Tales of the Scarlet Knight Collection: The Wrath of Isis

by P. T. Dilloway

  “Fine.”

  “Why do you want to survive your shift?”

  “You mean other than a basic instinct for self-preservation?”

  “Yeah. What are you going home for?”

  “My son Jamie. He’s nine years old. I’d show you his picture but it’s in my wallet.”

  “What about a husband?”

  “He took off years ago.”

  “I don’t blame him,” Amanda said, but with a smile. She opened her eye to make sure Officer Morgan wouldn’t punch her. But she would have had to take her hands off the wheel for that.

  She did risk a sideways glance at Amanda. “Don’t you have anything to go home for?”

  “No.” Amanda sighed and shook her head. “There’s my friend Megan, but I don’t think she’s going to be around much longer. She’s going to be a famous architect, which means she’ll be going to all sorts of cocktail parties and gala openings and stuff. And I’ll still be out here. Different social circles, like high school.”

  “I take it you weren’t popular in high school.”

  “Come on, I thought you minored in psychology.” Amanda shook her head again. “I was the type who hung out with the tough crowd. The girls who’d smoke in the bathroom and fuck guys under the bleachers.”

  “That’s not much of a surprise.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So that’s it? You don’t have any other friends?”

  “You’ve seen how popular I am on the force. They aren’t exactly offering me a spot on the softball team.”

  “Maybe they would if you fucked some of them under the bleachers.”

  “If I wanted to fuck a bunch of old fat guys I’d go visit my mom.”

  “She’s in a retirement home?”

  “Yeah, one of those ‘communities’ over in Oakville.”

  “You don’t talk to her much, do you?”

  “What the hell would we talk about? How disappointed she is in me? How much she wishes she had a ‘normal’ daughter?”

  “So you don’t think you’re normal?”

  “Well, Dr. Freud, what do you think?”

  “From the sound of it, I think you’re lonely. Lots of normal people are.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  Officer Morgan stopped at another red light and then looked over at Amanda with a smile. “Jamie’s already asleep and I’ve paid the sitter for the night, so maybe since we’re knocking off early, we could go somewhere.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t need a pity date. And isn’t that against some kind of regulation?”

  “Fine, suit yourself. Go home and polish your gun collection.”

  “I don’t have a gun collection. I just have the one. My brother Rick gave it to me when he was on leave.” She didn’t mention that one month later Rick had gone back to Iraq and died in a car bombing. No doubt Officer Morgan would want to psychoanalyze her about that.

  “How about a drink? I could use something for this fat lip.”

  “I got you pretty good, didn’t I?”

  “Admit it, you did that on purpose.”

  “Maybe.”

  “That’s what I thought.” As Officer Morgan started through the intersection, a truck sped by them on the left, in the center turn lane. A truck with a fish painted on the side and Russian characters around it. Officer Morgan reached for the sirens, but Amanda stopped her. “What are you doing?”

  “You’ll spook them.”

  “Good. That was the idea.”

  “No, look, that’s the same kind of truck the Russians were using.”

  “The ones in the holding cells?”

  “The very same.”

  “So what do you want to do?”

  “Follow them. Should be easy enough with how slow you drive.”

  “Ha.” Officer Morgan considered this for a moment and finally nodded. “All right. We’ll see where they’re going. Then we call for backup. No more heroics tonight, young lady.”

  “Fine. Just don’t lose them.”

  As it turned out, they didn’t have to worry about losing the truck. The fish truck went to the exact same place they were headed: the precinct. Officer Morgan pulled over along the street and used another car as a buffer between them and the truck. They hunkered down inside the car; Amanda kept low enough so she could watch as the back doors of the truck opened. Inside were two-dozen men dressed identical to the Russians Amanda had met previously, all as heavily armed.

  “Holy shit,” she whispered. “We need backup.”

  “You’re sure you can’t take them on by yourself?”

  “Just call it in.”

