Big Bait

“Something off, Lacey?” Bart said in a low-level voice you could just barely hear.

Lacey frowns. “Probable 538d. I’ll stay alert on one. Keep those big, beautiful eyes of yours open for more of them too,” she jokes as she pockets the flash drive and helps the paramedic bandage Jesse before they walk out.

The lieutenant chuckles nervously. “Talk like that could get you disciplined,” he replies and saunters near the door.

John returns from the restrooms and looks around. He sees the book you left on the corner of the counter and cannot suppress a grin for a moment. He walks to it.

You eye the situation. Lacey is tagging and bagging some of the casings, but has an eye on John. Bart seems to lingering at the door. Swallowing, you walk behind John.

John takes a pencil from his pocket, inhales deep, and uses the pencil to flip the book open. And blinks.

He reads your AP Calculus notes and in large, bold letters:

PUT YOUR GUN ON THE TABLE.

With the counter and coffee machinery obscuring you from the officers, your slightly trembling hand pulls the derringer from the small of your back and press it against John's.

"I hope my penmanship is clear enough, Dalia," you remark quietly, trying to sound cool though you think your voice may have cracked.

"Cute. And if I don't? Are you going to have a shoot out with the police? Or we're you planning to enslave them with the Rulebook?" Dalia says.

You derringer is feeling slippery in your sweaty palms so you support it with your other hand. Both Lacey and Bart seem to notice John was acting odd; Lacey puts a hand on her Glock 22.

"I'm not the one who shot up a cafe and could have killed a dozen people. Just put your gun on the table," you command.

Sighing, Dalia takes out the gun and places it by the book.

"Eject the magazine."

Dalia does, but then allows the clip to fall out. The sound of the clip landing draws more attention from cops. Bart seems to hang back while Lacey is quick to come over.

"Give me the Diary, now!" you snarl and press the derringer harder against Dalia still disguised as John.

"Give you... hahaha. Kid, you don't even know how this game is played, do you? Kelpie is going to sacrifice you like a pawn," she chides.

"Corporal, are you..." Lacey begins, but stops when she sees Dalia. In a blink, Lacey has her sidearm drawn with the safety off. "Sir, please step away from him now!" she orders you authoritatively. She still must not see that you have your firearm out at this angle, but you're losing control.

John looks to Bart whom has also unholstered his gun. "Bart, we have to go to Plan B," John directs. Goddamn, you had forgot the driver, you think.

Bart glares daggers at John but then aims at Lacey. "Lacey, put down your firearm. We don't know whether John is our man."

"Kelpie: Wait Until Dark!" you shout loud enough for her to hear you through your phone.

Lacey glances at you confused and then back to her lieutenant. "What is Plan B, sir?" she asks and re-aims on him as swift as Annie Oakley.

"Leave no survivors," a feminine voice says in front of you. Blinking, you see John has produced a small piece of paper from his sleeve. Or at least where his sleeve had been. Dalia's form is now that of an athletic, pretty black-haired woman; who is nude.

Confused for a moment, Dalia uses the opportunity reverse elbow strike to your hand. Your grip on your derringer holds and causes you to fire an errant shot that hits Bart's left thight. Bart fires and just misses Lacey whose returning shot lodges behind his heart.

Then everything goes black. Except for you and Dalia.

"Is... is there a black out?!" a perplexed Lacey cries as she brings her hand in front face. Bart mouths something, but he is clearly not long for the world.

Dalia gives you a headbutt that stuns you backwards and your drop the derringer. "Having Kelpie suspend optics--not a bad play. Would have helped you a lot if Bart was more useful to me." Dalia aims the pistol at you. "But I see you."

"Is someone, ah!" Lacey says as she stumbles into Dalia. You dive and between that and Lacey's bumping, evade the round that Dalia had in the chamber.

"Fucking pig!" Dalia screams and strikes the blinded Lacey's temple with her gun. Your trembling hands are picking up the derringer, but Dalia is already scribbling on the piece of paper. "Later," she says, "if Kelpie doesn't kill you first."

You bring up your gun and fire a couple of heartbeats to late. Dalia vanishes without a trace.

"Are you okay? Did you get Dalia?" Kelpie asks through the speaker setting on your phone.

"No and no," you say and sigh. You walk to the still blinded and dazed Lacey.

"Well, meet me outside and we'll go to somewhere secure," she replies with resignation in her voice.

"Roger," you say as you consider Lacey's fate. You may have been killed if it wasn't for her and having a cop ally not listed in the books could be invaluable.

However, would she ally with you and Kelpie? She killed her superior officer out of self-defense for being a dirty cop, not because she was on your team.

Also, she is a witness with video footage of you and Kelpie. Letting her be could prove a costly mistake.