Chapter 34

Roger skidded to a stop, with Stephanie one step behind. She almost hit him before she could catch her balance.

"Drop the guns." He pushed the knife in further. "Do it. NOW!"

"Scott, you know I can't do that. Why don't you relax a little on the knife and we can discuss what you want?" Roger's voice was soft toned but not condescending.

"Quit with the fucking psychology shit. Drop the damn guns or she dies."

"She dies, Scott, you'll be going right after her." Stephanie took aim, her sights set on the spot right between his eyes.

"Do you really think I care?" He grinned, his teeth shining whitely through all the blood still flowing from his broken nose.

"Shoot him." Michelle's voice was tight with fury. "He killed Nick. Shoot the fucker."

"Nick's not dead, Michelle," Stephanie said softly, her eyes never leaving the sights she had set on Scott. "He woke up and called us, we got to him in time. He's in surgery, getting the bullet removed. You'll see him soon."

"He's not dead?"

"No," Roger said. He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and resisted the urge to look over there. He had been wondering where the other girl was, the girl that had been trapped down her with Michelle.

She slowly came into his field of vision. She was sneaking up behind Scott. He had no idea what she was going to do but she had a determined look on her face.

"Scott, what we have her is a Mexican stand off. Now, if you let Michelle go, I'll make sure you get out of here alive." He used his best work with the deviant's voice. "I promise you, I'll take you out of here myself. No one will hurt you."

"Do you really think I fucking care about your promises. They don't mean dick to me." He was screaming.

Michelle felt the knife slip a little away from her throat. As soon as he moved it enough she was going to move. Stephanie had her gun trained, sites lined up on a clean head shot, she would take it if she could get it. Michelle was going to make sure she got it.

"You stupid fucks didn't know who was doing what! You couldn't have caught me, ever!"

Come on you sick bastard, just a little further. The knife moved just a little more.

Four things happened all at the same time.

Marley reached out and touched Scott's shoulder from behind.

He let the knife slip a little more and turned toward the hand, confused.

Michelle dropped down, letting all of her weight hang on Scott's arm.

Marley went for the touchdown, kicking Scott's testicles into his throat.

It was almost slow motion. He dropped the knife and let go of Michelle to grab his crotch, bending over as he fell, a low keening screech erupting from his throat. He hit the ground hard, rolling over and over as he tried to breath over the pain that was worse than anything he had felt before.

Michelle scrabble away from him. She looked up at the hand that was held out and let Marley help her up, favoring her sore shoulder and arm. "Thank you," she said. "That was..." She couldn't come up with a word to describe it. "That was..." She looked down at the man rolling on the floor. "Thank you," she said helplessly.

Uniformed officers came flooding into the room. Stephanie stopped them. "Out, we need crime scene here now. We got tons of evidence." She went over and snapped her cuffs on Scott's wrists, pulling him mercilessly to his feet. "Hurt much, Scott?" she asked him gleefully.

Roger was standing where he had been. He was shaking his head in amazement. He watched Stephanie drag the manacled attorney out of the basement and up the stairs, mostly muscling s the man could barely move. He heard her yelling for an ambulance.

He walked over to where Michelle was standing and wrapped a gentle arm around her waist. He looked at Marley. "That was... Wow." He shook his head. "Ouch! That was ouch!"

Michelle started laughing, even though it made her hurt more. "Stop, concussion, broken arm." She held her arm still with the other. "Don't make me laugh."

He started helping her up the stairs, carefully. "Let's get you to the hospital, maybe we can talk the doctors into a king size hospital bed."

"Yes." Nick, she thought. "I'd kiss you right now, but it would hurt too much. Take me to Nick."