Page 103 of Hidden Depths

“We’ve got one gun that works and a wet one that may or may not. They’ve got six armed men. What do you suggest?”

“I don’t know. We can’t let them hurt her.”

Isla gripped his arm. “I know. But you need to take a breath. Getting emotional won’t help here. Trust me, I know.”

“I’m not emotional.”

“Lying to yourself won’t help either. If she can convince Lansky that she has what he wants, then she has a chance. We just have to hope and pray this works until reinforcements arrive.”

“I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight. I should have kept her by my side.” It was Vic Conners all over again. Why did the people he cared about have to keep putting themselves in harm’s way for him? He couldn’t go through this again.

“You can’t control other people’s decisions,” Isla said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“I won’t let them kill her.” He checked how many rounds he had left in the gun. “We’ll have to be creative, but we can take them.”

“Tom, stop and think for a minute. My strength is limited. I’m not great on my feet right now. I can’t back you up.”

“Stay close and watch Sara. If you see a window to get her out of there, do it. That’s all I need from you.”

“This is not a good idea.”

“Neither is what she’s doing right now, but what else can I do? What would you do if it was your husband out there?”

She sighed. “Exactly what you’re doing.”

He nodded and slipped through the fence.

* * *

Sara lowered her arms as she neared the group.

Lansky had still been on the phone, but when he saw her, he hung up immediately. “This is an unexpected turn of events,” he said, looking over her shoulder for any other uninvited guests. “Miss Fitzgerald. It’s been a long time.”

“Not long enough. You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Did you hear about that? I guess you’re disappointed to see me. But you disappointed me too. You promised to keep your mouth shut, so imagine my surprise when you stepped into the witness stand.”

“You must have been devastated.”

“I was.”

“Not as devastated as I was to watch my parents murdered.”

“Well, princess, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your daddy wasn’t the superhero you thought he was.”

“I know he wasn’t a good man. But my family didn’t deserve what you did to them. You, however, deserved to go to prison and worse.”

Lansky cocked his head to the side. “You don’t think the Senator got what he deserved?”

“I know he wasn’t perfect.”

“Understatement of the year.” Lansky rubbed his hands together. “You want to know why I had to take care of your dear old daddy?”

“My dad was a hard man who did what it took to get what he wanted. I know about the bonds. I know he promised them to you.”

His eyebrows raised. “Did he tell you about those?”

“I overheard him in his office. That doesn’t mean you had to kill my mom.”

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