Negotiating Point by Adrienne Giordano Read Free Book Online Page A

need a Mountain Dew, some bottled waters, a Coke and iced tea. And whatever the lady likes. I don’t care.”
    Three different drinks, plus the waters. “Give us thirty minutes and I’ll call you back to arrange delivery.”
    “You’re not coming near this house!”
    “We’re gonna talk about that. We’ll leave the food somewhere and you can grab it. How would that be?”
    The line went dead and Gavin removed his headset.
    “Head-shrinker, what are you doing?”
    Gavin held up his hand while he read over his notes. “Based on this food order, I’m guessing we’ve got at least three people, probably four, plus Roxann inside. Now I need to find out how many guns they have.” He handed over the food order. “Get this food while I work out a delivery plan.”
    Vic snatched the slip of paper from him. “One of my guys delivers the food.”
    “No. They’ll see a tactical guy and go balls to the wall. That’s the last thing we need.”
    “Actually,” Vic argued, “that’s exactly what we need. These fuckers think they’re in charge. Let’s show them what kind of manpower they’re up against.”
    “Guys,” Janet said. “Arguing won’t get Roxann out of there.”
    But Gavin had his sights on Vic. “We’ve just learned new information and you need to back off while I work through it.”
    “Oh? What have we learned?”
    Gavin stood taller, took a small step toward Vic. “They’ve just proven to us they’re not afraid to use their guns.”
    * * *
    Craving fresh air and sensing her boss’s need to vent, Janet walked outside with Vic for a chat before he made the food run. She walked to his Tahoe with him and leaned against it, the heat from the front quarter panel seeping through her slacks. Hot day. “Gavin knows what he’s doing.”
    Vic huffed out a breath. “Great, you too? Bad enough Mike is on his side.”
    “No sides here, remember? All I know is Roxann is in that house. And she’s pregnant and I’m terrified for her. I think it would be a good idea if you gave Gavin a wee bit of room to do his job. He’s a reasonable man. Plus, the deal was, he’d have until nightfall to talk these guys down. That’s another four hours from now.”
    “And what if something happens before then? How do any of us live with it if she doesn’t walk out of there when we could have taken these assholes down?”
    “How do you know she won’t get hurt in the takedown?”
    He stared at her a second too long. “Vic, I know you think you can storm in there and save her. I’ve been around you guys long enough to get that, but I’ve seen what Gavin can do. Give him a break and quit bugging him so he can concentrate.”
    “You do remember I’m your boss.”
    “Yes, but there are times you need to be slapped.” She grinned. “I’m happy to do the slapping.”
    He rolled his eyes. “Two things. First, get off my damned truck. Second, I’ll stay quiet until nightfall. Only because you asked me.”
    “Gee, my hero. Bring back extra food for us.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    He climbed into the Tahoe and fired the engine. With that task completed, Janet spun on her heel to have a go at Gavin and a food delivery plan. She was getting sick of these two arguing and if she could help Gavin come up with a plan Vic could agree to, they’d all get some semblance of peace in an otherwise crappy day.
    Entering the barn, she found Gavin slouched back in the folding chair with his feet propped on the table. The man had the ability to look completely relaxed, but she knew his mind was active. She leaned on the table to face him. “What are you thinking about the food delivery?”
    “I’d like to leverage it to get a look at Roxann. Make sure she’s okay. But they’re not gonna let us anywhere near the house, which means Roxann would have to come out. I doubt they’d let that happen. I’ll deliver the food.”
    “Vic will freak. He’ll want to do it or have one of the guys do it.”
    “I know. They’ll use it as