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He jerked my body to fully cover him as more people ran into view. I could see security calling it in to local police, but that could take minutes I didn’t have. My best friend Gina was staring at me in horror. We’d all heard stories about something like this happening. I just never thought I would be the one behind the blade.
With one look at the clock, I realized I was going to be late picking up Parker. I was supposed to leave in ten minutes. What would he think when I didn’t show up on time? What if I didn’t show up at all? Would he be sent to live with his deadbeat father? Any hopes of him attending that school would be out of the question.
I couldn’t think about that now. I had to focus on what was happening right now and figure out a way to get out of this mess. I licked my dry lips and closed my eyes, trying to calm the panic growing inside me. I’d taken self-defense classes after I gave birth to Parker. Knowing that his father was going to be in my life, I didn’t think I had a choice. I just had to remember what I was taught and fight the panic enough to think clearly.
“Landry, you don’t want to do this,” I heard someone shout.
I peeled my eyes open and focused on the officer standing justoutside the curtain. He was my focal point, the only way I was going to get out of this in one piece. Dark eyes, dark hair, tall, strong gun arm…I made a mental list of everything about this man down to his name tag.Thorson.
“You don’t think I’m serious?” Landry shouted, pressing the knife further into my skin.
I felt the sharp sting of the blade and a trickle of blood from where he’d cut me. Hostage negotiations could go on for hours if the prisoner was angry and brave enough. And if this guy was hopped up on drugs, there was no telling what he was capable of.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the officer said, holding up his hands. “You don’t want to do this. Just take a breath and calm down.”
“Calm down? You want me to calm down?”
“I want you to think about what you’re doing. The hospital is shut down. There’s nobody here but us and a dozen other cops. There’s only one way this ends, and if you don’t put that knife down, you’ll end up in a body bag.”
His voice was strong and determined, giving me the strength to focus on what I needed to do. I locked eyes with him for just a moment, and when I felt the scalpel against my throat ease just a little, I yanked his knife hand down, then slid back under his armpit.
I stumbled backward as Landry was tackled by the officer and another one I hadn’t seen. Landing on my butt, I scrambled out of the way as the officer spun him to his stomach and cuffed his hands behind his back, while the other officer held him down.
“Sky!” Gina shouted as she rushed over to me, kneeling down beside me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, still staring at the man who’d just attacked me. I couldn’t believe that actually worked. I had practiced it many times before, but that was when Parker was little. I had never used it in a real situation.
“Hey, talk to me, girl.”
I finally looked at Gina, but couldn’t say a thing. I started to feel light-headed and the adrenaline coursing through me had my heart pounding in my chest.
“Ma’am, I need you to back up,” the cop said, grabbing Gina by thearm and gently pulling her to her feet. Gina took a step back, still watching me carefully. “Are you okay?” the officer asked.
My eyes once again landed on his name tag and I repeated his name over and over in my head to keep from flipping out. I felt his hand brush my cheek and finally met his eyes.
“Take a deep breath. Watch me.”
I kept my eyes on his mouth as he sucked in a breath, then slowly released it. I could hear the clock ticking in the distance and used it to help count my breaths. Slowly, my heart started to slow, but the shaking increased. He took my hand in his and gave a squeeze, reassuring me he was still there.
“That’s better,” he grinned.
I gave him a shaky smile, noticing for the first time how beautiful his face was. With a five o’clock shadow covering his jaw and those dark eyes, it was easy to see him as dangerous, but the grin on his face hinted at mischief.
“Can you stand?”
I nodded and let him haul me to my feet. I was still shaking and felt off balance, but at least I didn’t have a knife to my throat anymore. “Gina,” I finally croaked out. “I need you to call the preschool. Parker?—”
“I’ll take care of it. Just sit down.”
I watched as she hurried off to the front desk. The officer guided me over to a chair and pushed me down. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“Uh…”
“Let’s start with an easier question. What’s your name?”
“Skylar,” I answered, licking my lips. “Skylar West.”
“Hey, Skylar. I’m Officer Thorson.”
