Annalise gasped at the woman’s callous statements. Dear heaven, what had happened in these people’s lives that had made them all so broken?
“Get those bodies into the school lobby as close to the main door as possible,” Jacob said. “Then I want everyone in the lobby with their guns ready. If the men who come in to get those bodies try anything, we shoot them on the spot. Tell everyone to be ready and to be in position in fifteen minutes.”
“Got it,” Gretchen replied, and then left the room.
“Agent Duran,” Jacob yelled through the broken window. “In fifteen minutes I’ll allow you and two of your men to come to the front door and get the dead. I need to see that you’re all unarmed. If I see a gun, we’ll shoot. You start walking toward the building on my command. Got it?”
“Can we bring hospital gurneys with us?” Evan asked.
“As long as they are completely bare. I want them stripped down to the metal so there’s no place to hide a gun. I’ll let you know when it’s time to walk.” Jacob got up and left the room.
Fifteen minutes. Somehow, someway Annalise needed to make sure Belinda got out with the dead. Otherwise she feared Belinda would become one of the dead, and this might be the only opportunity she got.
“No matter what happens, you girls stay here,” Annalise instructed. She had no idea what repercussions there might be for her trying to help Belinda. For all she knew she could be killed. No matter what happened, she needed to know the girls would stay in place whatever went down.
The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness. Dusk was beginning to fall, with violet shadows seeping into the room through the window.
“Raise up your pants legs so I can see you don’t have any ankle holsters,” she finally heard Jacob yell out another window. Annalise got up and looked down the hallway that led to the door. Although there were several men standing there, they all had their backs to her, their attention obviously riveted to the front door in the lobby.
It was about to happen. Within minutes FBI agents would be at the front door, and it might be the only way to get Belinda out of here.
She ran across the hallway. “Belinda, you have to get up.”
“I can’t, Annalise.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “I’m too weak and I’m in too much pain.”
“You have to try. Amanda, go across the hall and sit with the other girls. You’ve been very brave so far, and you have to keep being brave.”
Amanda got up, tears racing down her cheeks. “Is Miss Belinda going to be okay?”
“I’m going to try to help her. Now go on, honey. Go across the hall,” Annalise replied.
Once Amanda was gone, Annalise reached down to Belinda. “Come on, we’ve got to get you up and on your feet.” With Annalise’s help, Belinda managed to get to her feet, although she remained crouched forward with her hands over her wound.
“What are we doing? Where are we going?” Belinda asked, and then released a deep moan.
“We’re going to try to get you out of here,” Annalise said.
She heard Jacob instruct the men outside to start walking toward the building. “Lean on me,” she said to Belinda. “I’ll help you. We need to get to the front door.”
“I can’t,” Belinda replied.
“You have to. Now, lean on me and let’s go.” The woman felt fevered, making Annalise even more concerned for her.
Belinda leaned heavily on Annalise as they made their way out of the room and into the hallway. Belinda gasped as she saw the armed men with their backs to them. She stopped walking, her eyes widened with fear.
“Come on, Belinda. This is your only chance.” She urged her forward once again. Annalise’s heart raced. She had no idea what was going to happen when Jacob saw them. Would he order them both shot?
It didn’t matter. They had to take this chance; it might be the only one they had to get Belinda the medical assistance she needed. “Just try to be quiet,” Annalise whispered.
The timing had to be perfect. The FBI agents had to be in the school lobby when Annalise shoved Belinda toward them. She stopped walking and listened to Jacob, who was yelling at the agents.
“The bodies are right inside. If you make a move to do anything but get them, then we’ll shoot you,” he said. “Come in slowly.”
With those words, a wave of adrenaline shot through Annalise. She grabbed Belinda firmly by the arm and surged forward. She was half blinded with her need to get Belinda out of the school.
“Hey, what’s going on!” one of the men exclaimed as Annalise shoved past him and into the lobby.
She got a brief glimpse of Evan, who held her gaze for only a moment, and two other men with him. She shoved Belinda toward them. “Take her, she needs medical help,” she yelled.
A relieved sigh escaped her as Evan took Belinda’s arm and pulled her out of the school lobby. At the same time, somebody grabbed Annalise by her hair and yanked her backward.
Pain ripped through her scalp and then shot through her back as she fell to the floor. Gretchen stood over her. She drew back a booted foot and then kicked her in the ribs. Once...twice...three times. The breath whooshed out of Annalise even as she struggled to get to her feet. She glanced back and saw no sign of Belinda.
Despite the pain that racked her, a sweet feeling of success rushed through her. At least Belinda would get the medical treatment she needed and hopefully it would save her life.
Gretchen grabbed her up by the arm and slammed her into the wall. She placed the barrel of her gun under Annalise’s chin. Annalise didn’t move. She scarcely breathed.
“I should pull this trigger right now,” Gretchen said. Her eyes flamed with rage.
“Gretchen,” Jacob yelled from the lobby. “Take her back to the classroom. I’ll
