For Auld Lang Syne (Navy Book 1)

Chapter 18

"She belongs with me. It's Christmas, and we need to be together. She should have come home last night and she didn't. I knew she was here, and I let her stay for her son's sake, but now she needs to come home. All of the presents are opened, and its time!" He moved towards Annabelle and she screamed and moved further behind everyone.

"Maybe we can talk about this. You know she's famous right." Devon asked, attempting to draw his attention back towards her.

"I – know- that!" the man, who had started to sweat profusely from his balding head, yelled.

"So, do you really want all of these people watching the two of you work out your issues? What if one of them goes to a tabloid or something? It would be all over the papers and we don't want that especially at Christmas." Devon was using her calmest tone.

He paused, looking at everyone in the room, considering them. "I can just kill everyone then no one could talk."

Devon nodded, suppressing a shiver as she imagined their lifeless bodies scattered all over the room. That really would make it on the front page of the tabloids. She looked over her shoulder at Josh and Kellan who were watching the man intently. Their body language was relaxed even though Devon knew this was as far from the truth as possible because she saw a steely glint in Josh's eyes.

"You don't want to do that. It might upset Annabelle. The two of you would be on the run, and then you really couldn't go home." Devon licked her dry lips and stepped towards the man on shaky legs. "Why don't you, me, and Annabelle go somewhere and talk about this privately?"

"I'm not going anywhere with this psycho!" Annabelle screamed.

"I'm a psycho am I?" the man screamed back at her, firing his gun and creating a panic in the room.

"Stop!" Devon yelled covering her ears, "Everyone stop!" She looked at Josh and Kellan for help, but other than ducking they remained where they were. She knew they couldn't reveal themselves, it would destroy any advantage they had.

"What's your name?" she asked the man after things had calmed a bit.

"Eugene." He adjusted the gun in his hand as he looked warily at everyone.

"Eugene, let me have a private word, one on one, with Annabelle. I'm sure I can convince her to go somewhere quiet, O.K?"

He nodded, waving the gun in Annabelle's direction. Devon took a deep breath and turned her back on the man. It was the hardest thing she had ever done. She knew that Josh and Kellan had her back, but it was still nerve wracking as she slowly approached Annabelle who was shaking her head in adamant refusal.

"Annabelle," Devon put her hands on her shoulders, "you have to go, but I'll go with you. Josh and Kellan are here and we'll be fine."

"What do they have to do with it?" she hissed. "We're all going to die!"

"No, we're not. Not if you do as I say." Devon watched her and couldn't read any change in her attitude. "Think of your son!" she begged, trying another tactic, and she thought for a moment it was going to work as Annabelle looked over at him standing behind Bree, but Annabelle only looked away with shame.

"I can't go, I'll die," she whispered.

"No, you won't, and think of all the media attention it will get you when you don't." Something flickered in Annabelle's eyes, and it made Devon a little ill that she would choose her career over her own son, but she had to build on it if they were going to get out of there alive.

She looked over her shoulder at Eugene watching them with unease. "It's alright Eugene, we're coming."

She turned back towards Annabelle. "Every talk show will want you, every paper and magazine will want the story about how you alone saved your family from an armed intruder on Christmas Day.  No one could write a better story about how one woman was ready to give everything for the sake of her family. I bet you could even write the book yourself if you wanted to." Devon had touched the right nerve and Annabelle's eyes glazed over as she thought about all of the possibilities the opportunity could afford her.