Stolen Shadows

20 - The Fallout

Addison wasn't sure what was happening. One second, the man was grabbing her, his hands too rough and she couldn't get her feet under her. The next, Axel counted to three, and suddenly she was in Sophie's arms.

Sophie. She was there. And it wasn't a dream, it wasn't a hallucination—she was there. Addison fell into her, determined to never let go again, their arms tight around each other, when the first gunshot went off. And then another, and then another, and Sophie was pulling on her hands and they were running across the port to the rows of plastic barrels thirty feet to their right.

They dove behind them, her and Sophie and Johnny. Addison peeked her head over the top and tried to make sense of what was happening. Axel and his men were hiding behind his "throne" of wooden crates, bullets shooting wood chips into the air. But where was it coming from?

"Addison," Sophie said. "Look at me. Look at me."

Sophie grabbed her hands, and Addison forced herself to breathe. Sophie stared at her, scanning her face, memorizing every detail. Addison reached up for her, but the ropes around her wrists got in the way. It snapped them both back to the moment.

"Here." A knife appeared in Sophie's hands and she made quick work of the rope. "Don's leading the team that's shooting," she explained as she cut the restraints. "Mike already slipped away, he knew it was coming, but he promised to come back so we can clean this up."

Addison was trying to follow, but there was too much noise, too much pain. She just nodded once Sophie had stopped talking.

"Okay," Addy said. "But Axel—"

The plastic barrel beside them was flung backwards as bullets tore into it. Addison rolled sideways, pulling Sophie with her. "We need to go," Sophie told her.

Addison nodded, hauled herself to her feet, but... Axel was across the dock, still pinned down, trying to get away.

Sophie followed Addy's gaze. "No. We're arresting them. That's enough."

Addison brought her hands to Sophie's waist. "We both know it's not."

She grabbed Sophie's gun from its holster and took off across the dock. Her team immediately stopped firing, worried they'd hit her on accident. Axel's men took it as an opportunity to make a break for it. But Addy trusted Don's instincts; she knew they'd have set a perimeter ahead of time. Those men were as good as arrested.

"Hey!" she screamed after Axel, the last of them to ditch the wooden crates. She fired a shot and he ducked back behind them.

When she rounded the corner, Axel was standing there, waiting for her. The crates were piled high around them; neither could see the main dock, and no one could see them.

Axel raised his hands, trying for a cool, calculated smile. "Chief Spencer," he called. "Back for more already?"

Addison raised the gun and fired. Axel dropped with a scream, hand clutching his right knee. Addy strode forward, gun trained on him. He scrambled for his own but Addison caught his hand and kicked the weapon away.

Addison knelt before him. "Do you know who I am?" she said.

Axel nodded furiously. "Of course. Addison Spencer, the greatest chief of police—"

"Do you know who my brother was?" she interrupted.

Axel froze. "Brother?"

"You don't even remember." Addison leaned forward, one hand pressing on his knee.

"Yes!" Axel cried out. "Of course I remember—"

"His name," Addison demanded. "Say his name."

Axel remained silent, mouth gaping open.