Page 62 of Critical Strike

She made it roughly three-quarters of the way over the bridge before the approaching car cut her off, skidding to a stop sideways across the other end, blocking her way through.

Claire slammed her foot on the pedal and the brakes shrieked. Her body pressed against the belt hard enough to take her breath away, but that was only a thought in the background of her mind.

“Okay. On my count. Five...four...three...two...one.”

Claire took a deep breath before she threw the car into Reverse and backed away from the car blocking hers, which she knew held Detectives Fisher and Arellano.

Only there was no time to get away. The drawbridge started to raise behind her, cutting her off in that direction, too. She was out of options. Her heart would surely give out on her by the time this was over, wouldn’t it? It had to. She couldn’t stand the strain.

Even if all of this was going exactly according to plan, exactly according to schedule. “It’s going perfectly,” Brax reminded her. “You’re doing great. Time to move to the next step.”

Right. So easy. How would he feel if he were the one about to do what she had to do? Would he sound so calm and reassuring if he was in her place?

“Claire. You have to move.” He didn’t sound so calm now. He was downright demanding. “Go. Now.”

Her hands fumbled with the buckle while the detectives got out of their car. She had to remind herself that Arellano knew what was happening. He was in on it.

Could they trust him? That was what made her hands so sweaty, sliding off the handle when she first tried to open the door. “Don’t forget your earpiece!” Brax shouted, and she was glad he did. She plucked it from her ear and dropped it into her pocket before she opened the door and stepped out of the car.

This was it. This was for all the marbles.

Luke, please help me.

“Hands in the air!” Fisher bellowed, leveling his gun at her. Moonlight glinted off the metal. Her hands shook as she raised them, her gaze darting over to his partner. This was not the time for a trigger-happy cop to get ahead of himself.

“Stand down,” Arellano ordered. “I’ve got this.” Claire could only hope he was right, that Fisher wasn’t as desperate to shut her up. She let out a shuddery breath when he holstered his weapon.

But that didn’t mean she was out of the woods.

She crept closer to the edge of the bridge where a low railing was all that stood between her and the water. Was it cold? Was it rushing fast? She could only hope not.

Make sure you go to the side of the bridge facing upstream.Right. This would all fall apart if she made a stupid, tiny mistake.

“I know you’re working for him!” she called out. At least her voice sounded strong, like she wasn’t quite as terrified as she felt. “Ballard. I know he has you both in his pocket. That’s why you’re doing this.”

“Keep your hands in the air!” Arellano was either serious about wanting to stop her or he was a very good actor. Wouldn’t that be the ultimate kick in the head—a double-cross on a double-cross?

What if he’d been lying the whole time? What if there was nothing wrong with his wife? What if Ballard had him tell that story to make himself seem sympathetic? To lure them into a trap?

No. There was no room for doubt. She had to believe. She had to trust the plan.

Arellano shook his head with a stern expression. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

One step closer to the railing. Another step. Her knees threatened to buckle. She couldn’t let that happen. That would ruin everything. “I do!” she shouted, and she let her heartache and disappointment and fear come out. And her disgust—deep, pulsing, bile-flavored disgust. “You’re in this with him! You accepted his dirty money, his promises, and look where it got you! This is wrong! You know it is! I didn’t do anything wrong! I never killed anybody—he’s the killer, not me!”

“Just stop talking,” Fisher warned. “This doesn’t have to end badly for you. But it does have to end. You can’t run from the police forever. Your best bet is to come with us, Claire. You said you didn’t do anything. You have no reason to run.”

The railing was within her reach. Did she have to guts to do this? Well, she’d had the guts to do everything else so far. This was just one more thing she would never have imagined before now, not in her wildest dreams.

“You’re lying!” Was she laughing? It seemed unthinkable. There was nothing funny about this. But there were all sorts of reasons for a person to laugh. Like when a situation was beyond the absurd, which applied to this situation.

The water was just below her, rushing audibly. Or was that the blood rushing in her ears? If only Luke was here with her. If only she could hear Brax’s voice again, but keeping the earpiece in was dangerous. Not only because one of the men at the end of the bridge might see it. The last thing she needed was for the thing to short out while in her ear.

“Come with us and you’ll see.” Fisher’s voice was deceptively quiet, bringing to mind a snake. That was what he was, too. A snake in the grass, lying in wait. Lying in general, in fact. She almost laughed again.

“I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ll make it to the police station. Isn’t that right, Detective?” She looked at Arellano, willing him to go along with what was supposed to happen next. Everything hinged on what was about to happen next. He had to sell this just as much as she did—more than she did. In another few moments, her part would be over.

“Just come with us, Claire,” he shouted. “This can all be finished. But you have to stop running. We’re not the only people looking for you.”