Page 100 of Fish in a Barrel

“Well, keep him away from the football stadium!” Jackson snapped. “Text him, whatever. Tell him to let the cops guide him out and—”

“And I’ll be in the football stadium parking lot where Christie just texted me from,” Sean snapped. “You couldn’t have told me?”

“You’re on leave!” Jackson shouted. “Isn’t there some sort of clause about you not being involved?”

“Yeah, asshole. It’s on the same paperwork that saysyou’rea civilian, and last time I checked,you’re on leave too!”

And like that, the adrenaline faded enough for Jackson’s back to seize in a blaze of fire. “Excuse me,” he rasped with dignity. “I need to take an ibuprofen.”

“I’ll see you in the stadium,” Kryzynski said with the same dignity. “I’ll have Billy meet us there.”

“Fine. Whatever. Invite the whole damned world there. See if I care. It’s only half a dozen people right now, hinging their lives on whatever the hell I’m saying. What’s two goddamned more?”

He wasn’t even aware that was going to come out of his mouth until he said it, but then he heard Sean’s soft, bitter laughter and realized it had slipped out.

“Better you than Cartman or Goslar himself, Rivers. You made a good call. An all-out assault would be a disaster. A couple of people and a well-placed gun? That’s the right approach. Don’t get all soft and squishy on me now.”

“Ew.”

He heard Sean’s cringe from the other end of the line.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.”

“Fuck off. We’re almost there.”

“Me too.”

And sure enough, as Ellery rounded the corner for the decently sized stadium, he saw the blue Dodge Charger fall in line behind them.

As he fumbled for an ibuprofen, he could only pray Sean was right and he hadn’t sent them all into a meat grinder.

When Ellery pulled up to Fetzer and Hardison’s unit and Christie and de Souza’s unmarked, they both noted that Jennifer the minivan was there, but Henry wasn’t.

“Your boy’s already suited up and heading up the back way,” Fetzer told them. “We had a coach give us the keys before we evacced his ass out of there. I guess Henry knows the campus—there’s a little-used corridor and stairwell up to the top level of the stadium and the announcer’s box.”

Jackson gasped. “And he’s alone?”

“And he will be,” Adele said patiently, “if you keep talking our ear off.” She and Hardison both had on tactical gear, and so did Christie and de Souza. They both had their weapons at the ready, and Jackson caught a clue.

“I know this campus too,” he said as Sean limped up, breathing heavily. “I’m going to go down to the track through the athletes’ entrance and try to find Goslar. Has anybody alerted him?”

The cops all wrinkled their noses at each other.

“Alerting Goslar is alerting the whole rest of the police force we’re trying to avoid,” Christie said. “You made the right call here, Jackson, but telling Goslar would fuck it all up.”

Jackson swallowed. “I’ll talk to him in person,” he said. “You guys go back up Henry so he doesn’t end up dead. Ellery, stay here and keep Sean out of trouble. I’ll be right back with Goslar.”

K-Ski was struggling to get out of the car as he spoke, and while Ellery’s attention was diverted that way, Jackson took off at a jog, ignoring the pain in his back that threatened to turn his vision white and hoping he could make it to the track before Ellery caught on to what he’d actually volunteered to do.

A Different Proposal

ELLERY DIDN’Tlike to think of himself as a stupid man, but he’d gotten to Sean Kryzynski’s side before it hit him.

He spun around on his heels to see Jackson disappear around the corner of the stadium and said, “He wants me to do what?”

Kryzynski took a deep breath and said, “I think he wants you to stay out of danger while he goes and gets between a sniper and his target.”

Ellery turned wide eyes to Kryzynski and gaped. “He… he… what are you doing here anyway?”