It seems to take forever for the plane to touch down and I feel like a caged animal as I listen to the sound of belt buckles being undone and people talking on the phone as we taxi across the tarmac.

As soon as I have a signal I press send on Willow’s number and listen to it ring. When her voicemail clicks on, I close my eyes then look down at my phone and dial Tucker.

“We’re outside the bank,” he answers. “A negotiator is on the phone with the guy holding her.”

“What the fuck happened?”

“The guy inside is an employee, we’re trying to figure out what set him off.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Good thing you’re forty thousand feet in the air.”

“We’re on the ground, just waiting to get off the plane.”

“Then let’s hope we can get this guy out before you get here,” he says and my jaw clenches.

“If he hurts her.”

“I know,” he says quietly.

“She has to be okay.” My throat gets tight with a feeling I haven’t felt in years.

“She will be. Nico just showed. I’m going to go fill him in,” he says before hanging up.

Tucking my phone into my back pocket I make my way to the front of the plane and the moment the doors open I push out.

Following the signs, I jog toward the exit then down to the carport with my bag in hand. When I make it to my Jeep, I swing open the door, toss my bag onto the seat next to mine and shove the key in the ignition.

It takes me thirty minutes to make it out of the airport and across town to the bank, each minute feeling like an hour. As I pull into the lot, I see dozens of police cars, a couple of news trucks and an ambulance parked out front. I park where there is an open spot then shove my door open. Before my boots even hit the ground Miles and Tucker join me at the side of my Jeep.

“What’s going on?”

“He’s been stalling,” Miles says. “Guy’s name is Troy. He works here. We asked to speak with Willow, but he’s refused to put her on the phone.”

“Does he have a weapon?”

“No, not one we’ve been able to see.”

“Then what the fuck is everyone doing out here?” I bark.

Miles presses closer. “We need to make sure that it’s safe to go in, and we don’t want to risk him getting scared and hurting Willow.”

My chest heaves while my hands ball into fists.

“I know you want to rush in there to her, but you need to keep your shit tight right now. There are too many people with eyes on this situation, you can’t go off half cocked.”

I jerk up my chin and he steps back then turns and watches a uniformed officer approaches.

“SWAT is on the way.”

“How far out?” Tucker asks.