"He's watching us..." she whispered, her voice choking in fear.
Bear looked over his shoulder, locking his icy gaze straight through the van's windshield. The driver had killed the van’s headlights and opened the driver’s side door, stepping one foot onto the wet asphalt.
"Let him watch," Bear said with chilling calm. "He isn't touching you."
Bear pushed open the convenience store door, ushering the girl inside directly behind the heavy counter with the cashier.
"Lock the front door right now," Bear ordered the bewildered clerk, slamming his club badge on the glass counter. "Call 911 for an Amber Alert rescue at Pump Four. Keep this little girl behind the register and do not open that door for anyone."
Before the clerk could even pick up the receiver, Bear turned around, unlatched the heavy steel chain from his leather vest, and stepped back out onto the rain-soaked concrete.
Chapter IV: The Interception
The driver of the white van was already jogging aggressively toward the store entrance, his hand hidden beneath his oversized jacket.