Midnight Smoke (The Firebrand Series Book 3) by Helen Harper

Author:Helen Harper [Harper, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

I pressed my spine against the cool marble pillar and double-checked my crossbow. It was loaded and ready, though with any luck I wouldn’t have to use it. The gang would quickly realise that we’d trapped them. According to what Liza had seen on the CCTV footage from the first time the robbery took place, they’d only started shooting when Toffee, the Fairfax beta who’d been waiting in line, had decided to play hero and attack. If we could avoid anything similar happening, they might surrender. Might. It was unlikely, but I was still optimistic.

My biggest concern was Lukas. He’d already been killed once because of these bastards. I wasn’t sure I could cope with watching him die a second time.

I felt his eyes on me and glanced over. He flashed me a grin then blew me a kiss. I blinked and pulled back, feeling myself blush. Don’t be so stupid, Emma, I told myself. Carpe diem. I sucked in a breath, returned his look and blew him a kiss in return. His grin broadened. From the bank teller’s chair, Mosburn Pralk frowned.

I glanced at my watch. 1.33pm. I estimated that the gang were now seconds away. My heart thudded against my chest, my adrenaline firing on all cylinders. I shifted my weight onto the balls of my feet. Any second now. Any … second…

‘Hello? Is anyone there?’

I spun round, jumping out from behind the pillar with my crossbow raised. ‘Police!’ I yelled. Then I recognised the man: he was one of the McGuigan werewolves. The last time I’d seen him, he’d been lying by the exit on this very floor and he’d been very dead. Fuck.

‘Get out,’ I hissed.

The wolf stared at me. ‘Huh?’

‘Get. Out. Of. Here.’ I tried to use my innate power to compel him to leave but I was too tense. My words echoed emptily around the hall and he didn’t budge an inch.

‘I’ve got to deposit a cheque,’ he said with a tiny pout. ‘You can’t make me leave. I’ve got every right—’

Lukas stepped out from behind his pillar. ‘Leave. Turn round and go outside now.’ This time, the wolf paled and did as he was told. ‘See?’ Lukas offered me an arch grin. ‘Sometimes I have my uses.’

I managed a tight smile and waved him back to his hiding place. The gang would appear at any moment. In the next ten seconds or so all hell would break loose. I waited, poised and ready.

Nothing happened.

From behind the glass screen, Pralk looked at me pointedly, as if demanding to know what was going on. I avoided his eyes and checked my watch again: 1.34pm. It was time – so where were they?

I waited. More seconds ticked by and it was 1.35pm. What the hell was going on? I shook my head. What had changed?

A moment later, I had a chilling thought. The collision that had resulted in little Alfie’s death had caused a traffic jam. Anyone heading for this area would have been delayed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.