Page 90 of Cage

It was Cage’s worst nightmare.

He was confronted by the sight of Katie being held at gunpoint.

‘Don’t move afreakin’muscle,’ Tommy said, holding Katie right up against his body. ‘One wrong move and your so-called Little gets it.’

Cage exchanged a quick look with Kane.

It was the time for cool heads.

Sure, they could easily overpower Katie’s captor, but there was no way in hell they were risking Katie being hurt in the process.

‘Okay, okay, it’s all good,’ Kane said, calming stepping back and keeping his hands visible. ‘My man, why not let Cage here talk to you. Real relaxed. No stress.’

Cage nodded.

He knew that this was a pivotal moment.

‘Don’t try and talk to me, cop,’ Tommy said, sounding like he was frothing at the mouth. ‘I’m the one in charge here. I’m in control. Katie is mine!’

Cage had dealt with people like Tommy before.

He was obviously disenchanted with the world. Sad. A loner. And now this was his attempt at regaining some control. An attempt to make his existence at least a little bit better.

But Tommy had to be stopped.

His life may well suck, but Cage knew that this was no excuse.

It was time to apply some pressure.

‘Okay, you’re in control,’ Cage said, taking tiny steps forward. ‘Everyone here agrees, right?’

‘Y-y-y-yes, Tommy is in control,’ Katie said, two large tears falling down her cheek.

‘For sure, the main man Tommy is on top,’ Kane said, smiling and showing off those incredible dimples. ‘Nice car by the way. I love a good project. This could be super nice if you cleaned it up.’

Tommy seemed to relax a little bit.

The tension in the room was still palpable, but the heat had perhaps come down a few degrees.

There was still work to do.

‘Tommy, it’s okay, there’s no drama here,’ Cage said, continuing to edge forward ever so slightly. ‘This doesn’t have to be a big deal. At all. We’re all good. Right?’

Tommy looked like he was having a moment of doubt.

He still had the gun pointed at Katie, but Cage could see that Tommy’s grip was looser. Like he was shying away from the prospect of firing the gun.

This was good.

This was progress.

‘Tell me, Tommy,’ Cage said. ‘Do you like to read? I find it very relaxing. I recently discovered audiobooks too. Right, Katie?’

Katie nodded, nervous but looking as if she was clued up to Cage’s tactics. This was about talking Tommy down from the ledge, not smashing him off it.

‘You can’t beat a nice bit of steamy romance while reading in a hot bubble bath,’ Cage continued. ‘Hot water. Relaxing bubbles. Maybe a candle. Some light music in the background…’

It appeared as if Cage’s words were taking Tommy on a journey.

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