Karen Rose - Count to Ten

His mouth flattened to a line. "And she told. I wish I'd killed the bitch myself."

"No. She lied. But not well and that made us suspicious. We found your stash the old-fashioned way, Kates. Good detective work and a search warrant. Jeremy said nothing. Let him go." Kates stood still as stone. "He's only seven. He's innocent." She took a chance and prayed. "Like Shane was before your aunt's husband."

The hand that held the knife tightened on the hilt. "Don't say his name." Kates's chin came up, eyes narrowing. "I don't recall seeing a single sweater like that in your closet. I only remember those clingy shirts that you wear to show off your breasts because you're a tease. You're wearing a vest. Take off the sweater, Detective. Now."

"Mia, keep the vest on," Spinnelli said with urgency, but Kates lifted his knife to the underside of Jeremy's chin and sliced, just deep enough to draw blood. Then the knife went back to the boy's throat.

"Take off the sweater or the boy dies right in front of your eyes."

"Mia." Spinnelli's voice held a thread of panic. "Don't."

Tears were welling in Jeremy's eyes. But he never wavered. Never whimpered. Kates's brows lifted. "I cut Thompson's head nearly off his body. Jeremy is so much… smaller. You want that on your conscience, Mitchell?" He pulled Jeremy's head back and the steely look of determination in his eyes left Mia with absolutely no doubt he'd make good on his threat.

"All right."

"Mia!" Spinnelli barked it. Mentally she tuned him out. The camera was buried in the sweater's fibers below her left shoulder. If she could drape the sweater on the counter so the camera pointed out, Spinnelli would still have a clear view. Carefully she pulled the sweater over her head and put it on the counter. And prayed.

Kates's lips curved. "Now the vest."

"Goddammit, Mia. Do not take off that vest. That's an order."

Her fingers were steady as she pulled at the Velcro. "You protected Shane, Andrew. You sacrificed yourself to Tyler Young to keep him safe." She was pulling at the Kevlar vest slowly, strip by Velcro strip, hoping to make headway before she was completely at his mercy.

"I told you not to say his name." He straightened abruptly and Jeremy sucked in a breath as he stood on his toes.

Mia wanted to beg, but kept her voice calm. "I'm sorry. I know it hurt you to lose him. I know you've been paying back that hurt all week." Her fingers had paused on one of the last remaining Velcro strips. Kates's eyes were fixed on hers. She was getting through. "But I also know that it all started when Jeff and Manny hurt Thad."

Anger flashed in Kates's eyes. "You don't know shit." He clenched his teeth. " Take off the damn vest . Now, before this kid's blood runs like a river."

Damn . Her fingers pulled at the last strip. The vest hung loosely on her body now. "I know more than you think I do, Andrew. I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of the same sacrifice you made for your brother. My sister did the same for me."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not. My father molested my sister and she didn't fight back so that I could have a normal life. I live daily with the guilt that I didn't protect her . So I understand more than you think, Andrew. You don't want to hurt this child. Your beef is with me. All along you've punished the people who've hurt you." Except for his mistakes, but she'd keep him focused. "You've never hurt a child before. Don't start now."

He stood, uncertain. Sensing victory, she pressed.

"Your beef is with me, Andrew," she repeated. "I'm the one who found your real name, found you. I'm the one who took your stuff. I'm the one who's trying to stop you. Not the boy. Let him go. Take me instead."

At the top of the basement stairs, on the other side of the door, Reed listened. His heart sank, even though it was what he'd expected her to do from the moment he'd heard the words "Put down the knife, Detective." He'd had his hand on the doorknob, ready to run to her aid when he heard Kates threaten the boy with his knife. Reed had stood, his own weapon in his hand, waiting for the right moment. She'd get him to release the child, of that Reed had no doubt. At what cost to herself, he didn't want to consider. Kates had been silent a long time, then he spoke. "I could kill you both."

Mia considered Andrew Kates carefully, made herself logically process all that she'd learned over the last week. "You could. But I don't think you will." He was a man who for ten years buried the fact that he'd killed his own brother. He would readily accept what he found more palatable than the truth. "You spared Joe Dougherty a painful death. You spared the animals. You've punished those who deserved your anger. Penny Hill and Tyler Young deserved your anger, Andrew, but Jeremy does not."

She took another tack. "If you kill this child, I'll fight and kill you myself. None of the women you killed this week are trained like I am. You read the article in the paper. I took down a man twice your size all by myself a week ago today. You may kill me, but you won't walk away, either. I promise you that. Let him go and I won't fight you."

"I don't believe you. It's a trick."

"It's not a trick. It's a promise." She lifted a brow. "Call it paying my debt to my sister. Surely you can understand that."

For what seemed like an eternity he stood thinking. "You take off the vest all the way and I'll let the kid go."

Mia peeled the vest from her body, down her arms. She shivered, only a thin T-shirt covering her upper half. "I kept my end. It's your turn."

In one motion he withdrew the knife from Jeremy's neck and pulled a.38 revolver from his back waistband. Mia jerked her eyes from his new weapon to Jeremy who stood shaking. "Go, Jeremy," she said urgently. "Now." Jeremy looked at her, his eyes miserable and her heart cracked in two. "Go, honey. It'll be all right. I promise."

Kates gave the boy a hard shove. "She said go." Jeremy ran.

The front door opened, then slammed.

"We've got the boy, Mia," Spinnelli said in her ear. "Get him to the window."

Mia glanced at her mother, still tied to the chair by the stove. "Let her go, too."

Kates smiled. "She wasn't part of the deal. Besides, she's rude."

"You can't kill a woman because she's rude," Mia snapped. "For God's sake."

"You obviously haven't found Tania Sladerman from the hotel yet. Your mother stays. If you welsh, she's dead. If anything goes wrong, she's my ticket out of here."

"Living room, Mia," Spinnelli hissed. " Now ."

Mia started toward Kates, trying to lead him to the window. "So let's get started."

Kates waved his gun. "Sit down. We'll do this my way. Cuff yourself. Both wrists."

She can't do that, Reed thought. She won't. The boy was safe. Now she'd make her move. He cracked open the door. It opened into a walk-in pantry. An open door led to the kitchen. He crept to the door and peered around. Annabelle Mitchell sat with her back to the stove, tied and gagged. Kates stood between the chair and the stove, a pipe wrench in his right hand, a knife in his left, the blade pressed against Annabelle's throat. Her eyes widened when she saw him and he shook his head.

His own eyes widened when he saw the.38 on the stove top. Somewhere along the way Kates had upgraded from the.22 he'd taken from Donna Dougherty's nightstand.

Reed shifted, bringing Mia into view. She sat in a chair, wide-kneed, leaning forward. "I'm wondering just one thing, Kates." Her hands were between her knees, fumbling with her cuffs. Stalling. Good girl . Her backup piece was inside her boot. He should know. He'd taken it off her several times now. She was waiting for the opportunity to get to it.

"Just one?" Kates asked sarcastically. "Hurry up with the cuffs," he added impatiently. "Or the old lady goes."