It took considerable squirming and leg bending to achieve her goal, but she was finally able to hoist herself, nearly falling just as she gained her feet. She pitched herself sideways so the counter would break her fall and winced when the edge hit her squarely in the ribs.
Sucking in a breath to steady herself, she called out again. “I’m here and alone. I’m standing behind the register.”
A few moments later, Sean appeared from the back. He cut the corner sharply, his gun raised. He quickly glanced in Rusty’s direction and she saw a flash of relief in his eyes before he rapidly did a thorough sweep of the area, gun still up and grasped tightly in his hand.
Evidently satisfied that there was no danger, he strode behind the counter, fury registering in his eyes as he saw she was bound hand and foot.
“What the fuck?” he growled. “What the hell happened, Rusty? Are you hurt? Did that son of a bitch hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” Rusty said in a calm voice. “But, Sean, I need you to hurry. Eve is in terrible danger.”
Sean’s brow furrowed even as he started yanking away the ropes that secured her wrists. As soon as her hands were free, he knelt and untied her legs as she rubbed feeling back into her numb fingers.
When he was finished he grasped her shoulders, forcing her to look squarely at him.
“What happened? I want to know everything, and don’t leave a single word out.”
He paused a moment and stared harder at her.
“Are you sure you’re all right? Goddamn it, Rusty. You scared the ever-loving fuck out of me. I thought . . .”
He broke off with a shake of his head. As if he had said too much or was going to.
“It’s a long story and we only have time for the abbreviated version, but yes, I’m all right. She didn’t hurt me.”
“She?” Sean asked incredulously.
“Eve,” Rusty murmured, cringing in advance for the explosion that would surely follow.
Sean’s eyes darkened with fury. “Are you telling me Eve tied you up and left you in the store? How? And why?”
Then his gaze lighted on the still-open cash register and then down to the safe that was wide open.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “No fucking way. She robbed you?”
“At gunpoint,” Rusty muttered.
Sean went white. For a moment Rusty worried he might do something crazy like hit the floor. His knees buckled and then he reached out to touch her again. He feathered a hand over her face, his fingertips softly grazing her cheekbone.
Then he closed his eyes and when he reopened them, his gaze was haunted and filled with regret.
“This is going to kill Van,” he said quietly.
Rusty blew out her breath. “There’s a lot you don’t know. Hell, that I don’t know, for that matter. But we have to get in touch with Donovan like now. He’s going to lose his mind when he hears this story. I know he was going to deal with Eve’s stepfather today and I hope to hell he’s already done whatever it is he was going to do because if not, Eve is in a lot of danger.”
Sean’s gaze narrowed. “You sound awfully worried about a woman who held a gun on you while she robbed the store of all its cash.”
“It’s complicated,” Rusty said with a sigh.
“Then uncomplicate it and tell me the whole story.”