Running Hot - Jacob long (classic book list txt) 📗

then.
“Oh, they’re here to see if we caught the guy who killed our assistant district attorney,” Hutchison answered.
“…Did you?”
The officer didn’t answer.
Hutchison pulled up right in front of the group and got out. He walked around to the back of the car and opened Reed’s door. Reed didn’t get out, though.
“Come on, kid!” Hutchison yelled over the clamor.
Reed shook his head. “I don’t want to go out there with all those cameras.”
“Get out here!” Hutchison yelled; grabbing Reed by the arm and yanking him out of the car.
He pinned Reed’s arm behind his back and began pushing him up the stairs!
“Hey! What are you doing? What is this? Let me go!” Reed shouted.
The cameras started flashing in rapid succession and the noise in the area rose drastically.
Through all of the clamor Reed heard a reporter ask, “Why did you kill the Assistant D.A.?”
“What?” Reed shrieked in disbelief.
Hutchison proceeded to shove Reed up the stairs, and soon the front door was shut behind them.
“I didn’t kill anybody!” Reed shouted.
“Alright kid, don’t make this harder on yourself,” Hutchison said as some lawyers passed by.
He led Reed down the halls until finally they were at the holding cells.
Hutchison said, “Open cell 6,” to the man in the security booth at the front door to the cell block.
The man pushed a button in front of him and the security door that led to the cells buzzed and drew itself open. Hutchison pushed Reed down the hall.
A woman was waiting silently in the cell next to the one that was to be Reed’s. She was petite with wavy, golden hair. She was wearing a pink, silk robe and her hair was a little messy as if she just woke up. She appeared to be absent-mindedly staring at her fuzzy slippers.
The cop shoved Reed into his holding cell. Reed had to make a real effort not to come bouncing off the back wall and slug the cop for this outrage. He simply turned and gave Hutchison a cold stare.
Hutchison tipped his head over to his shoulder radio and said, “Close Cell 6.”
The cell slid shut immediately; and Hutchison stabbed a finger at Reed. “Sit down and keep your mouth shut!” He walked back down the hall and Reed heard the security door close.
Reed let out a big sigh and moseyed around the cell for a couple seconds; thinking of ways to get out of this. He sat down on the cot and looked across at the beautiful woman in the next cell. She didn’t appear to notice him.
“So what are you in for?” Reed asked casually.
The prisoner in cell 7 didn’t answer; she just kept staring at the cement floor.
Suddenly Reed felt a powerful sensation. It was so sudden that his eyes widened and he sat bolt upright. The woman noticed the sudden motion and her head snapped over to look at him.
“Is everything alright?” she asked.
“No, it’s just…I kind of have to go to the bathroom really bad,” Reed smiled.
She smiled too. “And you don’t wanna do it in front of me.”
“No, I was just questioning its prudence,” Reed said.
“It’s fine; I won’t look.” the prisoner in cell 7 turned away slightly.
“Right.” Reed turned to the toilet and unzipped his pants. In moments the distinct echo of a liquid hitting liquid filled the hall.
The prisoner in cell 7 wasn’t a perfect lady; she turned her head and snuck a coy peek at Reed. He was turned away but she still smiled; more at her own lack of self control than what she saw as she turned her head back.
Reed finished and zipped up his pants. He flushed the toilet and walked over to the partition that separated him from her; leaning an arm up against the bars. The woman turned back toward him; the smile not completely gone.
“So what did you do?” Reed asked again.
Her smile faded, completely this time. “Nothing,” she said; hanging her head.
“Yeah, okay,” Reed muttered.
To the prisoner in cell 7 it didn’t appear as if he believed her. She didn’t know his circumstance. “Really! Okay; so what are you here for?”
Reed scoffed. “I really didn’t do anything. I was walking into town when that cop offered me a ride; next thing I know I’m accused of killing an assistant district attorney!”
The woman’s face changed from despair to shock. “Oh my god.”
“I didn’t kill him,” Reed put in.
“No; I know! That’s why I’m here!” she hissed.
“You killed him?”
“No, the cops killed him!” she exploded, suddenly passionate and erratic. “My husband was working on a case involving police corruption in the second precinct. He found evidence that some of the cops in the precinct were planning a big money making racket so they could quit the force; and sure enough, four police men have taken early retirements in the last month! David almost had everything in order when someone snuck into our house last night and stabbed him to death! They set his desk with all of his evidence on fire with him on it; hoping to cover up the fact that it was a murder, but they didn’t have the coroner on their payroll and he noticed immediately that David had been stabbed. So now their plan is to fabricate some evidence that would indicate my entirely made up boyfriend and I conspired to kill him so we could be together. They also found someone to play that role.”
Reed tensed up…it was him. He thought for a little while then asked, “But…how do you know all of that?”
The prisoner in cell 7 rubbed her eyes. “After I gave my account of what happened and the coroner had given us the news of the knife wounds, I was sitting outside my home and overheard two of them talking about it. Eventually they noticed me. I ran to my car and got out of there as fast as I could.”
“That was you the cops were chasing! You were in the Oldsmobile!” Reed interjected.
Her face brightened, “Yeah, and you were talking on your phone on the side of the road! I saw you!”
Reed smiled and stretched his hand between the bars; having found common ground. “I’m Reed Newton.”
She took his hand in hers. Reed was immediately taken with how soft it was. It made him feel self-conscious about how his rough and calloused hands must have felt on her hand.
She simply smiled her warm smile and said, “Laurel.”
‘Laurel’ Reed repeated the name in his mind. It was a beautiful name in an old-fashioned kind of way; and Reed liked that.

