Holy Terror by Graham Masterton Read Free Book Online

Gabriel ducked to one side and snatched at Doris Fugazy’s arm. She gasped, and tried to twist away, but he swung her around and lifted her right up onto her feet. He clutched her tight in front of him, his left arm around her throat.
    Conor, off balance, made a wild attempt to snatch the Angel Gabriel’s gun, but the Angel Gabriel backed away as smartly as a dance instructor. ‘I don’t want to kill you, man. I admire what you did. I like you. But I’ll kill you if I have to. I’ll kill anybody if I have to.’
    Conor lifted both hands. ‘OK – OK. Stay cool. Just don’t hurt her, all right?’
    â€˜Put down your guns!’ Sergeant Wexler shouted atthe Angel Gabriel. ‘You’re not going anyplace!’
    â€˜You don’t think so? I’m prepared to shoot this lady’s face off right in front of you. You want to see that happen? You want to be responsible for that? You want to explain on TV news tonight why you allowed this lady to die?’
    The Angel Gabriel was so hyped up that he hadn’t noticed that the escalators had stopped. But Conor suddenly realized that they were silent and when he turned around he saw why. Two police snipers were kneeling on the metal treads, just below ceiling level. The narrow red laser beams from their high-powered rifles were already criss-crossing the perfume department floor.
    His hands still raised, Conor stepped back three or four paces, well away from their line of fire. He didn’t want to give the snipers any excuses. ‘How about some calm here?’ he suggested. ‘We can resolve this situation without anybody having to get hurt.’
    â€˜Sorry, O’Neil,’ said Sergeant Wexler. ‘You should know the tactical procedure better than anybody.
At all costs prevent a perpetrator from taking a hostage away from the scene of the alleged offense
.’
    â€˜I wrote that goddamned protocol and you know it.’
    â€˜Well, let’s see how it works in practice, shall we?’
    There was a glowing red spot of light hovering in the center of the Angel Gabriel’s forehead, like an Indian ruby. Conor said, very quietly, ‘They’re going to kill you,’ but the Angel Gabriel didn’t reply, and pressed the muzzle of his Uzi even harder against Doris’s head.
    â€˜Oh, God,’ sobbed Doris. Instantly – as if Doris’s words were the signal that they had been waiting for – the SWAT team fired, and there was a sharp crackle of high-powered rifle fire.
    Conor dived behind the Chanel counter. Darrell dropped almost on top of him, wheezing with fright. The perfume department echoed with wails and cries.
    Ray ducked his head. A high-velocity 7.62 mm bullet hit Salvatore just behind the left ear and burst out of his right cheek. He flung up one arm in what looked like a ridiculous ballet posture, and threw himself to the floor. Ray was finely spattered in blood and he stared down at his tunic, shocked. ‘Shit, man.’ Another rifle-bullet pinged off the marble pillar close beside him. He stumbled, turned and fired two heavy-caliber shots up toward the escalator. The bangs were ear-splitting.
    â€˜That’s it!’ shouted Sergeant Wexler. ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!’
    â€˜Stay back!’ The Angel Gabriel dropped to his knees, dragging Doris down with him. He lifted his Uzi over his head and fired a five-second burst into the ceiling. The chandelier shattered and sparkling glass and plaster came down like a blizzard. Conor shouted, ‘
Drop it! Throw it down
!’ but the Angel Gabriel grabbed Doris even more tightly around the neck and screamed out at Darrell, ‘We’re going for it! We’re going for it! Come on!’
    Darrell was crouched next to Conor with his eyes shut and his hands over his ears. The Angel Gabriel screamed at him again. ‘
Lardass! We’re going for it! Move
!’
    Furiously