Read SEIZED, A Romantic Suspense Novella for Free Online Page A

demanded.”
    Wilkes motioned for her to hang up then grabbed her arm and hauled her through the suite’s doors once more. Years of walking with Dave and his purposeful stride had her double-timing her steps to keep up with Paul as he strode in a militarily brisk pace back to the main entrance.
    Would this be her chance to use the Succinylcholine on him? Did she dare, before she knew more about the bombs? What would Dave do?
    Dave. She needed to call him again. How to do it without tipping Paul off to her actions? If she timed it just right…she stumbled, nearly pulling him down with her.
    He released her to keep her from pulling him down with her and pointed the gun at her once more. “No tricks, Ms. Judy. I don’t want to shoot you, but I will.”
    Kneeling on one knee, she froze to the spot where she’d fallen, her hands up next to her head to show submission. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to walking so fast.”
    He reached down and grabbed her right arm with his free hand. “Don’t do it again.”
    “I promise I’ll try not to,” she said, bumping her hidden earpiece as she lowered her left hand once more, the phone dial sounding in her ear.
    ***
    They’d pulled up outside the doctors’ office building connected to the hospital. Matt’s wife, Katie, stood beside the open door.
    “No alarm system?” Dave asked as they entered the quiet building.
    “It wasn’t too difficult to bypass and the lock was a piece of cake,” his sister-in-law said before she was engulfed in her husband’s arms for a brief hug. “Someone really should have a talk about the lack of security in this facility with the higher-ups.”
    “Someone really should have a talk with you about your criminal skills, my love.” Matt released her and she gave brief hugs to the others, including her former WitSec handler, Castello.
    Katie had been forced to spend her formative years in the camp of a radical paramilitary group. She’d eventually left the group and put their leader behind bars, but not before she’d perfected her skills with bomb making, use of all sorts of guns and become an expert lock-picker. Despite the danger, they all knew she was an asset to the small rescue group.
    “Do we know what kind of bomb it is?” Katie asked, falling in behind her spouse.
    “Not yet. First we have to gain access to the building without the police or the gunman knowing we’re here,” Jake said, bringing out his phone for the others to look at. “We wanted to keep Dave’s phone open in case Judy calls again, so Luke sent the building’s schematics to mine.”
    “Where is the computer geek?” Katie asked.
    “He stayed behind until Sami got there and is on his way. He’ll meet me when we split up.” Jake pointed to a spot on his phone. “We’re here. Between this building and the hospital is a brick firewall about a foot thick.”
    Dave nodded. “Judy’s mom said the hospital wanted to keep the nursing students living in the dorms safe from the male patients and doctors when she was a student here. Where’s the hospital morgue?”
    “At the bottom of these stairs,” Jake pointed to another spot on the floor plans, down the long corridor in front of them, “is a boiler room that heats both buildings. The morgue is just on the other side of it.”
    “We’re going through a morgue?” Katie whispered as she followed behind her husband, with Dave in the lead, Jake behind her and Castello bringing up the rear. “I hope there aren’t any dead bodies in there.”
    “I’ll protect you,” Matt said over his shoulder.
    “Can the chatter, you two,” Dave said, not trying to hide his irritation, even though his brother and sister-in-law weren’t deserving of it. The guy who did deserve it was hiding behind a series of explosive-rigged doors. Right now he wanted to storm the OR, kill the man who had his woman hostage and wrap her in his arms. But reality called for a more careful assault on the culprit and to do that he had