Page 109 of Racing Hearts

Police.

I hold mine up, but their lights fall on someone else—him. For one moment, he’s framed in the flashlights, still wearing the same clothes but his mask gone.

“What the fuck?” one of the officers whispers. They hesitate, and it gives him the opening he needs. He ducks under their lights, then I hear grunts as their flashlights swing wildly, trying to track him, their guns raised.

It’s the opening we need. Maybe it’s cowardly, but I need to find Evan and keep Alice safe.

Still, I hesitate, watching the light beams and ignoring the others’ urgings. If he dies here, I need to see it, to be sure. I duck when one of the officers fires, covering those behind me, but he simply laughs, and then there’s a blood-curdling scream. One of the flashlights drops to the floor. I watch it roll until it turns to illuminate a horrific sight. One of the officers is hanging from the lighting above, a phone wire wrapped around his neck. He kicks and fights, his face turning purple.

I begin to step toward him to help, but Alice drags me back as the other officer backs toward him, lifting his legs to help him breathe, all while aiming his gun.

Gun . . . Where is the other officer’s gun?

Just as I think that, there is a distinctive bang that has me crouching lower still. The officer holding up his partner jerks from the impact, a bloody hole appearing in his shoulder, and then there is another bang, this time hitting the officer in his side.

Ford’s laughter fills the air, indicating he’s taunting them.

He’s killing police officers for fun.

They are going to lose.

Turning, I rip open the door and push Alice inside. “Go!” I roar as Lally follows, then I grab Bones and Skylar and throw them in. I turn to shut it just as a body hits the floor where I was just standing. Gulping, I stare down at the bleeding police officer, his eyes wide and blinking. He reaches for a gun that’s no longer there.

Fuck! He’s armed with two weapons now.

Reaching down despite my worry, I grab the officer and haul him in with us, kicking the metal, bulletproof door shut just as bullets rain across it.

Dragging the officer farther in, I lay him down then rush to the door, putting my ear against it. It’s silent on the other side, which is concerning. “I don’t think he can get in here,” I mutter as I turn to the others.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Skylar growls. “This is some fucked-up shit. He’s killing police officers now? He really won’t stop, will he?”

“No, he won’t,” I answer, my eyes on Alice. “We need to get out of here. I don’t know when more will come, but we can’t depend on the police anymore.”

“Five, six—” The officer on the floor coughs.

Hurrying over, I kneel at his side as he grabs my hand, and I see another hole in his chest. He’s dying, and he knows it. The guys’ flashlights land on us, letting me see the terror in his eyes.

“What did you say?” I ask.

“Five, six—” He coughs, his body shuddering. “Five, six, seven, eight. It’s the code for the back door. Go out, your car is there, so are squad cars. My radio is gone. Use theirs to call for help.” Blood bubbles on his lips as he coughs. “We are spread too thin. You need to go . . .” His words trail off as his body shudders with a rattling cough, and as I watch, the light extinguishes in his eyes and the hand holding mine turns limp.

Letting it go, I lean down and close his eyes. “Thank you,” I whisper, knowing he just saved our lives. He died for his job, and I can’t let that be in vain.

“Let’s go,” I order as I jump to my feet just as a door deeper into the station bursts open. The two officers, Winchester and his partner, hurry over wearing bulletproof vests, one holding a shotgun and the other with a pistol.

“What the fuck is happening?” Winchester asks. “We tried to put the system back on, but it’s fried—shit, Henderson.” He gapes down at the dead officer.

“Ford got out. He killed two of your officers,” I tell him, worried they will think we are involved, but their faces cloud with anger as they glance at the door beyond. “He was in there. I don’t know if he still is.”

“We managed to reboot the doors and locked down the front, so he has to be,” Winchester murmurs as he looks back at Henderson.

“He told us the back door code to get out,” I say. “Will it work?”

They share a look before running their eyes over us, no doubt seeing a number of terrified but determined faces splattered with blood and dirt before coming to a decision.

“He’s right. The back door works on a separate circuit in case of an emergency. Go, we called this in. We’ll stop him, but you need to get out of here. Head to the hospital or the fire scene and stay there with the other officers,” he orders as he stomps past us, both of them moving to each side of the door before looking at us.

“Go now!” Winchester commands.