Page 28 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)
Fire trucks and the bomb disposal team had just arrived on the scene when the explosion occurred. It was clearly heard. The ground shook, and a cloud of thick black smoke immediately billowed out of the open stairway. People still kept coming up from the lower levels, at a run now. Kim cast a quick glance in Wesley’s direction. The lieutenant was delivering instructions to the fire captain and the leader of the bomb squad. Ellie stood with them, listening, ready to spring into action. Both were no longer paying attention to her… which was good, Kim reflected, because she did not want to be held back again at this point. Cody was down there, so there was no question in her mind that it was where she would be headed too. She moved quickly toward the stairs, hiding behind other people. But then it was like a giant hand landing on the back of her neck, squeezing, forcing her to stop. And take a look. Blond guy; glasses; dark. There was blackness around him, and not from any kind of smoke. Without pausing to think or doubt herself, Kim hurried back to grab Ellie by the arm.
“Him,” she hissed, pointing at the man.
“What?”
“Stop him.”
Ellie, bless her, hesitated less than a micro-second before launching into action.
“Sir?”
Kim held her breath as she watched her walk after the guy, fingers around the butt of her weapon but not drawing it yet.
“Sir!” Ellie repeated louder. “Hold it.”
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 announced that 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.
“Not yet ,” Ellie corrected firmly. “Don’t worry too much, Kim. You know Cody, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“Just yes. I’m sure she’ll be—” Ellie stopped, narrowed her eyes, and flashed a bright smile. “Here. She’s here, look!”
As she pointed over her shoulder, Ellie spun around to catch sight of her partner slowly making her way toward them. Relief at seeing her only partly alleviated her concern. Oh, Jesus! Cody looked like she had been run over by a truck. Her clothes were burnt and torn in places, her hair grey from dust and debris, and her bottom lip was not the only part of her bleeding. Kim spotted a large cut on the side of her forehead. Scratches and dark bruises covered her face. A breathing mask dangled from around her neck, and she seemed to be favoring her right leg. In spite of all this, she was smiling. Looking straight at her, and smiling.
“Cody.” Kim rushed forward to catch her in her arms. “Oh my God. Babe!”
“It’s okay.” Cody held her tight. “It’s over.”
“Are you alright? I mean, I see you’re not, but… Talk to me, please.”
“Yeah. I’m… all good.”
“You look like someone beat the crap out of you, partner,” Ellie stated. “But man, it’s good to see you on your feet!”
Cody flashed them both another exhausted but, at least as far as Kim was concerned, totally sexy smile.
“A bomb did kick my ass some, yeah. But I’ll live.”
“Yes.” Kim pulled her back into her embrace. “You will.”
◆◆◆
Cody experienced an instant of pure magic when she closed her arms around her, rested a protective hand on the back of her head, and gently massaged her hair. Even better than pure oxygen, she decided. She exhaled, closed her eyes, and allowed herself to be held. Quinn put an abrupt end to this moment of relaxation.
“Miller.”
Cody snapped her eyes open. Quinn’s blue gaze glinted in a mix of relief, concern, and sheer authority.
“Still in one piece?” she prompted.
“Just about, Lieutenant.”
“You okay?”
“Yes, fine.”
“She needs a doctor,” Kim declared.
“Status,” Quinn demanded as if she had not heard.
“I saw the bomber. Blond hair, blue eyes. Swastika tattoo on the side of his neck. He wears glasses—”
“In custody,” Ellie announced.
“Really? Wow.” Cody blinked in surprise. “You do kick ass, kid.”
“Don’t call me kid,” Ellie grinned. “Also, Kim gets credit for this one. She’s the one who identified him.”
“How did—” Cody started to ask, then realized. She looked into her partner’s eyes. “Oh. You had a vision?”
“Yeah, sort of. I’ll tell you all about it but for now, we need to get you to a hospital.”
“Are you okay?” Cody insisted.
“Yes, surprisingly fine, actually.” Kim laid a soothing hand on her cheek. “Don’t worry about me, babe. You look like you’re about to crash; we need to get you seen, okay?”
“Was the bomber on his own?” Quinn inquired, undeterred and urgent.
Of course, it was a crucial question.
“I think so.” Cody forced herself to focus despite an already splendid headache getting worse, and the feeling that very fine needles were being fired at her eyeballs. “The explosive charge was in a briefcase he abandoned on the carriage. He made a sign to me to signal that it would blow. He looked happy about it. Nasty.”
“Alright, good feedback.”
“You got him, you sure?”
“I noticed the tattoo on his neck,” Ellie nodded. “It’s just as you described.”
“Okay, great.”
“Miller, what did—”
“Enough!” Kim rounded on Quinn with enough intensity to make her take a step back. “Cody’s injured and bleeding,” she snapped in exasperation. “I am taking her to the hospital now. You can talk to her when she’s been cleared.”
It was a moment, alright. From the corner of her eye, Cody noticed Ellie bite on her lip. The look on her face was nothing short of fascinated as she observed the two women. Had Cody not been so thrashed, hurt, and bleeding, yes, she would have laughed out loud. No one dared to bark at Lieutenant Wesley like this in the department. The fact that Kim so easily stood up to her authority was alluring in a way Cody could not really have explained, especially right now… but she felt it in the way her legs suddenly weakened. As Kim tightened her hold around her waist, Ellie stepped on the other side to support her as well.
“Alright.” The lieutenant nodded. “You’re in good hands, Miller. Take care of yourself. Report when you can.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Quinn glanced at Kim and gave her a small salute as she walked off, her expression at once amused and approving. They made their way through the station, and plenty of people, perhaps not so badly injured that they required a trip to the hospital, being cared for by medics on the ground.
“I’ve got you,” Kim murmured when they walked outside in the bright sunshine, and Cody flinched as her battered brain reacted to the light.
“I can drive if you want,” Ellie offered.
Cody opened her mouth to answer before realizing that the question was not directed at her.
“Thanks,” Kim replied. “We’ll sit in the back.”
Though Ellie was extra careful on the road to avoid speed bumps, potholes, and the like, the drive was still a nightmare for Cody. She kept her eyes closed for most of the way and was grateful for her lover’s soothing presence and gentle hold. Ellie got on the phone to warn Janet, who said she would meet them in the ER as soon as they arrived.
“I don’t need a neurosurgeon,” Cody groaned.
“Yes, darling, you do,” Kim countered. “You’re obviously concussed, and your ears have been bleeding.”
“It was a hard blast…”
Kim held her more tightly against her as another bump in the road made her whimper in spite of herself. She brushed an infinitely gentle kiss over her mouth and delivered a smile that was just as tender.
“I don’t want to start your lip bleeding again, but I needed this.”
“S’okay…” Cody sighed and sank a little deeper in her arms. “I needed it too.”