Standoff

Nervously he shifted the pistol from one hand to the other until the cowboy was stretched out alongside one of the Mexican men, his hands clasped on the back of his head.

While all this was going on, the cashier had been emptying the cash drawer into a plastic grocery bag. Apparently this out-of-the-way store wasn't equipped with an after-dark safe into which cash automatically went. From what Tiel could discern, there was an appreciable amount of money in the sack Sabra Dendy took from the cashier.

"I've got the money, Ro

"Okay then." He hesitated as though unsure about what to do next. "You," he said, addressing the terrified cashier.

"Lie down with the rest of them."

She might have weighed ninety pounds sopping wet and was a stranger to sunscreen. The skin hanging loosely from her bony arms looked like leather, Tiel noticed as the tiny woman lay down beside her. Little hiccups of terror erupted from her spasmodically.

Everyone had his own unique way of reacting to fear.

The elderly couple had disobeyed Ro

This is it, Tiel thought. He'll kill us now.

She closed her eyes and tried to pray, but it had been a while and she was out of practice. The poetic language of the King James Bible eluded her. She wanted this appeal to be eloquent and stirring, persuasive and impressive, compelling enough to distract God from all the other prayers coming His way at this particular moment.

But God probably wouldn't approve of her purely selfish reasons for wanting to live anyhow, so all she could think to say was, "Heavenly Father, please don't let me die."

When the scream rent the silence, Tiel thought for certain it had originated from the cashier. She glanced quickly at the woman beside her, to see what unspeakable torture had been inflicted. But the woman was still blubbering, not screaming.

It was Sabra Dendy who had screamed, and that first startling sound was followed by, "Oh, my God! Ro

The boy rushed over to her. "Sabra? What's the matter?

What's happening?"

"I think it's… Oh, Lord."

Tiel couldn't help herself. She raised her head to see what was going on. The girl was whimpering and staring aghast at the puddle of fluid between her feet.

"Her water broke."

Ro

"What?"

"Her water broke." She repeated the statement with more composure than she felt. Actually her heart was hammering.

This might be the spark that set him off and caused him to bring things to a swift conclusion, such as shooting them all and then dealing with his girlfriend's crisis.

"That's right, young man." Unafraid, the elderly woman sat up and addressed him with the temerity she had demonstrated when lecturing her husband about fiddling with the home video camera. "Her baby's coming."

"Ro

Clearly the girl was frightened. Neither she nor Ro

"You shut up," Ro

I)» up!

He kept his pistol aimed at them as he knelt down beside Sabra. "Are they right? This means the baby's coming?"

"I think so." She nodded, shaking loose tears and sending them rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. How much time… How long before it's born?"

"I don't know. It varies, I think."

"Does it hurt?"

A fresh batch of tears formed in her eyes. "It's been hurting for a couple of hours."

"A couple of hours!" he cried in alarm.

"But only a little. Not bad."

"How long since it started? Why didn't you tell me?"

"If she's been in labor-"

"I told you to shut up!" he yelled at Tiel.

"If she's been in labor for a while," she said persistently, keeping her eyes steadfastly on his, "you'd better get medical attention. Immediately."

"No," Sabra said hastily. "Don't listen to her, Ro

She grabbed his sleeve. "I'm okay. I'm-"

A pain seized her. Her face contorted. She gasped for breath.

"Oh, God. Oh, Jesus." Ro

One of the Mexican men-the shorter of the two- surged to his feet and lunged toward the couple.

"No!"Tiel shouted.

The cowboy made a grab for the Mexican's leg, but missed.

Ro

The bullet shattered the glass door of the refrigerated compartment, making a horrific sound and puncturing a plastic gallon jug. Everything nearby was showered with glass and milk.

The Mexican man drew up short. Before he came to a complete rest, inertia caused his body to rock slightly forward, then back, as though his boots had become stuck to the floor.

"Stay back or I'll shoot you!" Ro

Tiel glared at him. "You could have gotten your fool head blown off. Save your machismo for another time, okay? I don't want to get killed because of it."

Although the words were unknown to him, he caught her drift. Pridefully, his dark eyes smoldered resentment over being dressed down by a woman, but she didn't care.

Tiel turned back to the young couple. Sabra was now lying on her side, her knees drawn up to her chest. For the moment she was quiet.

By contrast, Ro

Tiel guessed that he had intentionally missed the man and fired the gun only to underscore his threat.

Or she could be entirely, terribly wrong.

According to Gully's information, Ro

For speaking out, she would probably be the first one he shot. But she couldn't just lie there and die without at least trying to avoid it. "If you care anything for this girl…"

"I've told you before to shut up."

"I'm only trying to prevent a disaster, Ro