Page 97 of Rookie Days

With a snarl, he yanked her arm back almost hard enough to dislocate her shoulder, and wrapped merciless fingers around her throat. Janet gasped and struggled for air. She ached to fight back with every cell of her being, but just didn’t know how. She struggled enough once outside the car to make him loosen his grip slightly, and she did manage a decent punch. But the crash had taken its toll on her as well. She was weaker than normal, unable to follow up or protect herself from his own strike. The blow caught her on the side of the face and made her see stars. She tasted blood in her mouth.Don’t pass out. FIGHT!Images of Bryn, Mary-Ann, and Susan, flashed in front of her eyes.If it’s the last thing you do, at least do it for them.Janet clenched a fist to hit him again but Hayes suddenly stuck a cold blade against her throat. She felt it bite into her skin.

“Keep moving and you’re dead,” he warned.

A keen instinct for survival made her freeze in reaction.Be smart. Wait. Talk to him, don’t let him de-humanize you.

“Please,” she started. “Robert, remember I—"

“Drop the knife,” a strong voice commanded. “Let her go.”

Tears threatened at the sight of her lover. It was relief, fear for her safety, and the sort of love that made Janet’s heart flood over a hundred times. Ellie stood a short distance away, covered in blood, with her gun held in both hands. Steady as they come. Hayes reacted immediately by shielding himself behind her. The knife was still against her throat, and Janet was afraid to breathe.

“You’re too late, Detective,” he snarled. “She’s mine now.”

“Let her go,” Ellie repeated. “I won’t hesitate to shoot you down.”

“No, I don’t think you will. You can’t.”

How crazy did the man have to be to let out a chuckle at this point? Janet wondered. She already knew the answer.

“Look at you,” Hayes added, and she heard his sneer. “You can barely stand. Think you can shoot me from way over there? What if you miss? Uh? What if you put a bullet in your precious lover’s head instead?”

As Ellie swallowed, he tightened his hold around her neck. Janet could smell his sweat, loaded with fear despite his defiant words.Good.She kept her eyes on Ellie. Blood was dripping steadily down her lover’s face from a large cut on her forehead. Her eyes had gone darker now. This was the fierce and focused gaze of a woman who was sure of her own strength. Janet had no idea of what she was planning to do, but Ellie’s stance was reassuring nonetheless. Hayes took a few steps back, dragging her along with him. Probably thought he wouldn’t be challenged on that. Unfortunately, Janet had no choice but to comply at this stage.

“Put down the knife, Hayes,” Ellie repeated. “You know it’s over.”

???

She forced herself to keep her eyes on him. She’d already noted a trickle of blood running down the side of Janet’s throat. Not life-threatening, but he had broken through the skin. He was armed with a large hunting knife, a serrated blade, and Ellie knew just how easy it would be for him to end her life with a single slash. He was right too. She was not in a position to put him down.Yet.He was scared, she could see that as well. Thinking. Calculating. It was all strategy at this point. He needed Janet alive to protect himself, but he also had to realize that he was done, one way or the other.

“Put it down,” she ordered.

“You first, cop.”

Ellie focused on his right ear, just poking out from behind Janet’s head. She held her weapon well-balanced in her hand,and her index finger, right on the trigger. The longer she let this situation drag on, the more likely he was to lose patience and do something stupid. With shaky legs from the crash and what felt like a hundred hammer drills pounding over her skull, she knew she might not be as accurate as usual. But she was an excellent shot, and running out of time. As if he’d read her thoughts, he shifted positions and she lost her angle.

“Ellie,” Janet said sharply. “Take the shot. Now.”

Trust a brain surgeon to advise the craziest course of action! And of course, Hayes didn’t like it. His mouth twisted into a wicked snarl and he moved the blade a little higher up under her jaw. His eyes glinted in murderous rage.

“Shut up you stupid cunt!”

Bingo. Janet’s challenging words hit perfectly, to give Ellie the advantage. Incensed, no longer paying enough attention, he moved his head. Only a fraction, but it was enough. Ellie pulled the trigger. Fired just once and watched his ear burst into pieces. Blood sprayed out from the side of his face like a geyser, and he screamed like a wounded animal. His reaction was exactly what she had hoped and predicted. He raised his hand to his head and in so doing, let go of Janet and dropped the knife as well.You fucking bastard, I’ve got you now!Ellie pounced.

???

When Quinn arrived at the scene of the crash, along with a half-dozen officers in support, she found the stricken vehicle on fire. Upon hearing a single gunshot, followed by a furious scream, she raced in that direction. Her heart was in her mouth at the thought of what she might find over there… Sadly, it would not be the first time she was too late to save a friend. She spotted Janet first, leaning on a tree for balance. Bloodied and bruised, she definitely looked like she had been in a crash. But she wasalive and standing. Robert Hayes was also on his feet, with one hand over his now missing ear, and pissing blood.

“Want to finish the job?” he taunted. “I know you do; I can see it in your eyes. Shame you can’t touch me, eh? Officers like you don’t kill in cold blood. Or do they?”

Ellie kept her weapon pointed straight at his head. She was only inches from him, seemingly calm and in control. But Quinn noticed that her finger was on the trigger, not on the side of the guard, where it should be. And when she saw the look of fury in her eyes, it made her fear a repeat of the other day.

“Get down, Hayes,” Ellie instructed. “Face down. Put your hands behind your back.”

He laughed; a chilling chuckle entirely devoid of emotion.

“I raped these women good, Detective. Real good. Watched the life fade out of their eyes when I strangled them. Put them in their place once and for all.”

“Get on the ground,” Ellie repeated. “Or I’ll put you down myself.”

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