Free Time to Live: Part Five by John Gilstrap Page B

charge of the side one assault team stepped partially out into the open from behind his dune, as two other team members took up positions behind the dead Bronco. He could see right away that the release itself would be blocked from his view by the peak of the roof.
    He returned his eyes to the back door and settled in again. “Well, that changes a lot of things,” he told Luis.
    * * *
    It was the noblest, most stupid thing Brad had ever done. As he opened the door for the old woman and ushered her out, he saw beyond the glare of the lights that the SWAT guys were moving up to receive her. Watching her walk out to them, he couldn’t help but admire her spirit. Conscious of her audience, Gramma straightened herself and walked with as much dignity as she could muster out toward the lights. When she reached the truck, two black-clad gunmen darted out and dragged her back to cover.
    Brad closed the door. “Well, it shouldn’t be long now,” he said.
    Nicki smiled at him over the back of the sofa. “Thank you,” she said. “It was the right thing.”
    “Then how come it felt so stupid?”
    “Don’t you see?” she said. “We just bought ourselves all the time in the world. Without her, there’s no reason to storm the place anymore.”
    Brad couldn’t contain the grunt as he lifted Nicki’s feet and helped himself to the end of the sofa, where he put her feet back down on his lap. “Let’s hope you’re right,” he said. “Because from where I sit, they’ve got no reason not to shoot us both dead.”
    * * *
    Scotty bolted out of the Mellings’ front door before anyone could stop him and jumped from the stoop into the sand, where he sprinted around the corner toward the bright lights that marked his house. Somebody yelled for him to stop, but then somebody else said, “Let him go.”
    His head hurt from the effort, and he felt a little dizzy, but that was okay. He wanted to see his Gramma. He needed to see her.
    There she was.
    At first, he saw just a cluster of cops, backlit against the floodlights, but then, in the middle of them, he saw her. She looked stronger and taller than he remembered, and pretty pissed. He could tell from her body language that she was tired of being pushed around by these cops, and he told himself that maybe it was because she was at least half as anxious to see him as he was to see her.
    They must have said something about Scotty on the radio, because he was still fifty yards away when she looked up, staring right at him, and muscled her way through the cops to head his way.
    They met somewhere in between, and Scotty felt the air leave his lungs as Gramma enveloped him in a huge bear hug. He realized out of nowhere that he was crying, and while he didn’t know why, he knew that he couldn’t stop. No one had ever looked as beautiful as Gramma did in that moment.
    “I’d never leave you, sweetie,” she whispered, so close to his ear that he could feel her breath on his cheek. “Never in a million years.”
    Scotty tried to say something, but his voice wouldn’t work. It probably would have been something lame anyway.
    A black-clad cop cleared his throat and placed his hand on Gramma’s shoulder. “Pardon me,” he said, “but they need to talk to you in the command post.”
    Scotty let Gramma hold his hand as they walked back to the Mellings’ house and stepped inside. He didn’t even let go when other people could see.
    The mood in the command post had lightened. All heads turned as they entered.
    “Maury Donnelly,” the commander said, stepping forward and offering his hand. “We’re very glad to see you, Mrs. Parker. Are you hurt?”
    Gramma shook her head. “No, I’m fine, but that boy in there, Brad, he wanted me to be sure to give you a message as soon as I saw you. He meant what he said before: if he sees a face, he’ll shoot it. I think he’s serious. And he also said if you try to rush the building, he’ll shoot the girl.”
    Those were the first words