Tested by Fire by David Costa (the little red hen read aloud TXT) 📗

Mary had heard the two gunshots as she knelt beside April but with the echo of the sound in the city block, she didn’t know where they came from or what direction. She prayed that Joseph was all right.

The sirens were getting closer and Costello knew he needed to get away fast. He rounded the corner with his Browning held out. The woman kneeling over the body on the pavement looked familiar…even from behind.

Running forward, Costello grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. Jabbing the barrel of the gun into her neck he whispered, ‘I told you we would meet again, Mary.’

The pain travelled right through her body from her toes to the nerve endings in her scalp. She tried to turn against it then felt the gun against her throat. Mary recognised his voice and tried to keep calm, but the more she tried to pull away from his grip the harder he pulled her hair and pressed the gun into her flesh.

Two young girls backed away; their eyes wide with fear. When they thought they were far back enough, they ran. Costello started to pull Mary towards the car’s open door when a voice from behind made him turn.

‘Drop your weapon, Costello, and let her go,’ shouted Reece.

Costello turned slowly to face the man standing at the exit to the passageway. He could see the gun in his hand pointing directly at him. He could also see another man standing behind with what looked like a rifle pointing in his direction.

‘So, Mary. This is your Special Branch friend,’ said Costello. Mary struggled again to break free, but Costello pulled even tighter on her hair; the gun still hard against her neck.

‘Now, now, there’s a good girl, don’t hurry me. I’ll deal with you soon enough.’

‘Let her go, Costello. Put down the gun and we can end this peacefully,’ said Reece.

Costello started back towards the car using Mary as his shield.

‘I don’t think you understand, Mister Special Branch man. I remember you from across the interrogation table in Ireland. You know, like I do, how this is going to end. You’re going to let me and Mary here get into this nice car and we’re going to drive away, peacefully, as you say or it’s not going to end very well. Your choice. Mary and I are going for a little ride and you’re going to watch us go or she dies here.’

As he spoke, he moved closer to the car, taking a quick look behind him, he could see the keys in the ignition and April Grey’s blood across the dash and the windscreen.

‘I’m afraid I’m going to have to speak to your valet service about the mess but never mind, it’ll do for now, so we’ll be off.’

He used his foot to kick the body on the ground over and further away from the car.

‘Stop, Costello. You’re not going anywhere,’ shouted Reece once more. ‘For the last time, drop your weapon.’

Now, as Reece had been taught, he steadied his feet and his breathing and waited for the target to speak once more. Costello taking a breath to speak would be the signal he needed to ensure he didn’t miss.

‘No, you…’ Costello never finished the sentence Reece fired once… the bullet hitting the middle of Costello’s temple and blowing off the back of his head and spraying blood, bone, and brain matter out in a straight line behind him. The force of the round spinning him backwards, his grip on Mary lost, and the gun falling from his dead hand. His fall was broken partly by the boot of the BMW and he finally rolled to a stop in the road on his back. His eyes open, staring in surprise at the sky. Reece moved above him and put two more rounds into Costello’s chest. Make sure when they are down, they’re down for good, so went the training.

It was then that Reece heard Mary screaming above the noise of the arriving emergency service vehicles. She was on her knees looking at her hands with tears streaming down her face. He could see there was blood on her cheek and in her hair. He knelt beside her stroking his hand through her hair but he couldn’t find a wound…the blood belonged to April and Costello. She was still screaming when he pulled her close to him.

‘You’re all right, it’s over,’ he said.

Her screaming stopped and she buried her head into his shoulder sobbing. The paramedics quickly hooked April up to a drip and started working on her in the ambulance.

‘Can you go to the hospital with April?’ Reece asked looking into Mary’s tear-filled eyes. ‘I need to stay here and chase up the woman and I want you to get looked at as well, can you do that for me?’

Her voice was hoarse with all the screaming and she struggled to whisper, ‘OK, but come and find me, I need you.’

‘Call it in, Joe, get these two to the hospital, Steve and I will see if we can find Lyndsey. There was only one way it was going to end for this bastard, he knew it and he would have tried to take as many of us as he could before then.’

‘No argument from me, David, if you hadn’t shot him, I would have.’

Reece walked back to the car. Harrison had arrived at the same time as the ambulance and the armed police response teams. Reece was surprised to see ACC Lockwood.

‘Mister Reece, I’ve taken control of the scene and circulated the description of the woman who shot your friend here. You can get your people off the ground now and leave this to me.’

‘That’s OK by me, sir. Did we grab the other man at the Conference?’

It was Harrison who replied.

‘We have him, David,