  Officer Morgan nodded and then turned on the radio. Static shrieked from the radio, but that was all. “What the hell?” She fiddled with the buttons, but still nothing happened. Amanda tried the radio on her shoulder with an identical result.

  “They’re jamming us.”

  “Shit. Everyone inside is going to be sitting ducks.”

  “Not if we get there first and warn them.”

  “How?”

  “Well, it might take some reckless driving.”

  “Be my guest.”

  Amanda didn’t take the wheel of the police cruiser. That would be far too obvious. Instead, she opened the door gently and then crawled along the side of the car to one behind them. It was an Xterra SUV, more than adequate for their purposes. As someone who’d spent her teenage years on the opposite side of the law, she knew how to disable the security system and then hotwire the vehicle.

  “Very impressive,” Officer Morgan said.

  “Climb in the backseat and buckle up,” Amanda said. She made sure to strap herself in good and tight; things were about to get bumpy. Once Officer Morgan was buckled up in the back, Amanda pulled away from the curb.

  Ahead, she could see the Russians had made it across the road and were headed up the sidewalk to the precinct. The thought to run them down with the SUV had some merit, but there would still be too many for her to get them all. Instead, she coasted towards them and tried to look nonchalant. When one of the Russians turned and saw her, she finally hit the gas.

  “Here we go!” The Xterra roared down the street; Amanda bent down a moment before the windshield caved in from gunfire. She prayed the SUV’s engine would hold on a little longer, enough to get them where they were going.

  She heard more bullets slap against the side of the vehicle to puncture its thick hide. She veered the car from left to right a few times to throw off their aim. She peeked over the dashboard and saw her target dead ahead. Amanda put the accelerator all the way to the floor.

  The SUV catapulted over the first section of stairs that led up the precinct. Its momentum carried it up the rest of the steps and then through the front doors. Glass shattered around the vehicle to rain down on Amanda. She finally threw the SUV into park and then unfastened her seatbelt. She saw Officer Morgan had gone pale in the backseat, but was still alive.

  “Remind me not to ride with you again,” she said.

  “Come on,” Amanda said. “We’ve got to hurry.”

  ***

  Apparently the universe had an ironic sense of humor, as the last refuge for the cops inside the precinct was the cellblock. The Russians had already taken the rest of the station and had surrounded the building as well to make sure no one could get out. Amanda heard footsteps outside and voices shout in Russian. It wouldn’t be long until they stormed in here. With their flak jackets and Uzis they would make short work of the cops, who carried only pistols and no body armor; they hadn’t had time to get to the armory before the attack began.

  When she heard shots fired, Amanda assumed the Russians must have found a wounded cop and finished him or her off. That was until she saw a familiar figure run around the corner. Amanda and Officer Morgan lowered their pistols at the same time; they signaled for the half-dozen cops with them to do the same.

  “What the hell are you all doing in here?” Captain Donovan said.

  “They’ve g
ot the rest of the station, Cap,” Lieutenant Cielo said.

  “So how’d you get in?” Amanda asked. She hoped the cavalry was on its way.

  “You don’t think I know how to break in to my own station?”

  “Then maybe you can break us out of here.”

  “That’s the plan.” Donovan looked around at the other cops. “We need to get up to the roof. There’ll be a helicopter coming in to get us out of here. I took out the guards by the elevator. They disconnected the power, so you’ll have to climb up. I hope you’re all in the mood for a little exercise.”

  There were a couple of nervous chuckles at this, Amanda not among them. It sounded easy enough, at least if they hurried. The only problem was they wouldn’t be any better off up on the roof. If anything they would be even more exposed. “How’d you get through the radio jamming anyway?”

  “It’s not very strong up there,” Donovan said. “Any other stupid questions or can we get moving?”

  “What about us?” Don Vendetta asked from her cell. “You plan to leave us here to be murdered in our cells?”

  “I’d have thought you’d want to stay here to be reunited with your new friends.”

  “They aren’t my friends. They’re my competitors. Why else do you think they’re breaking into this place? To rescue me?”

