Storm's Cage by Mary Stone (uplifting novels .TXT) 📕

Amelia’s mouth twitched into a scowl. How, indeed.

“Well, Detective,” Natasha said. “Let me just start by saying that we aren’t accusing Ian of anything. I knew him too. He was a good person. But we live in a world where everything’s a shade of gray. You know that, right? I know you do.”

Floyd jumped in before Allworth could reply. “Look, we’re just trying to solve this case, okay? The last thing we want to do is drag Ian through the mud. We just want to get to the truth, so if you know anything about him being connected to the Leónes or the D’Amatos, it would help point us in the right direction. Gabriel Badoni’s alibi is rock-solid. The cameras at the L caught him going exactly where he said he was, and a security camera at a gas station across the street doesn’t show him leaving there until the sun was up.”

After Cliff Allworth made a sound that was closer to a growl, the apartment lapsed into silence.

With one hand beneath her cardigan, Amelia shot Joseph an expectant glance and whispered, “We can’t just sit here and eavesdrop. It’s not like he’s going to say anything to incriminate himself in front of two homicide detectives, anyway.”

Straightening to his full height, Joseph cleared his throat and stepped into view before Amelia could stop him. “Detectives, this is Special Agent Larson with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We—”

The clatter of wood against tile cut Joseph off before he could finish the introduction. Shoes scuffled on the floor as Amelia and Joseph exchanged fervent looks, and a man’s cry of surprise followed.

Amelia’s service weapon was raised and steady as she rushed into the living room. She’d only taken a couple steps when the crack of the first gunshot split through the air like a thunderclap. With a sharp breath, she spun around until her back was flush with the drywall beside Joseph.

“Idiot,” she hissed at him.

Detective Yoell howled in pain, and Amelia cursed herself for failing to look up the layout of the expensive apartment building. Not that she’d known that her partner would have behaved in so reckless a manner.

“Shit,” Joseph spat. Leaning to the side, he turkey-peeked around the corner. As his gaze snapped to Amelia, he jerked his head at the living room. He was already moving before he spoke. “Come on. Yoell’s down. Allworth’s fighting with Reyman.”

Tightening her grasp on the Glock, Amelia brought the weapon to bear as she followed Joseph out into the open…just in time to watch Cliff Allworth smack the side of Natasha’s head with the grip of a wood and steel finished handgun.

The woman stumbled, but before she could fall into the tall dining table, Allworth wrapped an arm around her neck and jerked her upright, pressing the barrel of the handgun to her temple. His desperate eyes shifted between Amelia and Joseph. “Don’t move!”

Amelia flexed her fingers against the Glock, but otherwise, she complied. Without pulling her attention from Cliff, she took stock of the living and dining rooms for any sign of Detective Yoell.

When she spotted his crumpled form beside the breakfast bar, she gritted her teeth. “What the hell are you doing, Allworth? Drop your weapon and let her go.”

Allworth tightened his grip on Natasha. “Not a chance. I know why you two are here, and I’m not going to prison. I’m going to walk out of here today, or…” He let the threat hang as his finger caressed the edge of the trigger.

“You’re the sniper, Storm.” Joseph’s voice was barely audible. “If you get a shot, take it.”

Though Amelia wanted to snap back to tell him the military didn’t outfit its snipers with Glocks, she bit her tongue.

She didn’t have time for Joseph’s shit. A pool of crimson oozed beneath Detective Yoell’s body. If Amelia hadn’t seen him writhe in pain, she’d have thought he was dead.

Returning her focus to Cliff, she gritted her teeth. “Or what, Allworth? Are you going to finish that sentence?”

Allworth opened his mouth, but Amelia cut him off.

“What do you think you’re going to accomplish here? Do you think we’re going to call a helicopter to fly you out to Panama so you won’t have to worry about being extradited? Or do you think you’re some kind of Wild West cowboy, like Wyatt Earp or Billy the Kid? You think you’re going to take me and my partner down so you can escape?” She scoffed. “Try it, asshole. See what happens.”

Diplomacy was the last tactic on Amelia’s mind. Between the last two days with Joseph, Alex and his family’s baggage, and the innocent man bleeding out on the floor, she was closer to her breaking point than she’d been since Trevor died. If she had a clear shot at Allworth, she’d have taken it.

But she was well-versed in the accuracy of a Glock, and even though Natasha and Cliff were only twenty feet away, she’d only fire if she was confident in the weapon’s aim.

If she’d had a rifle…well, Allworth would already be dead.

“I’ll kill her!” For emphasis, Cliff jammed the weapon harder into Natasha’s temple. “You know she’s got a kid, right? A twelve-year-old daughter. Are you going to orphan that girl? That girl’s dad, Reyman’s husband, he was a cop too. He got killed in a standoff a lot like this one. Are you going to take away that kid’s other parent?”

Amelia glared down the Glock’s sight. “How many years have you been a detective, Allworth? How many years have you been in the CPD? You know damn well how this is going to end! There’s no way we’re letting you walk out that door, no matter what kind of guilt trip you try.”

Cliff let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “That’s your problem, Agents. Not mine! You’d better figure it out! I already told you, I’m not going to prison. I know what happens to…to cops in prison.”

“Cops?” Joseph echoed bitterly. “You mean pedophiles?”

Even from