Avenged by Janice Cantore Read Free Book Online Page B

twenty minutes before Sergeant Barrett released the afternoon guys from the scene and almost all of the graveyard units to their normal beats.
    Relieved they hadn’t had to go into full riot mode, Carly took her helmet off and ran a hand through her damp hair. Her feet hurt and her back was plastered with sweat. Musing that riot control was just about the most unpleasant physical task patrol officers were called on to perform, Carly chalked a plus in the detective column. In the event she did decide to change, a detective assignment would mean she’d never have to face a riotous crowd again.
    She and Joe stashed their riot gear in the trunk, and Carly was happy to return to the normalcy of patrol. But once theywere out of the marina and rolling through city streets, the atmosphere was heavier than it had been facing the mini riot.
    “Things are tense,” Carly said when they pulled up to a loud music call on Ninth Street, the fringe of Ninja turf. Guys were out in yards, on porches, glaring.
    The music was lowered as they made their way up the walk.
    A hostile man met them at the door. “Where were you all when my homeys were smoked?”
    This was the kind of contact that would never be positive, so both Joe and Carly said as little as possible and thanked him for turning the music down. He cursed them and slammed the door.
    “This neighborhood is a powder keg,” Carly observed as they got back into the car.
    When Joe just grunted, she cast a glance his way. “You’re awfully quiet tonight.”
    He yawned. “I didn’t get much sleep. A.J. has a cold.”
    “I thought you seemed distracted.” She pulled away from the curb as Joe punched in the call disposition on the computer.
    Settling into patrol mode, eyes roaming, she acknowledged how comfortable she felt with Joe. Did she really want a change in this relationship even if the work itself had become tedious?
    Trying not to think about the job in those terms, Carly concentrated on the world outside the patrol car. Traffic was moderate, and she watched each car passing the other way.
    A priority-one call went out in another beat, and suddenly fear for Nick bubbled up again. She worked hard to steady her thoughts and focused in on a green sedan, catching the driver’s eyes as they came even, then passed. She saw him clearly enough to see his lips register “Oh no” and a curse.
    “Joe!” She stomped on the brake and waited for traffic to clear so she could make a U-turn. “That’s Trey Porter; I know it. In the green sedan, and he’s splitting.”
    Joe didn’t question her observation. He grabbed the radio and informed dispatch that they were in pursuit as Carly clicked on lights and sirens, executing a U-turn with tires squealing. Trey Porter was the leader of the Ninth Street Ninjas. Carly and Joe both knew that not only was his license suspended, but he did not own a car.
    As Carly completed the turn, the green car disappeared around a corner. She punched it and rounded the corner as Joe calmly kept dispatch informed of their location. He relayed the car’s license plate and was quickly informed that it was 10-29 Victor, a stolen vehicle.
    After a couple more turns, they pulled to within a block of the car. Carly thanked God traffic was light here because Trey barely had control of the sedan. The taillights swerved and the rear end whipped across lanes of traffic.
    By now, two units were behind them, and the scream of sirens pumped up Carly’s adrenaline. Every cop she knew loved to chase stolen cars.
    “He’s gonna try to cross the rail tracks,” Joe said, raising his voice over the siren.
    Carly had figured that, but when Trey jerked left across the tracks where there was no crossing, she nearly lost her grip on the wheel. She followed, banging over the low curb, across the tracks, and over the next low curb.
    Sparks flashed from the green car as it bottomed out but continued speeding away. Then the passenger door flew open. Carly jerked the wheel