“FBI, show me your hands!”

Eli dropped his weapon and put his hands on top of his head. The SWAT team fanned out, yelling instructions as they secured each room. A moment later, he saw Agent Harris. He lowered his hands and let out a heavy breath. He’d been strangely calm until this moment, but now his heart was racing and his pulse pounded like a drumbeat in his head.

“Good work, Elliott. We’ve got him.”

Suddenly the room was swarming with people. The SWAT team, FBI agents, and then a team of paramedics barreled in. He watched as they loaded Justice onto a stretcher.

One of the paramedics spoke directly to Agent Harris. “He’ll be okay. It was in the shoulder. But the bullet needs to come out.”

Eli crossed to the french doors. Tank stood on the lawn of the house behind his. He raised his hand in greeting and Eli waved back.

Agent Harris approached. “Great work here, Elliott. Since Zeus is still alive, hopefully we can get all the information we need from him.”

Eli nodded, his thoughts still jumbled from everything that had happened. Everything he’d learned. “Did you know he was behind all this?”

Agent Harris’s lips thinned. “I’m not at liberty to say. So I’ll just say again, good work.”

Eli pushed away from the counter and headed toward the back of the house.

“Where are you going, Mr. Alexander? We need to debrief you.”

Eli didn’t even slow down. “Consider me debriefed. My woman is stuck in a closet. I need to get her out and to a safe place.”

WHEN THE DOORS to the panic room slid open, Kay and Mara both scrambled to their feet. Eli’s head appeared in the small entryway. Kay’s heart leaped.

“It’s safe to come out now. It’s over.”

She ran across the room and collided with his chest. He lifted her off her feet. “It’s all over.”

They followed him back out to the living room. Mara ran to her brother and jumped into his arms. Kay surveyed the damage done to the room. It looked like the aftermath of an earthquake in the kitchen. There was glass over the floor and the back door was smashed in.

For the next two hours, they waited as the police questioned them about everything that had happened. Kaylee was already tired of telling the story, and she hadn’t even told anyone she knew yet.

Just then, the doors to the house opened and she heard a familiar voice. “Where is my baby? Young man, I don’t care if you’re FBI or DIY, you’d better get out of my way. Elliott!”

Eli got up from the couch where he’d been talking to one of the FBI agents he’d introduced her to. “Mom? Is that you?”

Julia suddenly appeared, pushing past all the FBI and ATF agents in her way. “Of course it’s me.”

“What are you doing here?”

Jackson appeared behind her, followed by Mark Alexander. “I called her. Matt called to warn me not to return to the house. Once I realized what was happening, I called Mom as soon as I hung up. I knew she’d want to know.”

“Of course he called me. We came straight here. I was so worried.” She grabbed Eli around the waist and didn’t let go. He held her, letting her sob openly on his shirt.

When her tears subsided, she wiped at her cheeks. “That’s it. You’re definitely coming back home now where I can keep an eye on you.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Eli pulled her in for another hug, which apparently shocked Julia but made her very happy.

“We came with the Wilhelms. I knew they’d want to know their daughter was all right.”

Kay’s heart sank. “You brought my parents with you?” As soon as the words left her mouth, her mother’s face appeared amidst the crowd. She skirted around the policemen and agents, looking like she was afraid they’d contaminate her if their bodies touched.

Oh no.

“What is this I hear about you all being shot at? And where was the baby during all this?” Henrietta exclaimed as soon as she reached Kaylee’s side. She took Hope from Kay’s arms and hugged her.

Kay pulled her mother away from the crowd so everyone else wouldn’t have to hear her mom’s criticisms. “She was here, too. I had her safe in the panic room with me the whole time.”

“This is just too much. You should have just left Hope with us. You know I would have kept her. Why didn’t you call if you thought you were in this kind of danger?”

“I didn’t know we’d end up being shot at, Mom. And you know what? I don’t call or come by more often because I can’t take hearing what a screwup I am every single time. Or seeing that look on your face that shows how disappointed you are in me.”

Kaylee registered the shock on her mother’s face, but she was on a roll now and couldn’t stop. All the things she should have said over the years tumbled out in a big, jumbled rush.

“All I ever hear from you is how badly I’m ruining my life and Hope’s future. How I make stupid decisions. I know I’m an embarrassment to you. I’m doing the best I can, but it’s still scary. It would be really great to have you hold my hand and tell me that you understand and that you’re there for me.”

Her mother’s face had hardened and she handed Hope back with stiff arms. “I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve this. I’ve tried to be there for you, Kaylee. I really have.”

“I know you’ve tried. But you know what I really wish? All this time I wished you could stop being embarrassed by me long enough to just be my mom.”