and propelled her toward the vehicles. “You talked to the kidnapper, then he let you leavewith the kid. What happened? You were at the door, then suddenly you turned around and went back in.”
    “I heard him pull the hammer back, and that’s when I knew what he was about to do.” She swallowed, determined not to fall apart. “I blew it. I didn’t stay in control. I was concentrating so hard on getting him to let the kid go, I wasn’t reading his signals. I was more afraid of what could happento the little girl.”
    “You did what you had to do. As far as I’m concerned you handled it like a trouper.”
    Ella felt sick to her stomach and her hands were shaking, but she didn’t want Blalock to see her losing control. She had to get hold of her emotions before she fell apart.
    Blalock must have read her expression, because he abruptly changed the conversation. “By the way, earlier when I requestedyou, your chief said you’d be glad to assist. He was so cooperative, I think he already has some payback in mind. Any idea what he wants?” He took Ella’s boots and holster from a police officer and handed them to her.
    She tried to push down the emotions that were tearing at her insides as she