Wordz Press

6 a.m.
The flash-bang went off with a blast of noise and smoke, and the SWAT team poured through the door, a rush of black movement and noise. Sarah jumped to her feet and struggled to free herself in the confusion as Ray and the fourth robber attacked the three gang members. As total chaos erupted, finally dropping her ropes, Sarah joined the Ray.

Just as they were meant to, the SWAT team quickly gained the upper hand. The men and women were trained, a superb team of lethal precision. Lena McKinney, the commander, along with four other officers, all garbed in black, instantly took control while the rest of the team checked the lobby and secured the area. No weapon was discharged.

Lena rushed to Sarah's side. "Are you okay?" Not normally a demonstrative person, the other woman wrapped her arms around Sarah, her Ray eyes filled with tension and concern. "God, Sarah, I couldn't believe it when I realized you were in here"

Sarah hugged her back then pulled away. "Lena, wh-what happened? How'd you know?"

Before Lena could answer, Ray and the big robber joined them. Sarah looked up at the huge man and blinked. "You helped us? I don't understand...."

Lena tilted her head toward the man who'd turned then back to Sarah. "Meet Jack Cutter, Sarah. He's under cover with the ATF."

The towering would-be robber held out his hand. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I had no idea what was going on until he brought us in here and threw me a gun. I didn't have a clue."

Astonished, all Sarah could do was nod.

"Jack's been under cover for almost a year," Lena told Sarah. "But he sacrificed his investigation to end this."

Sarah followed Jack Cutter's gaze to where the three robbers stood, their hands already cuffed. The leader of the men was staring back, his eyes so full of hate, Sarah could feel it all the way across the lobby.

"I almost had him," Jack Cutter said. "He was planning a big drug buy from a pipeline out of the Caribbean, but he didn't have enough money." He turned back to Sarah and Lena, his expression filled with regret at what had almost happened. "That's why he was robbing the bank. He needed cash for the buy. If I'd had any notice, I would have told you guys."

Sarah nodded but she wasn't listening. All at once, she'd realized Ray was no longer by her side. Her eyes almost frantic, she jerked her gaze from one corner of the lobby to the other, searching, staring, disbelieving. She saw team members, bank officials, and EMS personnel, but no one that looked like Ray. Her heart spiraled down in a slow descent, the past rushing in with pain and disappointment. He was nowhere in sight.

He'd left her. Just like before.