Standoff by Sandra Brown

probing questions about their family life and their relationship with their daughter. She hadn't offered a single opinion that differed from his, or voiced any personal observations.
    From the start Galloway had doubted Dendy's allega
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    tion of a kidnaping. Instead he leaned heavily toward the more viable version: Sabra Dendy had run away from home with her boyfriend in order to escape her domineering father.
    Galloway's dressing-down had left Russ Dendy practically spitting with fury. "I'm on my way out there."
    "I don't advise that."
    "As if I give a rat's ass what you advise."
    "There's no room in our chopper for extra passengers." the agent called to Dendy's retreating back.
    "Then I'll take my Lear."
    He stormed from the room and began shouting orders to his band of flunkies who were ever present, as silent and unobtrusive as pieces of furniture until Dendy's strident commands jump-started them. They filed out behind him. Mrs, Dendy was ignored and not invited to go along.
    Galloway disengaged the speaker phone and picked up the receiver, so he could hear the other agent more clearly. "Guess you heard all that."
    "You've got your hands full, Galloway."
    "And then some. How're the locals out there?"
    "From what I understand, Montez is a competent sheriff, but he's in way over his head and is smart enough to know it. He's getting backup from the Rangers and highway patrol."
    "Will they resent our presence, you think?"
    "Don't they always?" she came back dryly.
    "Well, it came to us as a kidnaping. I'm leaving it at that until I know better."
    "Actually, Montez will probably be glad to land the problem in our lap. His chief concern is that there be no heroics. He wants to avoid bloodshed."
    "Then he and I are on the same page. I think what
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    we've got here is a couple of scared kids who've got themselves trapped in a situation and can't find a way out.
    What, if anything, do you know about the hostages?"
    She gave him the breakdown by gender. "One's been identified by Sheriff Montez as a local rancher. The cashier is a fixture at the convenience store. Everybody in
    Rojo Flats knows her. And that Ms. McCoy who talked to
    Sheriff Montez?"
    "What about her?"
    "She's a reporter for a TV station in Dallas."
    "Tiel McCoy?"
    "So you know her?"
    He knew her and mentally formed an image: slender, short blond hair, light eyes. Blue, possibly green. She was on TV nearly every night. Galloway had also seen her outside the studio among reporters at the scenes of crimes he'd investigated. She was aggressive, but objective. Her reports were never unfairly inflammatory or exploitative.
    She was a looker and utterly feminine, but her delivery merited credibility.
    He wasn't thrilled to hear that a broadcast journalist of her caliber was at the epicenter of this crisis. It was a compounding factor he could easily have done without.
    "Great. A reporter is already on the scene." He ran his hand around the back of his neck, where tension had begun to gather. It was going to be a long night. He predicted the previously unheard-of Rojo Flats would soon be swarmed by media, contributing to the mayhem.
    The other agent asked, "Gut instinct, Galloway. Did that boy kidnap the Dendy girl?"
    Beneath his breath, Galloway muttered, "I only wonder why it took her so long to run away."
    CHAPTER 5
    While they waited for the promised doctor to arrive,
    Doc gleaned a pair of scissors and a pair of shoelaces from the store's stock. He placed them to boil in a carafe usually used for water with which to mix instant hot drinks.
    He also took from the shelves sanitary napkins, adhesive tape, and a box of plastic trash bags.
    He asked Donna if they stocked aspirators. When she stared at him blankly, he explained. "A rubber bulb syringe.
    To suck the mucus from the baby's nose and throat."
    She scratched her scaly elbow. "Don't have much call for those."
    Ronnie was nervous when Doc picked up the carafe of boiling water. He ordered