Page 4 of Lethal Danger

“Yeah. These people have been scared enough for one day.” The woman stepped to the other side of the operator and gave Hawthorne a quirked smile that definitely communicated humor.

A woman who was cool and calm in the face of disaster. Didn’t encounter that every day.

As if to prove her point, raised voices cut through the air above them. The passengers were probably more than a little frightened and eager to get off.

Hawthorne glanced at the operator’s nametag. “Go ahead and bring them down, Kenny. A little slower than you usually would at the end of the ride.”

The kid nodded, moistening his lips with his tongue as he put the ride in gear.

Hawthorne glanced at the attractive woman as the cabins started to lower.

She watched the action with a confident gaze, her thick red ponytail tilting with her head. Slim and fit with curves in the right places, she was taller than most women. Probably about five nine in her flat sneakers. On her left thigh, the side he could see now, a black leather sheath rested against her jeans. Was she packing a knife?

The ride stopped, drawing Hawthorne’s attention to the middle-aged couple and young girl Kenny let out.

They clung to each other as they hurried from the cabin as if they couldn’t get away from the ride fast enough.

A muffled yell came from above.

Hawthorne peered up into the bright sunlight. Hard to tell which cabin.

More shouts. Sounded like a male voice. Getting louder. Panicked.

The ride started to move again.

“Hold it, Kenny.” The redhead echoed the thought Hawthorne had been about to voice.

The operator paused the wheel.

A smacking sound broke the air. The door of a cabin near the top of the wheel flung open.

“Help! Get us down!” A head stuck out the opening along with the man’s hysterical shout.

A woman shrieked.

The man’s leg protruded from the cabin. Then his whole body.

Was the guy crazy?

“No!” A woman yelled from inside the cabin.

“He’s trying to climb down.” The redhead’s voice lifted with disbelief.

Hawthorne couldn’t tear his gaze away from the man above. “Kenny, do not move the wheel, whatever you do.”

The young guy didn’t answer, so Hawthorne threw him a glance.

Kenny stared up at the panicking passenger with his mouth hanging open. At least his hand wasn’t anywhere near the controls.

Hawthorne jerked his attention back to the man above.

He seemed to be trying to navigate directly down to the next cabin along the rim. There weren’t many handholds there. He’d have a better shot climbing onto the spokes that were doubled on this Ferris wheel with X-shaped support beams between them.

“Fool’s going to get himself killed.” A new female voice pulled Hawthorne’s attention to the petite Phoenix K-9 agent he’d met earlier and her German shepherd on leash.

The redhead gave the new arrival a quick glance. “Yeah, not—”

A scream cut her short and yanked Hawthorne’s gaze back up the wheel.

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