“Everybody stay put,” she said. “I’ll get the light.”
“What if they see you turn it on?” Cameron asked.
For the first time since she’d walked into the bank, Jo felt a tinge of humor. “It’s dark in here, so that’s not likely.”
“What if someone’s on other side of the door?” That was Douglas.
Jo shifted into a crouch. “Not likely,” she said, even though she’d wondered about that possibility. “They’re trying to scare us.”
“You should stay where you are,” Darlene said.
“It’s okay,” Jo replied.
Still, she remained in place for a bit, waiting to see if the sounds of their voices caused a reaction from outside. Then she felt her way along the floor, her hands hitting a shoe here, touching a leg there. The sound of breathing seemed a cacophony in her ears, and she watched the door the whole time. A thin sliver of light filtered in from the crack under it, but no shadows or movement were discernable on the other side. As she drew closer to the door, she stopped, listening. Someone shifted behind her, the sound of fabric rustling. Cameron sniffled, and Sabrina let out a tiny mew. Jo crouched at the side of the door, raised her hand, and flicked on the light, then turned to look at the group.
A few people blinked; a few had their mouths open. The door didn’t open, and no shots were fired. Jo hadn’t expected anything, of course. She’d been trying to outthink the criminals. They’d bound up Rico and taken him with them, which meant they didn’t need the group in the room anymore. They had cleared out.
She tried the door, and although the knob turned, as she gently tried to pull inward, nothing happened. She wasn’t planning to fully open it. There still could’ve been someone on the other side with a weapon, or the hostage-takers could have booby-trapped it. Her intent had been to see if anything occurred when the knob turned. When nothing did, she was more certain than ever that they were alone. That meant they had no choice but to wait.
Jo crouched by the door and looked at the group. “Is everyone all right?” Several nods. She focused on Barbara. “You doing okay?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice a tiny bit stronger.
“We’re going to make it out of here,” Jo said.
“How do you know?” Ward asked.
“I know something about these situations,” Jo said.
“Are you law enforcement?”
Jo shrugged. “Something like that.”
“Are the police out there?” Mandy asked.
“I need to use the bathroom,” said Darlene.
“Hold it.” That was Cameron, but there was no malice in his tone.
Jo smiled. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to, if you can.”
Darlene smiled. “I guess I can.”
“I’m sure we’ll have to wait a while, but we’re going to make it out of here,” Jo said. “Someone will be here soon to help us.”
A few of the others asked questions, wondering what the police would be doing and such, and Cameron just kept saying that he couldn’t believe the hostage takeover had happened.
“When this is all over, I think I’ll sleep for a week,” Barbara said.
A few of the others smiled. Jo glanced at Sabrina, who had been quiet since the lights went on.
“How are you doing?” she asked her.
Sabrina forced a smile. “I dream about something like this happening sometimes, but I never thought it actually would. People keep telling me I should work somewhere else . . .” She glanced around the room. “Maybe I will. Maybe I’ll quit.”
“It’s not over yet,” Ward muttered.
That brought the mood down quickly, so Jo leaped in with a reply. “It’ll be fine.”
They lapsed into silence. She listened at the door, but she didn’t hear anything.
The clock in her head had counted about thirty minutes since the men had left with Rico when she heard pounding feet and voices on the other side of the door.
“Did they come back?” Darlene whispered.
Jo stayed alert, then shook her head. “I think it’s the police.”
Seconds later, that was confirmed.
“Police! Police!” a voice yelled in the hallway.
“In here,” Jo called out. “We’re safe. There are eight of us. We’re unarmed. They took a man named Rico with them.”
“Stay away from the door,” the voice said.
Jo moved back to her spot, placed her hands on her knees, and watched the door. The knob rattled, and the door swung inward. Three SWAT team members stood in the hall, rifles at the ready. They shined a light into the room, staring at everyone, and then one of them spoke.
“You,” he said to Sabrina. “Are you hurt?”
