DEADLY DILEMMA by Dan Stratman (story read aloud .txt) 📗

in his voice, Lance said, “Well, pumpkin, what’s your decision? Cut the power or take our chances with Pierce?”

Cyndi’s eyes opened wide. “What did you call me?”

“Pumpkin. Is there a problem?”

Her mother’s grating voice popped into Cyndi’s head. Don’t worry about me. You do what’s best for you.

She poked Lance in the chest. “Don’t ever call me pumpkin again.” Cyndi pushed herself away from the wall. “I’ve made my decision. Make a spare key. I’m moving in.” She embraced Lance and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. When they parted, she said, “Cut the power.”

Lance saluted. “Yes, ma’am, Captain ma’am.”

He picked up the ax.

Cyndi stood next to him as they faced the junction box.

As Lance lifted the ax over his head, he felt the cold steel of a gun barrel press against the back of his neck.

“Not so fast, lover boy.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

“Drop the ax, Garcia.”

Major Pierce had Cyndi’s neck in the grasp of his left hand and his Glock pressed up against Lance’s spinal column, right below the brain stem.

The ax fell to the catwalk with a loud clang.

“On your knees. Hands on your head,” he ordered.

Lance spread his feet and balled up his fists.

“Don’t even think about it,” Pierce said. He jammed the barrel into Lance’s neck even harder. “You’d be dead before either of us could blink.”

Lance raised his hands in surrender and knelt on the catwalk. He clasped his hands and rested them on top of his head.

Pierce shoved Cyndi away from Lance and pressed the gun against her temple. He spun her around and slammed her back against the wall. Rage mixed with a look of insanity burned in his eyes as he considered his next move.

Cyndi glowered at Pierce with an intensity she’d never felt before. Every fiber in her body burned with hatred for the man. She spat out the most crushing thing a Special Forces operator could ever hear. “You failed, Pierce!”

“Bullshit! I don’t lose. After I kill you and your pathetic boyfriend, I’m going to ride up the elevator and go back to the base. When I tell them I stopped you from launching the missile, I’ll be the hero who saved the world from Armageddon while you take the blame for this whole fiasco.”

“Hero? Don’t flatter yourself. You can lie to yourself all you want. We know the truth. You’re just a different variety of evil.”

Pierce ignored her stinging observation. “All the eligible guys out there in this big world, and a hot babe like you isn’t married?” he observed, nodding at her bare ring finger. “What’s the matter, some jerk break your tender heart, sweet cheeks? Or are you just afraid of commitment?”

His cruel comment hit Cyndi like a roundhouse kick to the gut. I’m not afraid to commit, Cyndi told herself. You have it all wrong. The number of fish in the sea is irrelevant. The few men out there who could measure up to my high standards are exceedingly rare, that’s all.

“Don’t call me sweet cheeks. I hate that name.” Cyndi spit in his face.

Pierce wiped away the spittle and sneered. “You’re a fighter. I like my women to have a little spunk. After I kill pretty boy over there, I’ll show you what a real man can do.”

Lance looked up at Pierce and cleared his throat. “Um…that’s probably a bad idea.”

“Shut up!” Pierce pointed his pistol at Lance’s head.

Lance raised his hands. “I’m just warning you; Cyndi gets very upset when men try to force themselves on her. You might want to reconsider.”

“Thanks for the advice, dead man. I’ll take it from here.”

“He’s right,” Cyndi rejoined. “You lay a hand on me, and I’ll teach you the hard way the manners your parents should have taught you.”

Cyndi had no idea the danger her words had just unleashed.

Painful memories jolted to the forefront of Pierce’s consciousness. Growing up an orphan had left deep scars on his psyche that would never heal. His rage boiled over. Pierce abandoned the calculating and careful tactics he normally used when dispatching his targets.

Keeping his pistol aimed at Cyndi, Pierce kicked Lance in the ribs, sending him sprawling out on the grate. He grabbed Cyndi by the throat.

She slammed her left knee into his groin.

Pierce barely reacted to the normally debilitating strike.

Cyndi didn’t know that operators wore cups when going into battle.

He raised his gun, preparing to crush Cyndi’s skull with the downward blow.

Before he could strike her, she head-butted Pierce. A sickening cracking sound told Cyndi she’d broken his nose.

Blood gushed down his face. Tears flooded his eyes as Pierce stumbled backward.

Cyndi took advantage of his momentum. She launched herself forward from the wall, jumped up, drew back her knee, and with every ounce of strength she had, slammed the soul of her boot into the center of Pierce’s chest.

The strike catapulted Pierce backward into the catwalk railing. When he hit it, he flipped over the metal railing and tumbled into the flame pit.

Cyndi bent over and rested her hands on her knees. “Damn, that hurt,” she said, wincing in pain. She closed her eyes and gently rubbed her bruised forehead. With no time to waste trying to sooth her self-inflicted headache, Cyndi went over to Lance and helped him to his feet. “Come on; we need to go. Can you swing the ax?”

Lance lightly patted his side, assessing the damage done by Pierce. Searing pain shot through his rib cage. “I don’t think so. He broke a few ribs.” Lance looked around. “Where is Pierce?”

Cyndi pointed toward the flame pit.

Lance went over to the railing and peered into the pit. Pierce was sprawled out on the concrete. He snickered and said, “I warned you.” He went back to the junction box and tried to lift the ax. Lance groaned in pain as the ax slipped from his grip.

“I got this.” The fight with Pierce had sent Cyndi’s adrenal glands into overdrive. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, giving her superhuman strength. She grabbed the ax, gave Lance a peck on