Ray and Mason looked at each other. “I’ve done some,” admitted Mason. “We can see how he reacts to me.” He put all thoughts of a tense standoff last Christmas out of his mind. His son and Ava had emerged safe. That was all that mattered.

Except when I dream my son’s throat is slit and I’m powerless.

Parek eyed the cowboy hat. “I think that’ll work in your favor here. Gives you a good-ol’-boy flavor. Hopefully he’ll buy it. I’ll go talk to SWAT.”

“Let’s cut the headlights except this vehicle,” suggested Mason. “They’re too intimidating.”

“On it,” replied Parek.

Mason nodded. He turned his attention to the three figures on the far side of the bridge and cupped his hands around his mouth. A bullhorn would have worked better, but he didn’t want to spook Beadle. “Hello!” he yelled. “I’m Mason Callahan with OSP. Can you put the man back on the ground? We don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Three sets of headlights cut out as he spoke.

“Stay back,” yelled Troy.

Troy backed up a step, and Derrick Snyder slid to the bottom of the ramp.

“Nice,” Ray breathed.

Troy pulled a gun out of his jacket and pointed it at Derrick, and at the same time stepped backward between the open cargo doors of the van, leaving them with a view of his weapon and hand.

“Oh, shit,” said Ray in the next breath. He and Mason stepped into the weak protection of the door of Parek’s vehicle. Mason heard a rumble of voices from the SWAT team as they spotted the gun.

Dammit. The weapon put everyone on high alert.

“We’ll stay back,” Mason shouted. “What do you plan to do?”

Troy ignored him, but it sounded like Troy was talking. Mason could hear his voice but not the words. Ava’s head jerked up at something Troy said, and Mason could see her lips move as she answered him.

“Troy! We don’t want anyone to get hurt. What can we do to help you?”

“Get lost!”

“I can’t do that, Troy. We can’t walk away when we see someone’s about to be hurt, but we can help you end this safely. How about you let us take him? He’s got several warrants out for his arrest. He won’t be walking the streets for a while.”

The man with the gun briefly peeked around the corner of the cargo door.

Now I’ve got your attention.

“Let’s keep you out of this,” said Mason. “Let us arrest him. He won’t be dead, but I guarantee he’ll be miserable.”

Ray snorted.

Ava spoke again, looking at Troy at the back of the van. With her and Mason both coming at him with the right words, they were bound to get through to him.

“He’ll be locked up for a long time,” said Mason. “And we can help you get what you wanted from him.”

Troy laughed. “I need him dead. He needs to suffer for what he did to Colleen.” He gestured at Ava with the gun.

“Crap,” mumbled Ray. “Good thing you didn’t use her name. Colleen’s dead. But he’s calling Ava by her name?”

“Is Colleen hurt?” Mason asked, his voice nearly cracking.

Ava shook her head as Troy replied, “No.”

Mason felt his spine relax ten degrees. Now get her out.

“How about we get Colleen out of there? Then we can figure out what to do with the other guy.” Mason reviewed his previous words, trying to remember if he’d used Derrick’s name. If Troy had Ava’s name wrong, Mason wasn’t going to push his luck and assume he had Derrick’s name right.

“No!” Troy shouted. Ava said something to him, but Mason couldn’t hear Troy’s reply.

He sucked in a deep breath. It wasn’t going to be simple to get Ava away.

Parek spoke from behind him. “SWAT has two snipers trained on the guy. We need him to put away that gun. They said their bullets will pierce the cargo doors of the van, but they’d rather have an open shot.”

“No one’s shooting anyone,” stated Mason, glaring at Parek. Rain streamed down the agent’s face. Get a hat. “Ava’s too close. You tell SWAT to keep it in their pants.”

“They will. No one’s shooting without orders, but I wanted you to know it was an option.”

“Crappy option.”

“Agreed,” said Parek.

Mason turned his attention back to Ava. How can I get her out of there?

Ava couldn’t move. She hadn’t realized how drained she was until she saw the vehicles and Mason’s silhouette in the headlights. That hat made him recognizable anywhere. She’d nearly fallen backward off the railing when she spotted it. Now Troy was hiding between the cargo doors with his weapon trained on Derrick. Ava had a clear view of Troy, but she assumed Mason and the SWAT team could only see his feet.

They’ll fire if they have to.

She knew they’d give negotiations a chance, but if Troy looked like he intended to shoot, they’d take him down. She licked her lips, knowing they’d watch her as an indicator of Troy’s behavior. Right now he was sweating badly. Even in the light rain, she could see sweat on his temples and upper lip. His tension had ratcheted up a hundred points since the FBI had arrived. At first he’d seemed angry but in control. Now he appeared nervous and antsy. And volatile.

His gaze jerked back and forth between her and Derrick as he wiped his upper lip. “What are they doing?” he hissed at her.