Page 46 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed
“Smart,” Luther spat out, his chokehold tightening on Jay’s throat as he hauled Jay to his feet.
Jay groaned, his face pale and slick with sweat, his hands weakly clawing at Luther’s arm as Luther started walking, dragging Jay right along with him. That’s when Hallie spotted the Kevlar vest and neck guard that Luther was wearing. He’d obviously come prepared for shootout, and he wouldn’t be easy to kill, not with his head hidden behind Jay’s.
Reed shifted subtly, and Hallie felt his body tensing like a coiled spring. “Let’s talk to Luther. Let’s distract him,” he mouthed.
Hallie launched right into that. “You don’t have to do this, Luther,” she said. She stepped out just a little further, lifting her hands into the air to show him that she wasn’t armed. “Let Jay go, and we’ll work this out.”
Luther barked a harsh laugh. “Work this out? You think you can just arrest me and everything will go back to normal? No. I know how this ends if we play things your way.” He inched closer, dragging Jay with him as he shifted his body to maneuver around her to get to the stairs.
“You’re right,” Reed said, lifting his hands, too. “It doesn’t end well. Not if you keep this up.”
Luther’s eyes darted to him. “Stay back!” he snapped, adjusting his hold on Jay.
Reed took a single step forward, hands still raised. “You’re not walking out of here, Luther. Not with him. You know that.”
As Reed spoke, Hallie moved ever so slightly, her foot brushing one of the guns on the floor. Her fingers curled into a fist, drawing Luther’s attention to her for a heartbeat.
And that was all Reed needed.
He lunged, his hands a blur as he grabbed for Luther’s wrist and the crook of his arm. The speed and surprise knocked Luther off balance, and Jay slipped free, crumpling to the floor with a gasping cough.
But Luther dropped, too, scrambling toward the guns.
Hallie was already in motion, snatching her backup weapon from the floor and leveling it at Luther just as the man latched onto one of the guns. She didn’t give him a chance to take aim at Reed or her.
She fired while Luther was still moving.
Her bullet slammed into his chest, and she heard that sickening thud. Not of the shot going into flesh but into the Kevlar. Even at this close range, the vest had stopped the shot, but Luther howled out, gasping in pain.
She knew what he was feeling. That scalding burn of the hot metal against his flesh. And she felt no sympathy whatsoever. Neither did Reed. He kicked the gun from the man’s hand then Reed latched onto him.
“Don’t move, Luther,” Hallie warned him. “Next time, it’ll be a head shot.”
Luther struggled, his face twisting in rage, but Reed didn’t let go. He twisted Luther’s arm behind his back, forcing him to his knees with a pained grunt. “It’s over,” Reed growled.
He shoved Luther all the way down on the floor, put his foot on his back to hold him in place, and Reed scooped up his gun. She kicked the others away from Luther so he wouldn’t be able to grab them.
Keeping her eyes on Luther, Hallie crouched beside Jay, checking his shoulder. He was barely conscious and was losing a lot of blood. “He needs those EMTs now,” she relayed to Reed.
“Shaw, get the EMTs in here,” Reed called out, yanking a pair of zip ties from his pocket that he used to cuff Luther’s hands. “We have the killer.”
She heard the relief in Reed’s voice when he said those last four words.We have the killer. And Hallie felt some of her muscles unclench.
This is over,” she said, meeting Luther’s cold, hard glare with one of her own. “You’re going to answer for every single thing you’ve done.”
Luther glared at her. “I don’t think so,” he said as she heard a soft pop come from his mouth.
“Hell,” Reed blurted. “I think he’s got a poison capsule.”
Luther’s glare turned to a twisted smile as he closed his eyes. Before the EMT even reached the top of the stairs, Hallie was certain that Luther would be dead in a matter of minutes.
And she was right.
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Chapter Eighteen
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