Page 88 of Heat of Justice

He glanced at her over his shoulder, pointed a finger at his chest in a perfect, innocent, ‘Who? Me?’ gesture, then broke into a run. Ellie seemed to have anticipated this. She was already flying before he could take three steps. With one expert swipe, she kicked his legs out from under him, landed on his back, and neutralized him. Two officers in uniform promptly assisted in the arrest. Kim watched all this happen with her heart beating in her chest, then spun around and headed for the stairs. Another hand, this time warm and real, landed on her shoulder. Quinn, again.Oh, come on!

“I’m going to find Cody,” Kim snapped. “Get out of my way or—”

“Or what?” Quinn grunted, but she did not pursue that line. “Tell me; you think this guy is involved?”

“Yes.”

“Based on?”

Kim shook her head and let out a sharp exhale. The lawyer part of her perfectly understood Quinn’s reluctance… but how to say this without sounding insane?Just tell her the truth.After all, her intuition had proved accurate once again. Not enough to stop a bomb from going off, but at least in time to stop the trains and start the evacuation process. Hopefully, this may have saved some lives.

“Kim,” Quinn prompted urgently.

“Something about him,” Kim nodded in reply. “Dark and malevolent. Like a… an evil vibe. I’m sorry, I know it’s not proof or evidence, but that’s all I can tell you at the moment.”

“That’s good enough,” Quinn declared.

???

Cody was the last one to make it out of the carriage. Though far from an orderly evacuation, it still happened quickly. As soon as the ‘B’ word was uttered, no lack of urgency was felt on the part of any passenger. If there was, indeed, a bomb in that briefcase, when was it set to blow? Was it on a timer? How long would Swastika man have given himself to make his escape? There was no way to know this, and Cody did not waste her focus on speculation. As soon as it was her turn to exit, she scrambled out of there pretty much like her own skin was on fire.Slide out of the carriage and hurry down the side of the track. Move it!She had just reached the platform when her world turned upside down. The boom was deafening. Almost at the same moment, she felt the hot blast of air. It was like a giant fist punching her in the stomach. She lost her breath and could not get it back. There was a big whoosh with the booming sound, and all the air seemed to be sucked out of the space. The energy released by the explosion threw her all the way across the platform and slammed her into the opposite wall.Hard. On the verge of blacking out, Cody still had the presence of mind to throw her arms over her face to protect her eyes as a shower of debris, pieces of the carriage, burning metal, and lots of glass rained down on top of her. Everything went very dark and quiet. She lay on the floor, stunned by the violence of the impact. Not quite unconscious, but not fully alert either. Several seconds passed. Then, a firm slap brought her back.

“Hey. Hey! Wake up!”

She opened her eyes to find Jim, the construction worker, leaning over her. His face was covered in a layer of blood, dirt, and whatever else. She caught a giant wall of flames over his left shoulder.

“Fuck!” It brought her back, for sure.

“Yeah, we gotta go,” Jim replied and pulled her up.

“Where’s the old man?”

“Wheelchair guy. He got out with some others.”

“Okay,” Cody approved.

Everything hurt as if she had been pummeled by an MMA fighter. Thick black smoke filled the air, the kind that made her wonder how long they would have before collapsing from CO2 inhalation. It made it hard to see, too…

“Which way?” she gasped. “Where are the stairs?”

“Dunno.”

She followed him as Jim went left on a hunch, but after a few steps, they hit another wall.Shit!Cody dragged him with her, lower down so it would be easier to breathe. Well, at least in theory. Turning around, they stumbled over a body. The man’s right leg had been torn off at the hip. He was dead, lying in a large pool of his own blood. Feeling faint from the discovery, the smell of fresh blood, and smoke pouring into her lungs, Cody still managed to stay on her feet when a fit of coughing brought Jim down.

“No, come on!” she hissed. “Don’t give up!”

On his knees, retching, he crawled forward. This time, they hit the side of the platform. Realizing their position, Cody turned around and stared at another wall of flames. The exit had to be through there... The smoke felt thicker and more unforgiving. Eyes burning, her lungs screaming for air, she blinked to clear her vision as it started to narrow. Black spots danced in front of her eyes. For the first time, the thought crossed her mind that they might not make it out of there.

???

Many of the people staggering up the stairs had blackened faces, singed hair, and a thousand-yard stare. Kim was only looking for one woman… and not finding her. The firefighters had declared the lower level off-limits, and already announcedthat there were casualties. Kim went down regardless. There, the whole scene reminded her of an apocalypse movie. Some people cried. Others moaned in pain as they were being carried out on stretchers.Cody. Where the hell are you?Kim’s heart leaped in her chest when she spotted her…, but as the woman turned, she realized it was someone else. Just a woman with blond hair and the same sort of build.Fuck!Angry now, Kim called on her gift.Show me Cody! Where is she?But her mind was blank. Empty. Refusing to think of what this might mean, Kim stared at two firefighters carrying a victim in a black body bag up the stairs. Ellie was lending a hand to a busy team of medics on the other side. She hurried over, looking hopeful.

“Any sign of her?”

“No.” Kim struggled to say the word.

“Notyet,” Ellie corrected firmly. “Don’t worry too much, Kim. You know Cody, right?”

“Yes, but—”

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