The Blackout Girl ✔️

chapter forty-three

They piled into the elevator. All five of them. It was a cramped space, a tight fit, but they made it work. The urgency was hanging above them, and each ticking of Nolan's watch reminded him that they might not get there in time.

Nolan wasn't looking at anyone. He was facing forward, trying to get himself together.

He nearly broke when Kaytee's hand slid into his. She squeezed it once before letting go. When her skin parted from him, he missed her instantly.

Sirens blaring, Price pushed the gas to the floor. They were weaving through cars, cutting through the shoulder of the lane when necessary. The colors of the traffic lights didn't matter. All signs were ignored. The hasty nature of the trip meant all else was irrelevant.

Price pulled onto the lawn of the house. They left the doors open, the engine still running as the agents fanned out. Nolan and Kaytee entered through the back door, which was unlocked, unguarded.

He felt his heart in his throat.

"Together," Kaytee whispered. He barely heard her through the blood rushing in his ears.

So, he nodded. It was a tight, restrained motion, but he managed to do it.

She walked ahead of him, catching sight of Michelle in the kitchen first. She had Lexi pulled into her chest, pressing the side of the gun to her daughter's temple. Her forearm was wrapped around Lex's throat, cutting off most of her air.

Lexi was crying. She looked like she'd been crying for a long time. Her red hair was flattened against her face by tears and snot and blood that surely belonged to Mr. Esperanza. Nolan noticed the cold body of Delaney just a few feet away and shuddered.

Michelle was on a spree. By the looks of it, she didn't want to be talked down.

"Stay back!" Michelle screeched, digging the gun into Lex's head. "Stay back or I'll kill her!"

Sensing the delicacy of the situation, Nolan witnessed as the rest of his team hung back, ducking behind the wall dividing the stairwell and the kitchen. Michelle was angled so that the same wall provided her a barrier. It was the very reason no one had a clear shot to take.

If too many agents flooded the room, they would be screwed.

That was the nature of a hostage situation. Everything had to be handled carefully. Otherwise, there were too many opportunities for failure.

"Michelle," Kaytee said. "Do you remember me? My name is Kaytee. I believe we saw each other briefly—"

"I don't care who you are!" Michelle roared. "Stay away from me! Stay away from all of us!"

"I can't do that," Kaytee told her. "You know that I can't."

"You can do anything. You're the feds, aren't you? Surely you can let me go," Michelle said, her babbling almost incoherent.

"Is that what you want?" Nolan asked. "You want to be let go?"

"I want a deal. You get me what I want, and you can have Lex," she said, like her daughter was nothing more than a bargaining chip.

Nolan stared at her, watching as a woman slipped into her most primal state. Her first priority was self-preservation, and no amount of negotiation classes seemed to compare to this. This was the real thing. Textbooks written about what to do, how to prepare, were useless. All of that information slipped his mind.

Statistics wouldn't save Lexi.

"We can have a conversation," Kaytee said. "You wanna do that? We can talk."