Page 53 of Heart Me Up
Fuck, yeah. It wasn’t much, but it was something.
“Sorry.” Corrie quickly stepped away from me while Ballcap Guy glared at her. “I need to go sit down.” Holding her water glass in both hands, Corrie scurried past Ballcap Guy and sat down next to Silvia, leaning into her grandmother for comfort.
I turned my body and carefully slid the leash into my back pocket, leaving the looped end slightly exposed. My heart started beating double-time again. Was I really considering attacking a guy who had a gun while I had nothing but a leather leash? Did we have any other choice?
Even if Drew called the cops, we’d still be stuck in here with Ballcap Guy until he surrendered. And I was worried he wouldn’t surrender. He might shoot us and then himself.
“Okay.” Ballcap Guy was standing next to Malcolm again. He pointed the gun at me. “Give Agent Falk his phone.” I picked up the phone from the kitchen table. Malcolm took one hand off his head and I passed the phone to him.
“Now make the call or Craig here gets a bullet in the gut.” I tried to focus on my breathing and not let the fear paralyze me.
Malcolm twisted around toward me. “Okay, okay. Don’t shoot him.” He was now sitting slightly sideways in his chair. I edged away from the table a little, so Ballcap Guy had to turn his head more to look between me and Malcolm. I knew I’d have to act soon. I just prayed I wouldn’t choke or freeze up when it was time.
Ballcap Guy kept his gun pointed at me but was watching Malcolm hold one hand on his head while he awkwardly propped the phone on his thigh against the edge of his cast and scrolled through his contacts.
Malcolm raised his head. “What car am I asking about, anyway?”
Deliberately I swung my arms and put my hands in my back pockets. Ballcap Guy jerked his head around to see what I was doing, and that’s when Malcolm made his move.
He used his left leg to spring forward, barreling into Ballcap Guy and knocking him off balance.
I lunged to the side to get out of the way. Ballcap Guy tried to point his gun at Malcolm, but Malcolm got hold of his wrist before he could aim it. Ballcap Guy pulled the trigger, and I ducked in reflex. The gunshot was so loud it was shocking. I hadn't seen where the bullet went, but Malcolm didn’t appear to be hurt.
I registered Silvia and Corrie running for the front door while Malcolm and Ballcap Guy struggled for control of the weapon. Ballcap Guy was shorter than Malcolm, but he had two good legs and he probably hadn’t recently gotten out of the hospital. Ballcap Guy kicked Malcolm's cast. Malcolm grunted and stumbled.
All I had was the leash. I pulled it out and then, like I was trying to catch a stray dog without a collar, I threaded the leash’s snap clip end through the loop on the other end to create a lasso. Moving behind Ballcap Guy, I tossed the lasso over his head and yanked the leash straight down as hard as I could. He fell to the ground with a satisfying thud, dropping the gun so he could claw at the leather around his throat.Holy shit, it worked!
Malcolm performed a wobbly half-squat to pick up the gun When he was standing again he used one hand to point it at Ballcap Guy and the other to brace himself on the kitchen chair.
My hands were shaking with tension and adrenaline as I loosened the leash around Ballcap Guy’s throat so he could breathe. He massaged his neck but otherwise only glared at us.
“Get on your stomach.” I ordered him.
Malcolm raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Ballcap Guy rolled over and allowed me to cross his arms behind his back so his forearms pressed together. I carefully tightened up the lasso around his neck until there was an inch or so of slack, then I wrapped the leash around Ballcap Guy’s forearms. I snapped the clip on the free end to the loop at his neck. Fuck, I couldn’t believe I’d remembered how that was supposed to work.
“Hey!” Ballcap Guy protested. “What the fuck is this? Get it off me!” I grinned, feeling pretty pleased with myself. The leash around Ballcap Guy’s neck was plenty loose if he kept his arms up high behind his back. But if he pulled his arms down or forward, the strap tightened, threatening to cut off his air.
Malcolm laughed. “Where the hell did you learn to do that?” he asked.
I snickered, flapping my hands around to ease their shakiness. “My friend Jonathan thinks it’s funny to send Greg and me how-to bondage videos involving leashes.” I shrugged. “Sometimes I watch them.”
“Bent Oak Police Department!” came a voice from the front door. “Drop your weapons!”
Chapter25
Foster
Amy spedout of the parking lot and turned toward Craig’s subdivision. Carlos put me on hold then picked up from Captain Driscoll’s office.
The captain started quizzing me about the layout of Craig’s house, but I interrupted him.
“Captain, my friend Malcolm Falk, an FBI agent, is staying with Craig. He just got off an undercover job.” I checked my watch. “Craig’s probably at work.” Thank fuck. Not that I wasn’t worried about Malcolm, but even with his leg in a cast he was better able to defend himself than Craig was.
“Got it,” the captain said. “Ochoa, call the FBI field office and let them know what’s going on. See if there’s any potential link to the agent’s last job. Walkoviac, call Mr. Thomas and make sure he’s at work. Tell him to stay put.”
“Will do, sir.”
“Patrol has set up a perimeter. Walkoviac, you and Palmer park on the next block. No sirens.”