  This came as a surprise to Amanda, but Captain Donovan seemed unfazed. “It doesn’t matter in any case. I wouldn’t dream of leaving you behind. No one’s going to kill you before I get your ass in prison.” She turned to Cielo. “You got the keys?”

  “Right here, Cap.” He tossed Donovan the keys and then she unlocked Don Vendetta’s cell door. Before the woman could get very far, Donovan seized her by the arm.

  “You try to make a break for it and I’ll put a bullet in you myself,” Donovan hissed. She turned to Amanda. “Murdoch, you and Morgan look after our friend. Make sure she gets on the chopper. Got it?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.

  They left the other Russian goons in their cells; they didn’t have the manpower to look after them. Not that the Russians were likely to kill their comrades in any case. Donovan took the lead with Cielo at the rear and Amanda in the middle with Officer Morgan and Don Vendetta. So far the don hadn’t tried anything, but Amanda knew it would only be a matter of time. Probably once the shooting started she’d attempt to strike out on her own.

  Captain Donovan signaled for them to go around a corner. The open elevator doors were twenty feet away, as were the bodies of two Russian goons. Those must have been the shots and shouts Amanda had heard earlier. “Hurry up and get started,” Donovan whispered.

  A couple of the other cops took the point. Amanda shoved Don Vendetta towards the elevator shaft and whispered, “Ladies first.”

  “Wait,” Officer Morgan said. “I’ll go first. Then her. Then you. Got it?”

  “Sure,” Amanda said.

  “Are you two going to debate this all day?” Donovan hissed. “Move your asses.”

  “What about you, Captain?” Morgan asked.

  “Cielo and I will cover you. Now move it.”

  Amanda didn’t like this, but she couldn’t argue with the captain. Officer Morgan started up the ladder along the side of the shaft. After Morgan had gone up a few rungs, Amanda nudged Don Vendetta in the back. “I really didn’t bring the proper shoes for climbing a ladder,” the don said.

  “Then stay here and get shot for all I care.”

  The don kicked her pumps into the elevator shaft, followed by stripping off her nylons. With these gone, she began to climb barefoot. After Amanda had started up the ladder, Don Vendetta said, “I hope you enjoy the view, Officer.” Amanda saw the don didn’t wear any underwear beneath her skirt. She barely held in a curse; by the time they reached the roof, she might kill Vendetta herself.

  Amanda looked down after a minute to see Cielo starting up. “Where’s the captain?”

  “Right behind me,” he said. On cue, Donovan appeared. She balanced precariously on the ledge and with far more strength than Amanda thought possible for a middle-aged woman, she shoved the elevator doors shut.

  “That ought to give us a little privacy,” Donovan said. She didn’t even seem to breathe hard. Maybe the Scarlet Knight wasn’t the only superhero in town.

  Amanda was grateful the police station was only five stories. Otherwise she might have lost it from having to see Don Vendetta’s snatch every fifteen seconds. The don seemed to enjoy this. She purred, “Usually I have to pay a girl to look up my skirt.”

  Officer Morgan waited for them at the top along with the other cops—but not the helicopter Donovan had promised. The moment Don Vendetta reached the top, Officer Morgan slapped a pair of cuffs on her and then shoved her behind an air conditioner. Amanda knelt down beside them; she resisted the urge to punch Don Vendetta in the face when the woman grinned and whispered, “Was it good for you too, Officer?”

  Donovan and Cielo took up station behind one of the exhaust chimneys. “I thought you said there was going to be a helicopter,” Amanda called over to her.

  “It’ll be here. Give them a few minutes.”

  “We’re sitting ducks here,” Amanda grumbled.

  “You’re finally getting your wish,” Officer Morgan said with a grim smile. “You can go out with guns blazing.”

  Maybe a few hours ago Amanda would have agreed. Now she wasn’t so sure. It might have been nice to go out for a drink with Officer Morgan—with Darlene. It might have been nice to talk to someone who could understand her. Megan was a good friend, but she didn’t really understand Amanda; she didn’t understand what it was like to be a cop. Megan was too sheltered for that. Maybe that’s what she’d been missing all this time since her brothers had died, someone she could really relate to. Now she wouldn’t find out. “Yeah, I guess so,” she said without enthusiasm.

