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lifetime with that name.”
    Max doesn’t react to the insult or the threat. He does seem to be paying attention, though. Thankfully.
    “Can I say something?” Aaron asks, and I wince.
Please don’t pull a Max. Please, please
.
    “I don’t know,” X-Files says. “Can you? Seems like you can. I hear words coming out of your mouth.”
    “
May
I say something?”
    Good lord, this really is kindergarten.
    “That’s better. And the answer is no.” X-Files starts toturn away, then says, “Oh, all right. But remember the rules and don’t think I won’t shoot you just because you’re valuable. Well, no. Actually, I won’t. You, Mr. Highgate, would get this.” He pulls a blade from his pocket. “You have ten fingers, ten toes and other optional body parts that you might value even more. Piss me off and you lose one of them. My choice. Now ask your question.”
    “I’m the star here, right?” Aaron says. “The rest are just extras?”
    “That is correct.”
    “Which means you won’t get nearly as much money from their families, because they don’t exactly hang out in the same social circles as mine.”
    “Whoa, get a grip on that ego, mate,” Max says. “If it inflates any more, it’ll burst.”
    Aaron turns toward him. “You might not like what I’m saying, but it’s the truth. How many of you guys showed up tonight in a chauffeured car?”
    “How many of us would
want
to?” Max says.
    “The point”—Aaron turns back to X-Files—“is that they aren’t worth a fraction of what I am. Therefore they shouldn’t need to go through this just because
my
dad’s an asshole one-percenter. I’m asking you to let them go.”
    X-Files laughs.
    “I’m serious,” Aaron says. “My dad can get you seven figures with one phone call. Their families would be scrounging all night to get you five. It’s not worth the hassle. This will be much easier for you if you’ve got only one kid to handle.”
    “That’s very thoughtful of you, Aaron. Very thoughtful. And the answer is: hell, no. Do you know why?”
    After a moment of silence, X-Files turns to me. “Miss Riley Vasquez, answer my question.”
    I blink. “What?”
    “Wrong answer. Come on, girl. You’re a cop’s daughter. And, yes, I know exactly who we have with us tonight. Miss Riley here is quite the local celebrity. Her dearly departed daddy was a detective, formerly a member of the local SWAT team, which, with any luck, is pulling up out front as we speak. Tell me, Miss Riley, why will I not let you all leave?”
    “Because you’re a tosser?” Max says, and I shoot him a glare.
    “You need backup hostages,” I say. “It’s not about the money. You …” My heart thumps so hard I can’t get the rest out. And I don’t want to. I don’t want to be the one to put it into words.
    “Come on, Miss Riley.” X-Files moves forward, waving the gun, and my gaze locks on that.
    My blood rushes in my ears, voices coming as if from a mile away, barely penetrating, and Aaron’s telling him to stop, leave me alone, and X-Files makes some mocking reply and then Max says, “You can’t kill Aaron.”
    “What’s that, Maximus?” X-Files swings the gun from me and a hand squeezes my arm and I jump to see Maria there, giving me a strained smile.
    “You can’t let us go,” Max says, “because you need someone you can kill. It can’t be Aaron. So we’re cannon fodder.”
    “What the hell?” Gideon scrambles to his feet and looks ready to go after Max until Aaron grabs his arm. Gideon throws Aaron off and says, “Did you hear what he said? You’re trying to get us out of this, and
he’s
trying to get us killed. Giving them ideas.”
    Max rolls his eyes. “Yeah, mate. I’m giving them ideas, because that’s not what they’re thinking at all.”
    “Max is right,” I say as I rise. “They need us to be the stick and the carrot. If things go well, they can release one of us.”
    “And if they don’t, we shoot you,” X-Files says.