Free Untainted: (Crime Romance: The Photographer Trilogy #3) by Sarah Robinson Page B

bringing the knife up to Kate’s throat and pressing the tip against her skin.
    “Or so help me, I will shoot you right here and now.” Her jaw clenched tightly.
    “And risk hitting our little Kate? I don’t think so, Detective.” He waived a finger at her, still holding the knife.
    “This isn’t a game, Frank. It’s over. My team is outside. The entire building is surrounded. You’re not leaving here in any other way except the back of a squad car.”
    “Surrounded, huh? But they sent you in by yourself? Bullshit.” He called her bluff.
    “You’re a smart man, Frank. You know I wouldn’t come here alone or without backup.” She continued pushing the ruse, hoping he would buy it.
    Frank eyed her skeptically, pushing the point of his knife a little harder against Kate’s skin as she yelped in pain, continuing to struggle against him.
    “Shit.” He mumbled under his breath, then dropped the knife to the ground with a loud thud.
    He pushed Kate roughly back toward where Annie was still cowering against the wall, then raised his hands, resting them on his head in surrender.
    Detective Snow kept him at gunpoint as she approached slowly, one hand reaching behind her for her cuffs that are attached to her belt. Kate rushed around them both, back to Derrick and gently feeling his neck, hoping for a pulse.
    Snow circled Frank carefully and yanked his arms down, twisting them behind his back. She holstered her gun and carefully pinned his wrists in her hands as she began to put the handcuffs on.
    “There’s a pulse!” Kate shouted out.
    “What?” Snow looked at her for a moment and Annie grinned, rushing over to her sister to see if Derrick is okay.
    Seeing a moment of opportunity, Frank threw his head backward and smashed it into directly Detective Snow’s face.
    There was a loud crunching sound as her nose collapsed under the impact and she screamed in pain. Having not fully finished tying his restraints, he easily shook them off and spun around to face the bleeding detective as she clutched her face in agony. In one swift move, he grabbed Snow’s gun from her holster and raised it to her face.
    “No!” Snow yelled in a muffled voice as her hands still covered her nose.
    She took several fast steps backward until she hit the wall, terror in her eyes as she stared down the barrel of her own gun.
    “Liz!” Kate screamed and jumped up, taking a step toward them.
    And again, time stopped.
    Everyone froze and ran at the same time.
    Panicked and stilled in the same moment.
    Silence and screams fighting for attention.
    Everything changed before Kate could take another breath.
     
    Just as Detective Liz Snow’s back hit the stable wall, Frank’s finger pulled the trigger and a wicked grin spread over his face as she crumpled before him. A look of shock frozen in place as blood slowly began to create a larger and larger stain on her stomach, following her as she slid down the wall. Both sisters screamed, but Kate bolted forward in some misguided attempt to stop him.
    His smile spread even wider as Frank turned to see Kate barreling toward him, fury in her expression. With a frightening level of ease, he lifted the gun again and aimed it right at her.
    She jerked to a stop at the sight, but it was too late. Her ears began ringing with the loud explosion from the end of the gun and Kate closed her eyes.
    He had shot her.
    He had been right.
    She was going to die today.
     
    But she didn’t feel any pain, not the slightest twinge. Opening her eyes, Kate blinked as she looked down and realized there was no gunshot wound, no blood, nothing. She was fine.
    Looking up at Frank, she didn’t see him. Instead, she was looking directly at the back of Annie’s head, her light brown, straight hair flowing all the way down to the middle of her back. Annie dipped, her knees giving out in front of her sister as Kate watched her stagger, stumbling down.
    “Annie?” Kate’s hoarse voice croaked out, her eyes