Silent Run

gun pointed straight at her sweet daughter’s head.
    â€œHello, Jessica. It’s about time you got here,” Victor Pennington said. “You and I have some unfinished business.”

Chapter Twenty-One

    â€œPut down my daughter,” Sarah ordered, her heart in her throat as Caitlyn screamed in fury, her tiny face turning red as tears streamed down her cheeks. “You’re hurting her. Let her go."
    â€œI don’t think so.” Victor tightened his grip on Caitlyn. “Stop right there."
    â€œIt’s me you want. Just put her down. I’ll do whatever you say."
    â€œMama!” Caitlyn screamed, her little arms reaching out for Sarah.
    Sarah’s heart broke at the sight of her daughter’s fear and fury. “It’s okay, baby. Please, Victor, leave my child alone."
    He gave her an evil smile. “The way you left me alone? You betrayed me, Jessica. You turned on me. You became my enemy, and my enemies do not survive."
    â€œI had no choice. The agents blackmailed me. They said I’d go to prison if I didn’t work with them."
    â€œSo instead you sent me to prison.” His wild eyes glittered with anger. “Does your friend here know we were lovers? Or shall I tell him in exact detail what we did in bed together?"
    Sarah licked her lips. She didn’t dare look at Jake, but she could feel the tension emanating from his body. So far he’d said nothing, but she knew he was trying to think of some way to take Victor down. He wouldn’t let Victor kill Caitlyn, not without a fight -- which scared her even more. If they weren’t careful, they could all end up dead.
    â€œThis is between you and me,” she said to Victor.
    â€œYou’re not going to be able to kill all of us,” Jake added.
    Victor’s thick lips tightened as he glared at Jake. “All I have to do is kill you first. Do you think Jessica can stop me from taking her life -- or your daughter’s? Quite a little family you’ve made for yourself, Jessica, while I was rotting in prison. Did you think about me? Did you really believe I was going to let you live after what you did to me?"
    â€œYou did it to yourself. You smuggled the drugs. You fenced the art. The feds had other witnesses besides me, including Timothy."
    â€œTimothy paid for his betrayal, and so will you."
    â€œWhere’s Teresa?” she asked, trying to keep him talking.
    â€œYour friend can’t help you. This time you aren’t going to escape. Shane is dead. Timothy is dead.
    And soon you’ll be dead, too. It’s much sweeter this way. I thought it would be enough to know you had taken your last breath, but it will be much more satisfying for me to pull the trigger. But first your friend, I think.” He pointed his gun at Jake.
    â€œDon’t!” Sarah cried.
    Her loud yell made Caitlyn scream. Her tiny fists swung in the air, her feet kicking wildly as she fought to get away.
    Victor had one arm around the baby, and Sarah could see that Caitlyn’s squirming was distracting Victor. Like any good toddler, Caitlyn knew instinctively how to go boneless and limp, how to use her weight to flop around like a rag doll.
    â€œDammit,” Victor swore at Caitlyn. “Shut the fuck up."
    Caitlyn screamed again as Victor tried to get a better grip on her. Sarah took a step forward, unable to bear the sight of her daughter’s struggles.
    â€œDon’t move,” Victor said. “Or I’ll kill the baby first."
    Sarah stopped abruptly. Victor made another attempt to get a better grip on Caitlyn, but in one wild flurry of arms and legs, her daughter knocked the gun right out of Victor’s hand.
    Sarah watched in shock as the weapon flew across the room and landed on the hardwood floor, sliding on a straight path toward the bed.
    For a moment everyone froze. Then they all moved at once.
    Victor let go of Caitlyn to grab for the gun.
    As Caitlyn fell to the floor, Sarah ran to her, sweeping her up in her arms.
    Jake kicked the gun farther away from Victor and tackled him. But Victor had at least forty pounds on Jake.
    Sarah wanted to help, but she needed to protect Caitlyn first. Jake would want her to run. And that was what she would do. She turned toward the door, then gasped in horror when she realized the door was blocked.
    There was another man facing her now -- another gun pointing straight at her head. And on the man’s wrist was the tattoo