Zach didn’t want to think about how desperate a man had to be to refuse a simple conversation, even if it was to tell the negotiator to go to hell. He wished he had the visual and auditory feed his commander did. Then he could be sure where Carolyn was. But all he had were his own eyes trained on a shiny glass window. He’d chosen his position because the glare was minimal, but it would still be a factor if it came to eliminating the target.
“In the window,” Zach heard on the radio, but he’d already made visual contact through his scope. The robber’s shoulder came into view: gray T-shirt, nothing remarkable, but he seemed to be dragging something. Zach increased the pressure on the trigger, waiting for more of the target to show. He almost had a clean shot when a blond woman appeared in front of the man. His hands gripped her arms, pressing into her flesh and holding her in place in front of him.
She clutched a kid to her chest, her hand wrapped around his head. The boy was young, barely more than a baby, and wore red ear protection. Zach mentally cursed the robber for hiding behind a woman and child.
Although he already knew what he would see, Zach focused the scope on the woman’s face to confirm her identity. Carolyn. Her brown eyes were wide in fear, and there was no sign of the dimples he’d always loved so much. He released his trigger finger as his breath caught in his chest. He’d never attempt the shot.
“Human shield,” he said into his mic. “No clear target.”
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