  In the distance Amanda heard the whop-whop of a helicopter approaching. This was followed by the door to the roof banging open. The first Russian through the door took a shot to the left knee before he could fire off a round. His buddies took this as a warning and stayed behind the doorway where the cops couldn’t get them.

  As the helicopter came down, Amanda thought of stories Rick had told her when he came home on leave. His platoon had faced a similar situation while they tried to evac from an ambush in Iraq. They’d been forced to stay behind some rocks for hours, until a group of A-10s arrived to take out the bad guys with laser-guided bombs.

  In this case they didn’t have that kind of firepower to call in, which meant they would have to do this the old-fashioned way. “Fall back!” Donovan called out. As the first cops took off for the helicopter, Donovan and Cielo fired their pistols to keep the Russians back. When one tried to sneak a shot through, Amanda fired her pistol; the shot hit the Russian in the right hand.

  “Nice shot, kid,” Officer Morgan said.

  “Thanks.”

  Captain Donovan was less than impressed. “Get your asses on the chopper!”

  Amanda turned to face the helicopter; she estimated it was at least fifty feet across open space. “You want to go first?” she asked Officer Morgan.

  “Sure.” Morgan turned to Don Vendetta. “You better stick close to us. That helicopter is the only way off this roof for you.”

  “I’m well aware of that,” the don said.

  “Then let’s do it.”

  After Officer Morgan and Don Vendetta started out, Amanda dove out from behind the air conditioner. She backpedaled while she emptied the clip of her pistol towards the doorway. Once she ran out, she turned and ran for the helicopter; she wove along the way to make it harder for the Russians to hit her.

  She heard a shot ring out, followed by a bullet hitting the roof less than an inch to her right. “Duck!” she heard Officer Morgan call out. Amanda bent down to give Morgan a clear line of fire. She doubted Morgan hit anything, but it kept the Russians from taking another shot at her before she could dive into the heli
copter.

  She slapped another clip into her pistol. She saw Morgan had already handcuffed Don Vendetta to one of the seats, a pair of officers between her. There wouldn’t be any way for her to slither out of this one—unless the Russians took out the helicopter. It would either be prison or a body bag for her.

  Captain Donovan and Lieutenant Cielo were the last ones left. Amanda could see them arguing, but she couldn’t hear what they said. In the end Cielo ran while Donovan fired to cover him. He ducked as Amanda had to allow her and Morgan to keep him covered as well. Amanda took one hand off her gun so she could reach out with one hand to pull Cielo aboard.

  Before Donovan could make her run for the chopper, reinforcements showed up for the Russians. This included a couple with RPG-7 grenade launchers like the ones her brothers had seen in Iraq. Donovan signaled for the helicopter to take off. Cielo in turn shouted for the pilot to take them up.

  Amanda grabbed him by the front of the shirt. “We can’t leave her!”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Cielo said. “One of those grenades gets through and we’re finished.”

  “We can’t abandon her!”

  “It’s what she wants,” Morgan said.

  “I don’t care—” Amanda didn’t get to finish as Officer Morgan punched her in the stomach. Her gun skittered across the floor of the helicopter as it began to lift off. There was nothing Amanda could do then but watch the final gun battle between Captain Donovan and the Russians.

  The battle ended when one of the Russians aimed his grenade launcher at the helicopter. Donovan leaped up to fire. She got the Russian, who went down in a heap, but for a moment she left herself vulnerable. Amanda screamed as she watched bullets riddle Donovan, until the heroic captain collapsed to the roof.

  The helicopter rose higher into the air, out of range for the Russians’s weapons. Amanda sagged against Officer Morgan, who patted her back while they both cried. When she looked over her shoulder, Amanda saw even Don Vendetta had tears in her eyes for the fallen hero.