Page 3 of Andy

“Which one of you has the keys?” Regan asked.

Andy wished Mel would lie, but she volunteered the information fast. “It’s me.”

Reagan looked her up and down, then snorted. “Time to go, sweetheart.”

Andy’s fists squeezed as anger filled him. This guy just pissed him off. The presidents’ masks were cliché, but he didn’t point that out.

Reagan moved so Mel could step past him. As Mel moved, Reagan reached out and grabbed her ass, squeezing. Mel yelped as the man spoke. “Maybe you and me will have a little fun before we leave.”

Anger blasted through Andy. But that wasn’t the only reason he moved into action. It was what he saw hanging out in the man’s back pocket. He moved so fast that the guy didn’t put up any resistance. In about three seconds, Andy had the guy on the floor knocked out and the gun in his hand. He slyly slipped the package from the dude’s back pocket into his jacket.

None of the women yelled, which he appreciated, but they all gasped. Andy moved fast and grabbed the zip ties out from the man’s front pocket. He quickly cinched the man’s legs and arms, leaving him unable to move. He might have gotten the bindings a little tight, but a bastard like him didn’t deserve any decency.

“Why did you do that?” Mel asked, her whispered voice harsh.

Andy glanced up at her and shrugged. “I didn’t like him touching you.” It was the easiest explanation, and he didn’t want to tell this woman that Reagan had a brick of C-4 in his back pocket that would have blown this place to bits and probably killed everyone inside.

Her lips thinned, and her nose flared. “What do you think those other guys are going to do when he doesn’t come out?”

Andy checked the zip ties, then moved the man to the corner so he couldn’t be seen if the door opened.

“Go sit behind the copier,” Andy said.

Mel shook her head. “No.”

When he went in as a SEAL, people just obeyed his orders. Of course, his team looked intimidating. The sports jacket he wore didn’t do much to increase his credibility as a man who could handle three robbers.

“Listen, I’m going to take them down one by one. Just go sit behind the copier and be a?—”

“A what?” Mel asked.

He’d been about to say good girl, but that would be condescending. “Nothing. Just go sit and let me do this.”

“You’re a jerk,” Mel huffed.

Maybe he was a jerk, but he was going to make sure these men couldn’t blow this bank. He didn’t know what their ultimate plans were, but no civilian ever needed this much C-4.

Chapter 2

Mel couldn’t believe the bank was being robbed again. Four years ago, they’d been held up by some jerk who pistol-whipped the manager, knocking him to the ground. It had been horrible to watch, horrible to see the aftermath. That manager had quit because the concussion had been so devastating to his concentration.

When the guy dressed up in the Reagan mask had wanted her to leave with him, and then he'd said he planned on assaulting her, it was like her blood had frozen in her veins.

Going through training for the bank, they’d mentioned that could happen if someone came in to rob the place. Though people only interested in money usually didn’t take the time to assault female workers. Something else was going on here that didn’t add up with just a straight robbery.

The men robbing the bank weren’t making the usual demands. Most robberies, someone came in with a note and asked for money, then fled as fast as they could. These guys had already been here for more than five minutes. Five minutes was an obscenely long time for a bank robbery. Something else was going on.

“You put us all in danger. What are you going to do if they kill someone?” Mel demanded.

Andy turned to face her, and anger flashed in his eyes. She should have backed down, but she squared her shoulders and tried for a menacing expression to match his.

“No one is going to die. I’m going to sneak out of here and take them down.” He turned away from her, but she grabbed his arm and moved to block his exit. Of course, he could just push her to the side. He was that big. She did strength training, but she was still small and had way less muscles.

“How are you going to do that?” Mel asked.

His nostrils flared, and his dark eyes flashed dangerously. The warning was sent, but she didn’t heed it. She didn’t want anyone getting hurt, and this man was playing a dangerous game. The bank had told the employees time and time again to just go along with the demands. They couldn’t overcome men with rifles and pistols. They would be killed if they fought back. This man seemed to have a hero complex about a mile wide, and she didn’t like it.

“I’m going out there and taking them down one at a time.”