DEATH PLAYBACK

CHAPTER 4: THE ESCAPE

They put Jaxon in the back of a squad car. Morrison was driving. Another cop, a kid named Miller Jaxon had never seen before, was in the passenger seat. Jaxon was cuffed in the back, hands behind his back, no seatbelt.

It was raining. Hard. The wipers went back and forth, back and forth, making a soft thwipping sound that was starting to give Jaxon a headache.

【Okay here's the plan: when we stop at the next red light, you kick the back window out, roll into traffic, and run like hell. It's foolproof!】

"That's a terrible plan," Jaxon mumbled.

【YOU GOT A BETTER ONE? "SIT HERE AND DO NOTHING" IS NOT A PLAN. THAT IS JUST GETTING MURDERED.】

Jaxon didn't answer. He was looking at Miller in the passenger seat. The kid was nervous. Kept checking his phone. Kept looking in the rearview mirror at Jaxon. Kept wiping his hands on his pants. Sweating.

Good. Scared people made mistakes.

They were driving down the highway, going 70. It was late. Almost no traffic.

Miller's phone rang. He jumped like he'd been electrocuted. He fumbled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Yeah? ...Yeah he's in the back... What? ...Right now? ...Okay."

He hung up and turned to Morrison. "They want us to take him to the warehouse on 32nd. Not the station. Said there's someone there who wants to talk to him first. Captain's orders."

Morrison frowned. "Who? That's not procedure. We book him at the station."

"I don't know," Miller said, voice shaking. "Said if I didn't do it I'd be fired."

Morrison hesitated for a second. Then he nodded and took the next exit.

Jaxon's blood ran cold. Captain's orders? But Morrison was the captain.

Oh s**t.

【OH MY GOD THEY'RE BOTH CORRUPT. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. ACTUALLY I CAN BELIEVE THIS. EVERYONE SUCKS. WE SHOULD HAVE BECOME A PLUMBER. PLUMBERS DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS SHIT.】

【NEW PLAN: JUMP OUT OF THE CAR RIGHT NOW. AT 70 MPH. WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?】

Jaxon was already working on the cuffs. He'd learned how to pick handcuffs when he was a kid, stupid s**t you learned growing up in and out of foster homes. It took him thirty seconds.

The cuffs clicked open. He was free.

Now what?

They pulled off the highway and onto a dark side street. The warehouse district. No lights. No people. No cameras. Perfect place to kill someone and dump the body.

Morrison pulled up in front of an old abandoned warehouse and turned off the engine. He turned to look at Jaxon in the back seat. His face was empty. No anger. No sadness. Just nothing.

"Sorry, kid," Morrison said. "Nothing personal. Just business."

Jaxon stared at him. "How long have you been working for her?"

Morrison blinked. "Who?"

"The blonde woman. The one who killed Carter. The one who told you to bring me here."

Morrison just shook his head and opened the door. "Get out."

Jaxon got out. The rain was cold. It soaked through his clothes in ten seconds. Miller was standing there with his hand on his gun. Morrison had his out too. Pointed right at Jaxon's chest.

They walked him towards the warehouse door.

The warehouse door opened from the inside. The blonde woman was standing there, smiling. She was still wearing the same gray business suit. She wasn't even wet.

"Jaxon," she said, voice smooth as honey. "So good to finally meet you. I've been waiting a long time for someone like you."

She stepped aside.

Behind her, tied to a chair, was Jaxon's ex-wife. And his daughter. Lily.

They were both alive. But they looked terrified. Lily saw Jaxon and started crying.

Jaxon froze.

【...okay. New plan. I got nothing. We are so f****d. So unbelievably fucked.】

The woman smiled. She reached out and ran a hand through Lily's hair. Lily flinched.

"Don't worry," the woman said, talking to Lily. "Nothing bad is going to happen to you. As long as your daddy does exactly what I say. Okay?"

Lily nodded, crying.

The woman looked back at Jaxon.

"Now," she said, still smiling. "Let's talk about that system you have in your head. I want it. And you're going to give it to me."

Morrison and Miller pushed Jaxon into the warehouse. The door slammed shut behind them.

The lock clicked.

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