Page 38 of Capitol Matters

“They don’t give you a gun?” His bottom lip puckered.

“Nope.”

Reaching to his waist, Avery unholstered one of his matched pair of revolvers. “Want one of mine?” He offered it up.

“That’s not…” I shook my head. “Listen, Avery, have you thought about this? You can pull hundred dollar bills out of your ass. Why are you robbing a bank?”

Tucking the pistol away, the conjurer spread his arms in reference to the scene he’d created. “Because it’s Monday,” he said. “Because I can. And because the sheriffs in this town would rather hunker down and wait for backup than take the open shot that’s right in front of them.”

My grimace clashed with Avery’s crooked smile.

“Called it, didn’t I?” he bragged.

Sure did.

“You’re on the wrong side of this fight, Farrow,” Avery continued. “Saddled with weak-minded people who don’t think like we do.” He gestured to the pamphlet counter, removing any doubt he knew the investigator was in our midst. “That’s who’s holding your reins, cowboy. If you think you’ve traded up in the world, you might want to think again.”

Propping his hands on his hips, Avery swung a leg in an exaggerated turn toward his accomplices. “Time to clear out, boys,” he told them.

My relief that they were leaving before the tactical team arrived was fleeting because the conjurer followed his statement up with another.

“Kill ‘em all,” he commanded. “Coppers first.” He glanced back long enough to tip his hat at me. “That includes you, Fitch.”

Gunfire split the air.

My heart lurched, and I dropped to the floor, far from cover and scrambling to think of a plan. Hollandwas right. We were outnumbered. Even with Avery prancing away, there were eight rookies laden with bank bags, and every one of them was aiming my way.

Before they could take another shot, I singled out two men climbing over the teller counter. Both had bright red handkerchiefs tied across their faces and black Stetson hats pulled down to shadow their eyes. Their guns flashed chrome in the muted light, and I caught them with a thought. I grabbed the men’s arms, holding them stiffly straight, then slowly turning them so their bodies rotated to follow. They spun toward each other, and their eyes stretched wide as they realized.

It took only a twitch to tighten their fingers on the triggers.

Twin shots rattled off, and the men dropped to the floor, oozing blood and brain matter.

Shouts and cries clamored from hostages and Hex members alike.

If the rest of the rookies had any sense, the deaths of their fellows would be reason enough to clear out. Forget Avery’s kill orders. He’d bailed already. He’d left them here to die because I couldn’t let them get arrested. I had no doubt they would roll over on me given the chance.

A ponytailed cowgirl stood alone in the corner with a bank bag clutched to her chest and a revolver in her hand. She kept her stance and her aim squared off with me.

Of course, there remained the possibility the lowlifes willing to fill the Hex’s ranks were simply too dumb to live. In that case, I could hurry things along.

I snatched the gun from her grip, whipping itthrough the air toward me. I would have caught it if something hadn’t grabbed my ankle and pulled. Falling forward, I landed hard on my knees and elbows and slid backward, my fingers raking across the carpet. I rolled onto my back as the unseen force slung me around the pamphlet counter where a cloud of shadow pulsed and swelled.

Holland’s face appeared over mine and, for the first time, I wished she’d kept her sunglasses on so I didn’t see the fury in her eyes.

“Is that what you wanted to show me?” she snapped. “I never doubted you could kill people, Fitch. What I can’t fathom is why you choose to. It would have been just as easy to disarm them.”

Twisting ropes of darkness began wrapping up my legs, binding them together while stretching toward my arms.

“I did that, too. Weren’t you watching?” I rushed to speak, writhing away from the shadow that remained unaffected by the waves of mental power I thrust at it.

The investigator shook her head. “Talk later. For now, I have to stop this from turning into a bloodbath.”

Her form dissolved, flattening into a black spot that slid across the ground. From my prone position, I lost sight of her almost immediately.

I squirmed and strained, fighting the darkness that sucked on me like quicksand. It would be a body bag next because I was certain shadows didn’t make me bulletproof, and Hex members were closing in.

The woman I disarmed had taken off, but three others had formed a firing line across from the snivelingheap of hostages.

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