“I’m sure she will. She...”
Before he could finish the sentence, a shrill scream from the direction of the ladies’ changing area pierced the air. Seth whirled, and instinct kicked in. He pulled his gun from its holster on his belt where his badge was displayed. “Call store security and have them lock the building down,” he ordered the cashier. “Then call 911 for backup.”
Without waiting for an answer, he charged toward the fitting room where he’d left Callie. “Police!” he yelled as he stopped at the doorway.
“Help!” The frantic cry made his blood run cold. It wasn’t just the fear he could hear in the woman’s voice—it was the fact that it wasn’t Callie’s voice. He couldn’t hear her at all.
He peered around the door and spotted the salesclerk who’d been helping Callie on the floor with blood trickling down her face. Seth dropped to his knees beside her. “What happened?”
“A man,” she gasped. “He came in here while I was helping the customer and knocked me down. Then he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out. He had a gun to her head.”
“Lie still,” Seth ordered. “Help is on the way. I’m going after them.”
He ran from the dressing room and glanced around. Salespeople and customers huddled in clumps around the room, but Callie and her abductor were nowhere to be seen. Then he spotted the exit sign over a door behind the cash register and ran toward it.
The door opened into a long hallway, and Seth recognized the direction it led. This was an entrance for employees from the parking garage. Whoever had Callie was trying to get to a car to escape.
Seth sprinted down the hall toward the far door and exited onto the lower level of the parking garage. Clutching his gun in front of him with both hands, he scanned the area for Callie. He didn’t see her, but then a cry echoed through the garage.
The sound seemed to come from his right, past the row of parked cars that lined the side of the garage. He charged down the concrete surface toward the end of the row and rounded a curve that led to more parking spaces. Halfway down the parking section, he spotted a van with its side door pushed back. A man inside the van pulled on one of Callie’s arms, and another stood behind her, holding her other arm twisted behind her back.
“Police!” he yelled. “Let the woman go.”
The man behind Callie whirled and pointed his gun at Seth. Just as he fired, Callie screamed and shoved against him. Seth heard the bullet whiz by his head.
Seth lunged behind a parked car for cover and peered around the bumper. Even though Callie appeared to be putting up a good fight, it was evident she couldn’t keep from being pushed into the van much longer. Afraid a bullet might hit her, Seth aimed at the back tire, and it exploded in a rush of air.
The second bullet ricocheted off the top of the van, and the man inside yelled a curse at him. Seth fired two more shots in rapid succession. The man inside the van released Callie and jumped to the ground. “Let’s go,” he yelled.
The other assailant knocked Callie to the ground, and the two of them ran to the half wall around the perimeter of the parking area. They jumped the barrier and disappeared.
Seth sprang to his feet and rushed to Callie. She was just pushing to her knees when he reached her. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Yes. See if you can get them.”