Lorelei watched Liam as he dropped to his knees next to the injured woman. He held out his hand to the medic and gave a quick nod. “Janice, while I’m gone, you’re in charge.”

“Sure thing, chief.”

He gave a tight smile and stood quickly, moving with the kind of grace only a guy who knew how to handle himself could move. Before they left the cramped copy room, he put his hand on her arm and met her gaze with his serious eyes.

“Every command I give, you follow. You got it?”

She swayed closer to him. “Yes.”

“Okay. We’re going low and slow. Don’t make any noise.”

“Got it.”

Her heart rate picked up as he placed his hand on the door handle and turned before pulling and cracked the door open just a little. It sounded like the leader was still ranting. He was going off on one of the guys. Yelling about the guy thinking he was a big deal. A shiver raced over her body and Liam’s hand came down on her arm. He squeezed, and she met his gaze, giving him a quick nod.

They slipped out of the room and shut the door silently. He crouched low, and she bent too. She led him around the corner to the back office where Brenda’s desk sat. This was the place where she counted the money and filled out her logs. The front office was where she talked to customers.

The assholes in the front were still yelling. It was stressful and fear held her, but Liam was there with her, his strong presence comforting. She went to the desk and was about to pull open a drawer when a shot rang out.

Liam moved fast, placing his hand over her mouth. He pulled her against his chest, holding her close.

“Don’t make a noise. The only way we can help is getting this key and getting the women and children out. Once they are free, we can work on getting the men to safety.”

She swallowed down the fear and pushed away the terror. A small tear ran down her cheek and she swiped it away. Liam let her go and she moved stiffly to the desk. Her hand was shaking as she reached out to open the drawer. Fear raced through her and she wanted to cry. Then Liam put a hand on her arm. He held her gaze and gave a quick nod. She felt better, like maybe she could do this.

She reached into the drawer, searching. The key was at the back of the drawer, under a stack of Post-it notes. She moved the stacks very quietly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Her hands were shaking, and she knocked a stack of the Post-its off the desk. Liam moved in a flash, catching the little note stacks before they hit the floor.

Her gaze met his, and he gave a sharp nod before placing the stack on the desk. She watched his sure movements wondering why he wasn’t shaking. Why wasn’t he afraid? This was the most terrifying thing she’d ever experienced, and Liam seemed totally fine.

She reached into the desk and pulled out the key. Liam took it from her hand and put it in his pocket. He put one finger over his lips, making a quiet motion. He held up his hand, telling her to stay. She nodded and watched as he moved to the hall and headed the other way, away from the copy room.

Seconds ticked past and her fear ramped up. Should she go or stay? She had no clue. Then Liam was back, his face blank. That scared her more than anything else. The sweet guy she’d grown attracted to was gone, in his place was some sort of machine with no feelings.

He lifted his brow and cocked his head to the side, indicating she should follow. They very slowly, very quietly made their way back to the copy room and slipped in.

She could see the whole room sigh. She understood. Liam was a comforting presence, even when he was in this robot operating mode.

“Janice, give me a sitrep.”

“Nothing happened. The kids seem calm. My patient is better. We stopped the bleeding, but she’s in pain. I gave her three Tylenol.”

“Has anyone called the cops?” Liam asked.

“No,” the women said.

“I’ll call.” Lorelei pulled out her phone and dialed nine-one-one. The operator answered, and she listened to the woman ask what the emergency was. As she started to speak her throat closed with emotions. “I-I’m at the bank that’s being robbed.”

“Oh. Um, hold on. Wait, can you give me your address?”

She rattled off the bank’s address and watched as Liam pulled his phone from his pocket and send a text. She didn’t know who he would be texting, but it seemed weird. He was awfully cool and calm. He wasn’t working with these guys, was he? Panic filled her, and she glanced up, catching his gaze.

Warmth filled his gaze and calm spread over her. Liam couldn’t be involved with those assholes. His phone buzzed and his focus changed. His face went blank when he read over the text. She wasn’t sure what type of person could switch off all emotions so fast. It was frightening, but he was the only one she could trust right now. She drew in a calming breath and suppressed a shiver. Liam wasn’t a bank robber, she could trust him, she had to trust him.