Amish Under Fire #SYTYCW15 #LoveInspiredSuspense #Wattys2015 #JustWriteIt

Chapter 1

Amish Under Fire

Love Inspired Suspense

Ashley Emma

>>>NOTE: the rewritten, revised, and improved full eBook is now available on Amazon here: http://a.co/a586vBC<<<<<

Chapter One

Maria Mast waited in line at her bank in Portland, Maine, wearing a retro waitressing uniform she couldn't wait to change out of, the nametag printed with the word Kate. She removed it and tucked it away before anyone else could see it. The back of the dress advertised Miss Portland's Diner, and now she cringed at the thought of people knowing where she worked. The diner car restaurant looked as though it was straight out of the '40s with its marble countertops, hardwood booths and lively patterns.

Kate Morgan. That's the name her checks from work were written out to. She'd had to lie to her boss about a lot of things, but she was grateful for the benevolent woman who had given her a job and hadn't asked too many questions. Like why Maria had shown up for her interview with bruises on her arms. Or why she didn't talk to anyone about her family or personal life. Or why she didn't make friends or trust anyone. Or why she glanced up nervously every time she heard the loud rumbling of a diesel truck pull into the parking lot.

Even if Maureen could have seen the gun concealed under Maria's skirt, Maria wondered if her boss would have even pressed for information about that.

The bank teller beckoned to her and Maria slid the check and some cash from tips towards the woman wearing round spectacles. Just after depositing the money, she heard the doors open and screams erupt throughout the busy bank.

She whirled around to see two armed, masked gunmen in all black enter the building.

"Everybody on the ground!" one shouted while the other stomped over to the tellers, demanding cash.

Maria lowered herself to the ground, watching as the gunman forced the woman to hand over all the cash available. Her heart seemed to have fallen into her stomach, and anxiety constricted her throat and chest. Maybe if they did what the men said, no one would get hurt.

Or maybe she would die here, today, after surviving everything she had already been through. Though she was only twenty-five, she had already endured more hardship than some people did over an entire lifetime.

She thought of the gun strapped to her leg, and wondered what to do. What if she accidentally hit an innocent bystander by accident?

"That's all the cash here!" the harried teller with the spectacles cried when the bank robber demanded more cash.

"There's got to be more!" he shouted.

"No, I swear, that's it!"

The gunmen grabbed a little girl by the wrist, wrenching her away from her mother as she screamed in terror. The gunman locked her under his arm and held the gun to her head.

"If you don't get me the rest of the cash, I'll blow a hole through her head!" he screamed at the teller, and Maria's muscles tensed with every word he shouted.

She had to do something. She had been coming to this bank long enough to know they probably didn't have any more cash than what the tellers had given the robbers.

Her fingers reached up to her knee where her 9mm pistol was secured in its holster. She slid it out and rested her forefinger along the side of the gun, her heart pounding harder with every second. She clicked off the safety.