“If you go for him, I’ll get away. By the time you come back for me, I’ll be long gone. So you can try to take out some random guy who doesn’t matter to you. Or you can come for me. But you can’t do both.”

She heard the footsteps stop. While he decided, she looked behind her to see if she really could get away. What she found filled her with disquiet. For a moment she thought she was being stared at by dozens of motionless figures.

After a second she realized that she was in some kind of warehouse, filled with what appeared to be hundreds of department store mannequins. Some were completed while others lay on the ground half-finished or abandoned. She scurried back into the depths so that she wouldn’t be an easy target if he appeared at that moment.

“I guess this is goodbye,” she yelled behind her, hoping to force her father’s hand.

“You drive a hard bargain,” she heard him say, obviously getting closer. “Considering that your marshal buddy’s friends will likely be here any minute, you’ve won me over. I’m coming for you, little girl.”

She was tempted to hide behind a mannequin and take a shot when he came into view. But then she pushed the idea out of her head. He had a gun too. A fair fight wasn’t to her advantage. The smart move was to find a way out of here, get back to the bar, and call in the cavalry.

She looked around, desperately searching for an “exit” sign. She saw one illuminated in green at the far end of the warehouse and moved in that direction. Glancing back, she saw that her father still wasn’t visible in the doorway.

“Last chance,” she shouted so as to be heard over the rain. “Better come now or all that hard work will be for nothing, Xander.”

She had barely finished speaking when the shots began. He fired three times as he moved into the warehouse. She hurried further back toward the exit, darting among the mannequins so that he wouldn’t have an easy shot if he located her.

“You know, Junebug,” he called out, “it’s disrespectful to refer to your parent by his first name. I’ll accept Daddy, Father, or my personal preference, Pa. But Xander? That’s just rude. I thought I raised you better than that.”

Jessie tried to move as quietly as possible as she navigated her way to the exit. The sound of his voice and footsteps was actually reassuring. At least she knew he wasn’t focused on Murph any longer. Besides, she’d rather have him taunt her if it meant she knew where he was.

She was only steps from the exit when her phone rang. For a second her whole body went stiff. Then, as quickly as she could, she slid behind a large mannequin, pulled it out of her pocket, and silenced it. The caller ID showed that it was Dolan, who was probably still unaware of everything going on.