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Back The Ringmaster Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. The Ringmaster
  3. Contents
  4. Prologue
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. Epilogue
  72. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  73. Copyright

‘Well you didn’t have to kill it there. We’ll have to get a flaming crane in to clear the road. And it wasn’t even an official weapon you used. Where the hell did you get the shotgun? Do you realise how much trouble you’ll be in for that?’

‘I grabbed whatever was to hand. What was I supposed to do? Say, “Oh, Cassie, can you pause your little murderous rampage while I pop back to the station, fill out the paperwork and get a police-issue weapon?” Get fucking real.’ I felt the crack of the polystyrene cup as it crushed in my hand and felt the remaining warm liquid run through my fingers, making its way to the floor. ‘You weren’t there and you didn’t have to make the call. I was there. I had to decide, I had to kill her. Me. Do you have any idea how bloody hard that was? Do you?’ By now, the tears were rolling down my face and my voice was laboured, laden with hurt and emotion. ‘Do you have any idea what it felt like to kill that beautiful, beautiful creature? Her name was Cassie, God damn it. Cassie. She was…’ I groped for words that could convey how I felt about her, but in my rage they proved elusive. ‘Bennett couldn’t do it, he fell, and if I didn’t shoot her, she could have bloody well killed someone else. I had no fucking choice. Get that into your thick head and for God’s sake just leave me alone.’

I threw what was left of the cup to the floor and stormed towards the door. The stupid bugger didn’t move out of the way so I shoved both hands hard into his chest and sent him reeling backwards before I escaped out the door and bolted for the stairs.

‘You come back here right now, you little bitch,’ I heard him bellow and then Smithy’s angry voice yelling, ‘DI Johns, you are out of order…’ before the doors clicked behind me and the only sound was my foot-steps, running.

33

‘Well, you certainly know how to make a scene.’ Smithy had tracked me down to my unlikely place of sanctuary. I’d wondered if anyone would come looking and was almost glad to see him. Half an hour of silence and stillness had calmed some of the physical manifestations of my rage, but had done nothing for my mental health. I wiped away the blood on my hand from the scab I’d been harassing.

‘He started it.’

‘Yeah, he did.’ Smithy leaned against the doorway, head cocked to the side, observing me with a frown wrinkling across his brows. ‘He was way out of line, Sam, and everyone in that room would say so. He had no right to treat you like that.’