I met his gaze steadily. “If you kill him, every officer in the city hunts you. Alive, he is leverage. You know this.”
His jaw clenched. He was weighing options. Criminals always do.
I lowered the gun just enough to appear cooperative. Then I stepped forward slowly.
“Take me instead,” I said. “I am easier to trade than a billionaire.”
Gasps rippled through the guests.
Mia cried, “Rhea no.”
The leader hesitated. He liked the idea. Too much. He loosened his grip to push Mr. Halvorsen aside. In that instant I moved. I grabbed his gun arm, twisted, struck his elbow with the weapon in my other hand, and drove him to the ground. The gun skittered across the marble floor.
Sirens wailed outside. Blue lights flashed through the windows. The man with the limp ran for the exit and crashed directly into armed officers rushing in. Carson lay groaning. The leader struggled under my weight until police pulled him away and locked steel around his wrists.
Silence settled slowly. Paramedics attended guests. Officers secured weapons. Children clung to their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Halvorsen looked at me as if seeing me for the first time.
Mrs. Halvorsen whispered, “Who are you.”