Read Holding On To You for Free Online

many?' he calls to Carlos.
    'Just one squad car, two officers. They look like rookies. Wait, make that two squad cars', he says, as he watches another pull up.
    'How long once we're inside the safe?'
    'A minute, maybe two', Carlos says. 'Fuck, I don't know Peters, it's close.'
    The phone rings again. Peters stabs the nose of the gun so hard into Fergal's belly it makes him piss his pants a little. He picks up the phone. 'It's the police again', he says.
    Peters grabs the phone from him. 'There is a dead hostage already in here. Each time you call, I'll kill another', he says.
    Before Frank can ask him how many hostages he has inside, Peters has slammed the phone down again.
    'Hurry the fuck up', Frank barks to the driver, who is already driving as fast as he can to the scene of the crime.
    River takes the handcuffs from the guard's belt, and clicks them around Maddy's slender wrists. With her hands safely bound behind her back, he makes his way towards the stairwell.
    'You do what I say, and only what I say, and you won't get hurt, I promise you that', River whispers into Maddy's ear. It's the first time, for as long as she can remember, that someone has been so physically close to her. If she wasn't so scared, she might have time to enjoy it.
    'I said where the fuck are you going?' Peters calls to River again. His gun is levelled at River's head, but River knows he's a much better shot if it comes down to it.
    'I'm walking out of here. The money in the safe is yours. I don't want any of it', he says to him, slowly backing away.
    'And the money in your hand?' Peters says.
    'Like the lady said already', River says. 'It isn't ours to take.'
    The phone rings again, and it shocks Peters so much he nearly squeezes off a round. While he's distracted, River slips down the stairs and out of sight.
    'Fuck', Peters says when he notices, and then fires the gun anyway, digging two bullets angrily into the beautiful, hand-carved wood of the curving banisters.
    'Fuck him', Carlos says. 'He won't get far.'
    Fergal has the handset pressed against his ear, and with his shaky hand writes down the code for the safe with his gold plated pen.
     
    At the bottom of the stairwell, and still hidden from the main door, River prepares himself. He hugs Maddy tightly across the middle, and presses his body so snugly into hers he can feel her heart beat. Lastly, the cold steel of the gun goes up against her temple and makes her gasp with fear.
    'This isn't going to be easy', River whispers to her, 'but it sure is going to be fun.'
    He takes a deep breath and moves towards the glass door so the waiting officers can see him.
    'Don't shoot. I'm coming out', he calls, and kicks the door open.
    'Drop your weapon! Get face down on the ground', come the shouts from the officers, all four of whom have their guns trained on the bodies in front of them, unable to separate the hostage from the robber.
    'Yeah, do you know what?' River says, 'I'm not going to do that. Instead, you are, unless you want this poor young woman to die.'
    Maddy can't help herself. She's crying like she hasn't cried for a long time. Her day has just gone from bad through worse, to life threatening.
    'Put your gun down', come the shouts again, this time a little less convincingly, as the officers slowly begin to realise who has the upper hand, none of them with enough authority to do anything other than what the hell River demands.
    'Tell them who you are', River says to Maddy, all the time moving them away from the bank and further up the street. River has his eye on a car that has parked close by - the obese African-American woman inside, having stopped to rubber neck, and film the scene on her mobile phone.
    'I'm Madeleine Parker', Maddy says through thick tears. 'Please help me.'
    'Put your guns down boys', River says, 'or I'll kill poor Maddy here.'
    River can feel her tense up, and hugs her closer towards him in case she tries to squirm away.
    The officers look at each other. One by