Keepers: A Timeless Novella by Laura Kreitzer Page B

anywhere
you want.”
    She seemed eager now, even
taking a step forward. “Can we go to the Bahamas? I’d love to sit
on the beach and drink pi ñ a coladas.” She sounded like an
eager five-year-old.
    I snatched onto the brief
respite, praying her anger had finally been tucked away into
whatever strange place in her mind it had come from. “Yes!” I
exclaimed. “Let’s go to the Bahamas.” I cringed internally at my
words, but I almost had her.
    “ How do I know they’ll
listen to you?” Sara nodded her head toward the sea of uniforms
behind me.
    I pivoted sideways, keeping
Sara in my view. Addressing the crowd, I said, “You’ll let her go,
right? If she comes to me, you’ll let her go.” The last wasn’t a
question; it was a demand that they please go along with my ruse.
The officers exchanged looks that clearly said I was crazy. Yeah,
that was helpful. “If she gives me the gun, you’ll let her go,” I
demanded. Again, they glanced at each other. I swear, these people
were as dense as mercury.
    Sara’s grip on the gun grew
so tight her knuckles turned white. “I don’t know about that,
Joey.”
    “ It’s okay, Sara. You can
trust me. I love you.” Yup, that did it. She didn’t believe me for
a second, especially because I let my voice dip in
disgust.
    “ That’s the second time
you’ve said that, Joey. You’ve never said that to me—” She cut
herself off, realizing what she was about to admit. This was the
loony woman who thought I was going to marry her and give her
children, after all. “I mean, it’s been a while since you’ve said
that to me, Joey. How do I know you aren’t just saying that now to
get me to give you my gun?”
    I inhaled a steadying
breath, knowing what I had to do next might possibly make me
physically ill. A few more deep breaths, and I pulled the FBI agent
mask out, wearing it like it was a shield. “Because, Sara, I need
you,” I said, voice raspy. “I’ve needed you this whole time. I made
a mistake.”
    Sara’s eyes narrowed. “Are
you . . . Are you saying that you left that other
woman?”
    “ Yes. She was a huge
mistake. There’s only you,” I lied through my teeth. On top of this
being the most horrific thing I’d ever have to live through, my
pride was taking a beating. She still wasn’t buying it, so I knew I
had to go all out. “Actually, there’s something I need to ask
you.”
    “ No! I’m not giving up the
gun,” Sara shouted, spittle flying from her mouth. The hostage
whimpered, and I was sorry she had to witness what I was about to
do.
    “ Calm down,” I said as
soothingly as possible. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask. Just
calm down.”
    “ Don’t tell me to calm
down,” she screamed, yanking at the hostage, pulling farther away
from me. I didn’t dare move.
    “ Okay, Sara, but I need you
to listen to me. Your answer will mean the world to me,” I said
softly. The words felt so wrong and dirty leaving my mouth, and I
knew what I had to say to convince Sara to let this hostage go was
going to make me want to vomit all over my shoes.
    “ Go on, ask it,” Sara
demanded.
    I had to force myself to
take a step forward, to lower myself on one knee, to look up at
Sara as if I had true feelings for her. “Sara, will you marry me?”
I asked. I couldn’t believe those words had just come out of my
mouth.
    Sara’s hand dropped to her
side, the gun loose. She let the girl go and ran to me. Tension was
thick in the air as she darted toward me, flung her arms around my
neck, and repeatedly screeched out the word “Yes!”
    My stomach felt like it was
souring at those words. I thought there was only one woman I would
ever ask to marry me, and that was Jenna. Even though it wasn’t
real with Sara, it felt so incredibly wrong to have ever uttered
those words aloud to anyone besides my sweet fiancée.
    Officers rushed forward,
tackled Sara to the ground, and wrestled the gun from her. I backed
away as quickly as I could,