Jack cranked the wheel and turned in at the main entrance. “Do you see him lurking anywhere?”
“Not yet, we’re too far back. Those parking lot lights don’t help. He can see us, but we can’t see him.” I shielded my eyes as we got closer. “Park on this side of Kate’s cruiser. The car should cover us if he begins shooting.”
Jack pointed. “The truck is parked on the other side of her car.”
I nodded. “I see it.” We were on high alert as Jack killed the engine on the squad car. Our eyes darted back and forth, left and right. We climbed out and crouched low. Jack positioned himself at the front of the cruiser, and I took the back.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled. “Max Sims, show yourself. It’s time for you and me to do our little dance.”
Jack shot me a dirty look. “Are you nuts? Wait for backup.”
I heard sirens getting closer and looked over my shoulder. A sea of red and blue flashing lights were heading our way, but that wasn’t enough to keep Kate safe. I knew Max wanted me and would kill Kate if I didn’t step out into the light. I yelled again as cars squealed to a stop behind and around us.
“Max Sims, show yourself.”
An evil laugh sounded from the north side of the building. “Agent Monroe, you know how this game works. You show me yours first, then I’ll show you mine.”
Officers and deputies crowded around us behind the cars.
Jack pointed at the north end of the building. “He’s over there somewhere.”
Lieutenant Clark crouched low and scrambled toward us. I turned and looked back, my eyes welling with angry tears.
“How are you two holding up?” He put his hand on my shoulder.
I wiped my eyes and returned my focus to the building. “We’re good, boss, but it’s Kate I’m worried about.”
“What are his demands?”
“He hasn’t stated them specifically, only that they involve me. I’ll offer myself as a trade. I can handle him better than Kate can, and I’m sure she’s injured. I just don’t know how badly.”
Clark called out to five deputies to circle the back of the building from the south. “Stay low and in the shadows. I want this maniac surrounded, with no escape route.”
Another fleet of cars roared down the street. The North Bend PD had arrived with Chief Sanders in the lead. He climbed out of the unmarked cruiser and headed toward us.
“Chuck, what do we have?”
Lieutenant Clark nodded. “A sick son of a bitch that needs to be stopped. This ends tonight, one way or another. He’s holding a deputy hostage.”
“Shit. Guys, fall back in the shadows and find a spot to plant yourselves. He’s on the north edge of the building,” Sanders said.
Max’s voice yelled out again. “Let’s go, Jade. You’re taking too long, and I’m losing my patience. My trigger finger is getting itchy.”
I whispered to the group. “He definitely has Kate’s guns. That makes him even more dangerous.”
Clark spoke up. “Tell him we need proof that Kate is alive. Say you want to hear her voice.”
I called out my demands, and we paused to listen. A barely audible moan sounded.
“Kate, is that you?”
“Yes, Jade, and I need help.”
“There, you have your proof. Now move out into the light so I can see you.”
I looked from Clark to Jack then back to Clark. “I have to do this. Kate knows the hostage situation drill. We’ve practiced it before. Same as you and I did, Jack, in the post office with Mariah and Mandy. Eye contact, a double blink, elbow to the ribs, then duck and roll out of their grasp on my nod.”
“Yeah, but a six-foot-four monster is a little different than a twenty-year-old girl.”
“We don’t have any other choice. I’ll distract him while your guys get positioned. If anyone gets a good shot, they should take him out. I’m putting my faith in you guys. I don’t have a mic and a radio, so I’m going in with my gun and nothing else.”
Chief Sanders radioed to his men. “Where are you stationed?”
“We know his general location, but we don’t have eyes on him yet, sir.”
Max yelled out. His voice was getting angrier by the minute. “Let’s go, Jade, or she gets a bullet to the head. Now!”
“Cover me, guys, and I need an extra gun.”
A rookie deputy handed me his sidearm, and I nodded a thank-you. I took off my jacket, placed the weapon in my holster so Max could see it, and tucked my own pistol into my waistband at my back. I walked out into the light with my hands up.
“There we go, now you’re coming around. Get closer. Keep walking toward my voice.”
I shouted in his direction. “I’m staying in the light, and I want to see Kate. Bring her out here, you coward. I want to see both of your faces.”
“Only after you drop your gun, Jade. I’m not stupid.”
“I’d beg to differ, but fine, I’m lowering my weapon. Now come out!” I slowly knelt and placed the extra gun on the pavement. I stood, my hands raised above my head.
A large figure moved in the shadows a hundred feet in front of me. He came out of the darkness and stepped off the sidewalk to the blacktop.
I saw both of them clearly now. I continued walking forward. He had Kate in the typical hostage choke hold with his large forearm pressed against her throat. She was his human shield, and he could snap her neck in a second. Her gun was in his right hand.
“Put your hands up higher,” he yelled.
I did as he asked and continued toward them. “Kate, just focus on my eyes. It’ll help keep you calm. We don’t want Max to do anything rash. Just look at me, nothing else.” I knew she understood my command and knew exactly what to do. “Let her go, Max.”
“Not yet. You need to be within reach.”
I deliberately jerked my head to a sound behind him to get a five-second distraction. It was all I needed. I gave Kate the cue. She elbowed him hard in the right ribs, dropped, and rolled. A shot rang out from the back of the building. Max was hit in the left shoulder and fell to the ground.
“Run, Kate!”
I waited until she was safely behind the cruisers, then I approached Max and kicked away the gun lying at his side. He rolled over and looked up at me then laughed in my face. This was our moment, just Max and me. I raised my hand for everyone to hold their positions.
“Why don’t you just kill me, Jade? That’s right, you don’t have the stones, and your gun is fifty feet behind you. It’s your duty to apprehend criminals, not murder them in cold blood, right?” He laughed again. “You wouldn’t kill an injured man, anyway.”
“You mean like you did to my dad? He was an injured, innocent man, and you murdered him because Darryl told you to, and it gave you pleasure. Now get on your knees! You’re going to spend the rest of your pathetic life behind bars.” I kicked him hard in the leg. “I said to get on your knees. Put your hands behind your back. Now!”
Max rolled over and got on his knees. I approached him with my cuffs then saw a flash of movement. He grabbed something from his left pocket then lunged at my ankles and pulled my legs out from under me. I fell hard to the ground.
I heard people running, and Jack’s voice yelled out, “Knife!”
I spun on the ground and faced Max then reached into my waistband. I drew my gun and shot him point blank, taking off half his head. Max was thrust backward, and it was over. That devil was finally dead, and the nightmare had ended. I lowered my gun, put my head in my hands, and wept with relief.
I felt arms around my shoulders, comforting me, and then dozens of voices calling out commands. More tires squealed to a stop, and the sound of car doors opening and closing were at my back. Jack squeezed my shoulder then stood and walked away.
Familiar voices talked among themselves twenty feet behind me. It sounded like J.T., Spelling, and Jack. Footsteps got closer, and I heard the conversation unfold.
“Hold up, J.T. Give Jade a few minutes. She needs some time alone with her thoughts.”
“What went down here, Jack?” J.T. asked.
“Max was holding a deputy hostage and Jade offered herself in exchange. A scuffle ensued, and she shot his head off. End of story.”
“Just like that?”
Jack smirked. “Give yourself a year, J.T. Once you know Jade better, you’ll realize how brave and dedicated she is. Jade Monroe is the most fearless woman I’ve ever known.”