3)
“Do yourself a favor; don’t scream.”

After a long while of silence, Laurel sniffled and choked out the words, “Well, I guess this is the end for us, isn’t it?”
“Not for me,” Reed said flatly; reaching under his jacket and pulling out his nine millimeter semi-automatic pistol. He ejected the clip and peeked inside; it was full with ten bullets worth of pure escape potential.
Laurel looked over at what he was doing. “Where did you get that?” she hissed.
Reed shoved the magazine back into place; glanced at her; looked back at the gun and said, “Cop didn’t bother to frisk me; and if he had he’d have a real reason to keep me in here.”
“What? Is it illegal?” Laurel asked.
Reed gave her another cool glance, “If by illegal you mean without registration in the New Jersey court system, then the answer is yes; but if you mean illegal as in I don’t have a permit to carry, then the answer is actually also yes.”
“So why do you have it?” she just couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that this nice guy she was framed up with was, in fact, a career criminal.
Reed simply said, “Condom,” and slipped the firearm back into its resting place tucked into the back of his belt.
Laurel’s face contorted into one of utter confusion. “Condom?” she repeated.
Suddenly there was the sound of the security door at the end of the hall buzzing open and the furious, repetitive thudding of men in boots filing down the hall. Reed could see them now; three police men. Hutchison was with them. The other two Reed didn’t know. The one at the head of the group was clean-shaven with moderately long brown hair and a light build. Reed glimpsed his name tag on the way by; it read “Davis.” The other cop, walking alongside Hutchison, was stone-faced and had very short, jet black hair and a thick black mustache. His aviator sunglasses made him look like a motorcycle cop. The light reflected off his name tag at just the right angle so that Reed only saw what he believed to be an “h.”
Suddenly the door on Laurel’s cell slid open and the group stopped just outside it, “You’re coming with us,” Hutchison said to her.
Laurel pressed herself up against the back wall. “Where?” she asked.
Hutchison smiled. “Well, because the assistant D.A. worked for the city, it’s been deemed a conflict of interest; so your case is being moved to Atlantic City.”
“Thus severing all connections you have with the case,” Reed put in.
“No one was talking to you boy!” the motorcycle cop yelled.
“That was fast. So what do you plan on doing about him?” Laurel asked; indicating Reed.
“We’ll take care of your boyfriend later,” Davis said.
“I’m not going,” Laurel said; hoping it sounded brave.
Hutchison got red-faced and stomped into the cell; growling out the words, “Oh yes, you are!” He grabbed Laurel by the arm and pulled her out of the cell. His grip caused Laurel to cry out in pain. Davis snapped cuffs on her and they proceeded to drag her down the hall.
“Reed!” she called.
Reed got angry. He grabbed the bars of his cell and shook them, “Don’t take her! You fucking cops! I’ll kill you for this!”
The motorcycle cop pulled out his pepper spray and sprayed it directly into Reed’s eyes. Reed recoiled and fell up against the back wall; his eyes watering. The pain was excruciating.
Hutchison and Davis looked back to see what was going on.
“Go on; you guys. I’ll take care of him,” the motorcycle cop said.
The two continued out the door, and cell 7 shut soon after.
“I don’t think you know what’s about to happen to you, boy,” the cop started. “I’m gonna shoot you in there; and then plant a gun on you and tell everyone it was self defense. But you piss me off anymore, and I’ll beat you down all day long. Don’t make this harder on yourself.”
“I already have a gun,” Reed muttered.
“What’s that?”
Suddenly Reed lunged at the cop; shoving one of his hands through the bars and wrapping it around the cop’s head, pinning him to the cell. He then pulled his gun out and jammed it into the cop’s ribs.
“I already have a gun,” Reed growled, “Do yourself a favor; don’t scream.”
“Why would I?” the motorcycle cop asked. “For all I know you could be threatening me with a highlighter!”
Reed shoved the gun up between their faces and said, “Look like a gun to you, chump?” through his teeth.
Reed moved the gun back to the cop’s ribs. “Now are you going to cooperate?”
The cop was silent for a minute; considering his options, “…What do you want?”
Reed let him go and backed into the cell; gun still trained on the officer. “Tell the guy to open the cell.”
Reed’s vision was clearing and he could see the officer’s name plate now. It read; “Smith.”
Smith