“Leave her hands free. We’re going to need her palm print.”
“Cop is pulling up outside!” Rafe yelled from the doorway.
“Unlock the door and let him get inside the door before you take him down. If anyone opens their mouth, I’ll put a bullet in their head,” X warned.
Max couldn’t see the doorway from his position, but he heard the scuffle that was taking place. The police officer was shoved toward the lobby by Rafe with a gun at the back of his head.
“Get his weapon, KC.” X kept his gun trained on them as KC took the cop’s weapon and tied his hands behind his back.
“Bring him here.” X motioned KC to place him beside Max. The officer was thrown to the floor. “I’m going to give you one chance to go home tonight. Call the station and tell them the bank is clear. If not, you’re going to be leaving in a body bag. You get me?”
“Yes.” The officer was young, and his shaky voice didn’t inspire confidence that he would be able to keep his head when all hell broke loose.
The officer pushed a button on his shoulder. “Officer McDaniel reporting. Checked on the silent alarm. It was a code eight. All’s clear. Going on my dinner break.”
A voice answered back, giving him a code. X pressed the gun tighter to his temple.
“Code four.”
“Rafe?” X questioned.
“He told them it was a false alarm and that he’s okay.”
“Smart move.” X removed the gun from his temple. “Get his hands tied.”
KC tied his hands then moved back to watch the others lying on the floor.
“Lock and watch the door.”
Rafe went back to the front of the building.
“Ten more minutes,” the little weasel reminded X. He reached down to grab a handful of Casey’s hair, jerking her face upward. “You stupid bitch, the Predators weren’t the only one willing to pay for my help, the Bandits and I have had this planned for weeks. We had this arranged for next weekend, but you firing me made us step our plan up before you could delete my codes.”
“You didn’t have to shoot Jack.”
The security guard was leaning up against the cashier station with blood coming from his shoulder.
Lonnie shrugged. “I never could stand him, anyway. I fooled everyone but him. He was constantly watching me.”
“You didn’t fool me, either. I knew you were dirty. No one kissed more ass than you.”
Casey’s words enraged Lonnie. His foot struck out, kicking her in the stomach. She huddled over, gasping for breath.
“You think you’re a big man, kicking a woman? Let’s see how brave you are with a man.”
Lonnie turned to Max with a hate-filled expression that quickly turned to alarm when Max pulled his hands free and grabbed Lonnie’s legs, jerking them out from underneath him. The sound of a loud, meaty thunk sounded through the bank when his head hit the tiled floor.
Then all hell broke loose.
Chapter 21
Casey found herself jerked to her feet by Jackal.
“Get her behind some cover,” Max yelled.
Casey saw Max stand, pulling his gun from behind his back and firing at X as he ran to jump over a low wall. His gun came up to fire back at Max and shattered her glass wall as Max dove behind her desk.
Jackal shoved her back behind the cashiers’ booths, jerking his gun from behind his back then firing at the men guarding the customers who were frantically trying to escape the bullets flying around the room.
“Stop shooting! Someone’s going to get killed!” Casey screamed.
Jackal lowered his gun, reloading it. “They don’t plan to leave anyone alive. That’s why none of them are wearing masks,” he snarled.
It had never entered her mind that the men would brutally kill them all whether they cooperated or not. Her frantic gaze searched for Gianna and her other employees, wanting to make sure they were okay. Many of them had managed to make it to the break room which had a steel fire door. Casey gave a relieved breath, seeing her friends were safe. The only ones still exposed were Jack and the police officer who had tried to block a bullet aimed at her.
“We have to help them!”
“If we try to get to them, we’ll be sitting ducks,” Fade said, taking a shot at one of X’s men.
Casey tried to scoot behind Jackal, attempting to crawl close enough to Jack to drag him behind some cover.
“Stay still.” Jackal jerked her back as a bullet tore through the wood by their heads.
“Fuck!” Jackal muttered. Taking her arm, he dragged her backward to a door. Casey felt the carpet burning her skin as she was pulled along the carpet. “If we get out of here alive, I’m going to kill Max myself.”
Fade dived headfirst into the back room as two of the Bandits came around the side of the booths.