Page 64 of Elliot

“Get there as soon as you can. You’re going at it on your own in the kitchen. They’re armed.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“Noted,” Elliot said and then opened the door to the floor.

He looked at the lock on the door. Elliot reached for the doorknob and turned it. The damn thing opened. Silas’s eyesrounded, and he shook his head, mouthingIdiots. Elliot agreed, but damn, if they were going to make his life easier, he’d take it.

They entered the apartment andalmostclosed the door behind them. Elliot lifted his fingers and pointed to the door to the kitchen. Silas narrowed his eyes, letting Elliot know he still didn’t like the idea, but he nodded.

Elliot counted down from three with his fingers. They moved down the hall together, and Silas pivoted around the corner of the room. Elliot passed by an empty powder room before he heard “Freeze, Guardian Security!” and then gunfire. He sprinted down the hall and jumped, landing on the couch where he could see from his straight-shot view. A flurry of rounds came from his right. Elliot rolled off the couch and low-crawled to the end. Lifting, he identified two targets and nailed both with a double tap as they approached where they thought he should be.

He was on his feet and heading back to the kitchen. “Silas?”

“I’m good. Find that fucker,” Silas called back.

Immediately shifting his direction, he moved toward the bedroom the guards had been protecting. He slammed the door open, and Dillon Ulman lifted a gun. The gun's shaking was almost comical.

“Drop the weapon, Dillon,” Elliot commanded.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“Guardian Security, we have a warrant for your arrest.”

Dillon straightened this shoulder and stuck the gun farther away from him in some kind of attempt at bravado. “For what? I haven’t done anything.”

“Except hiring two snipers to shoot at Maya Callahan as she came out of the awards ceremony.” Elliot stepped closer.

“You can’t prove that. It wasn’t me.”

“Yes, we can.”

“How? Jessica? She lies. She’s insane.”

“No, she’s dead.” Elliot took another step forward.

The gun dipped, and Elliot sprang forward, slapping it out of Ulman’s hand. The man screeched and jumped away from Elliot. “Don’t hurt me!”

Elliot grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. “I’ll leave that for the men in prison. You’re very pretty. I’m sure they’ll be very happy to make you pay your dues.”

“What? No, no, no. This was all Jessica’s idea. She wanted Maya dead. I didn’t have anything to do with any of this.”

“I’m going to read you your rights now,” Elliot said as he marched the man out of the bedroom.

Silas was in the front room. His shirt was stained with blood, and his suit jacket was off. “Con, get me an ambulance here ASAP.”

Silas waved him off. “It’s just a scratch. I’ll get it looked at when we go back to see Maya.”

“Am I calling an ambulance or not?” Con asked.

“Are you sure?” Elliot asked his partner.

“I’m good to go. We need forensics for the crime scene and someone to take our statements.”

“That I can do,” Con said, and Elliot nodded.

Dillon did a dance in front of him as he pushed the man over a dead body. “You killed them!” he shrieked.

“Surprising when they shot at me first, isn’t it? Did you clear the other bedroom?” he asked Silas.

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