I’m still here, he sent. I’m with you this whole part.

Rangan gave a thumbs up. “We’re good to go, man.”

Juan nodded, then turned and opened the door to step out.

Everything happened in a blur. The door opening. Juan jumping back in with a yelp, trying to push the door closed, then the door exploding out of his hands, slamming into his face, and the cop following him in, the drawn pistol in her hand, yelling.

“Shit!” Barb yelled, jumping after the man, her hand going for her gun. The door was closing. She kicked out in reflex, shoved it forward before the perp could get it to lock, and then she was inside the church and her vision was flashing red and holy fuck!

THREAT ALERT THREAT ALERT THREAT ALERT THREAT ALERT

RANGAN SHANKARI

APPROACH WITH CAUTION

ARMED EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED

The man’s face was lit up. A red box around him. Targeting circles around his torso. The fucking terrorist who’d tried to kill Owen. Her whole world constricted to him and her heart was pounding like a motherfucker and she had this asshole to rights and oh my god he was fucking armed he’d taken out two cops already oh fuck oh fuck.

“HANDS IN THE AIR!” she yelled at him, her pistol in both hands.

Green halos were up around other figures. Levi. Abigail. Pregnant Abigail. And a room full of kids and women! Jesus the bastard had taken hostages.

Shankari was raising his hands, slowly, so fucking slowly.

ARMED EXTREMELY DANGEROUS flashed at her over and over again in red.

DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED flashed right below it.

On her right was the other perp, bleeding from his face. Two of them. Barb maneuvered to her left, where she could cover them both.

ARMED EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED

Holy fucking shit.

“OVER BY SHANKARI, ASSHOLE! Levi, Abigail, get the kids out through the door!”

“Barb,” someone said.

The bleeding guy was looking up at her like he didn’t understand. Fuck there were two of them. She needed backup. She needed backup now.

ARMED EXTREMELY DANEROUS.

“Command!” Barb said aloud.

DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED.

“BARB!” It was Abigail.

“Go ahead, 148,” came the voice in her earpiece.

“BARB!” Abigail stepped straight in front of Barb.

She pressed her chest up against the barrel of Barb’s pistol.

Barb tried to move. What the heal was Abigail doing? And Abigail just moved with her, keeping her chest right in the line of fire. And then Barb saw her face. The minister’s wife had a finger to her lips, the universal sign of “shush”. She was shaking her head.