Page 144 of Over the Edge

“We’re moving in.” He nudged the officer next to him. “Find a secure spot fast that offers cover and shine your light at the person climbing the steps.” He turned to the other officer as the first one melted into the darkness. “I want lighton the two people on the catwalk the instant I give you the word. Let’s go.”

As they ran forward, a spotlight picked out the figure on the stairs.

Jack stopped as the woman swung around and shaded her eyes.

Identity confirmed.

It was Heidi.

He lifted his Sig Sauer and called out. “St. Louis County Police. Drop your weapon.”

Instead of complying, she raised a gun and aimed it his general direction.

Didn’t she realize she made a perfect target in the spotlight?

“Drop your weapon. Now!” Jack held steady, aiming for her center mass. He had no time for games, not with Lindsey’s life literally hanging in the balance.

A shot rang out, pinging off metal behind him as the recoil jolted Heidi.

She was shooting blind.

The odds were she wouldn’t hit anything—but she could get lucky. And she’d been warned.

Jack squeezed the trigger once. Twice.

Her gun clattered to the warehouse floor below her as she crumpled and slid down the steps.

He didn’t spare her a second look as he spoke to the officer beside him. “I want light on the catwalk. Get the other officers in here. Call for ambulances. Follow me up as soon as someone else can take your place with the light.” He sprinted for the metal stairs. “Hold on, Lindsey. I’m coming.” His shouted entreaty reverberated through the structure.

At the base of the stairs, he glanced up ... and up ... and up to what lay ahead.

A flimsy, grated floor. Rusted railings. A staircase with a landing that didn’t look any too solid.

All very high up.

He broke out in a cold sweat as his stomach began to churn.

His worst nightmare had just come to life.

What if his latent vertigo reared its ugly head? What if he lost his balance or became disoriented or—

“Jack! Hurry! I’m slipping!”

At Lindsey’s panicked plea, he gritted his teeth.

He could do this.

Hewoulddo this.

Fixing his gaze on the solid surface beneath his feet, he bounded up the metal treads, stepping over and around Heidi where she’d come to rest on the landing as he continued upward. Once on the catwalk, he steadied himself with one hand on the railing and kept his Sig at the ready as he raced toward Lindsey, doing his best to ignore the quiver in the grating beneath his feet ... and the quiver in his legs.

As he approached the spotlighted area, he gave Oliver a quick inspection.

The man lay sprawled on the grating, unmoving. He appeared to be breathing, but as far as Jack could see, he posed no imminent threat.

After shoving the man’s legs aside, Jack holstered his Sig and dropped flat on his stomach on the grillwork above Lindsey as more light flooded the area. Locking his feet around the closest railing supports, he reached down and grasped her forearms, keeping his focus on her rather than the chasm stretching below. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

“My hands ... are slipping.”

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