The Welcoming

outside.”
    “Are you crazy? Roman, for God’s sake—”
    “Do it!”
    Block moistened his lips, keeping his hands carefully aloft. “Is this a robbery?”
    “Haven’t you figured it out by now?” With his free hand, Roman pulled out his ID. After tossing it on the desk, he reached for his cuffs. “You’re under arrest.”
    “What’s the charge?”
    “Conspiracy to murder, counterfeiting, transporting known felons across international borders. That’ll do for a start.” He yanked one of Block’s arms down and slipped the cuff over his wrist.
    “How could you?” Charity’s voice was a mere whisper. She held his badge in her hand.
    He took his eyes off Block for only a second to look at her. One second changed everything.
    “How silly of me,” Miss Millie muttered as she waltzed back into the lobby. “I was nearly upstairs when I realized I’d left my—”
    For a man of his bulk, Block moved quickly. He dragged Miss Millie against him and had a knife to her throat before anyone could react. The cuffs dangled from one wrist. “It’ll only take a heartbeat,” he said quietly, staring into Roman’s eyes. The gun was trained in the center of Block’s forehead, and Roman’s finger was twitching on the trigger.
    “Think about it.” Block’s gaze swept the lobby, where other guns had been drawn. “I’ll slice this nice little lady’s throat. Don’t move,” he said to Charity. Shifting slightly, he blocked her way.
    Wide-eyed, Miss Millie could only cling to Block’s arm and whimper.
    “Don’t hurt her.” Charity stepped forward, but she stopped quickly when she saw Block’s grip tighten. “Please, don’t hurt her.” It had to be a dream, she told herself. A nightmare. “Someone tell me what’s happening here.”
    “The place is surrounded.” Roman kept his eyes and his weapon on Block. He waited in vain for one of his men to move in from the rear. “Hurting her isn’t going to do you any good.”
    “It isn’t going to do you any good, either. Think about it. Want a dead grandmother on your hands?”
    “You don’t want to add murder to your list, Block,” Roman said evenly. And Charity was much too close, he thought. Much too close.
    “It makes no difference to me. Now take it outside. All of you!” His voice rose as he scanned the room. “Toss down the guns. Toss them down and get out before I start slicing into her. Do it.” He nicked Miss Millie’s fragile throat with the blade.
    “Please!” Again Charity took a step forward. “Let her go. I’ll stay with you.”
    “Damn it, Charity, get back.”
    She didn’t spare Roman a glance. “Please, Roger,” she said again, taking another careful step forward. “She’s old and frail. She might get sick. Her heart.” Desperate, she stepped between him and Roman’s gun. “I won’t give you any trouble.”
    The decision took Block only a moment. He grabbed Charity and dug the point of the blade into her throat. Miss Millie slid bonelessly to the floor.
    “Drop the gun.” He saw the fear in Roman’s eyes and smiled. Apparently he’d made a much better bargain. “Two seconds and it’s over. I don’t have anything to lose.”
    Roman held his hands up, letting his weapon drop. “We’ll talk.”
    “We’ll talk when I’m ready.” Block shifted the knife so that the length of the blade lay across Charity’s neck. She shut her eyes and waited to die. “Get out, now. The first time somebody tries to get back in she dies.”
    “Out.” Roman pointed to the door. “Keep them back, Conby. All of them. There’s my weapon,” he said to Block. “I’m clean.” He lifted his jacket cautiously to show his empty holster. “Why don’t I hang around in here? You can have two hostages for the price of one. A federal agent ought to give you some leverage.”
    “Just the woman. Take off, DeWinter, or I’ll kill her before you can think how to get to me. Now.”
    “For God’s sake, Roman. Get her out of here. She needs a doctor.” Charity sucked in her breath when the point of the knife pierced her skin.
    “Don’t.” Roman held up his hands again, palms out, as he moved toward the crumpled form near the desk. Keeping his movements slow, he gathered the sobbing woman in his arms. “If you hurt her, you won’t live long enough to regret it.”
    With that last frustrated threat he left Charity alone.
    “Stay back.” After bundling Miss Millie into waiting arms, he rushed off the porch, fighting to keep