Chapter 1: In the Line of Fire
"Stay down, Maura!"
The words came quickly from Jane as she kept a firm hand on Maura's left shoulder, pushing so hard there was no way Maura could raise up even if she tried. The bullets were whizzing just inches above their heads and bouncing off the concrete wall behind them. Jane's squad car was also bearing the brunt of the gunfire; bullet holes riddled the driver's side and windshield.
Just a few minutes earlier, Jane and Maura had found themselves trapped in the parking garage of the BPD after news of the shootout came crackling over the police radio. They were given strict orders not to leave their car because five gang members who were at the station had escaped custody and were heading toward a getaway van parked in front of the police station; however, the escape attempt was foiled and they ran for cover in the garage, still firing their weapons. Two of the gang's members had been shot and were lying on the ground in front of the entrance to the garage, but the three remaining holdouts were hiding behind parked cars plotting their next move. When they overheard Jane's cell phone ringing from inside her car, they knew they were not alone and would soon be found. The three men started firing in the direction of the phone and immediately Jane pushed Maura out the passenger door of the car and followed behind her from the driver's seat, holding her down while glass shattered and gunfire rained on their makeshift barricade.
Jane brought her gun up from the holster and started firing back to hold off the advance of the gunmen, but to her horror, she realized she had left her back-up magazine full of ammo in her desk drawer and probably didn't have many rounds left in her gun. She popped out the clip and tried to count the bullets- there were only nine left.
"Dammit" she muttered, quietly cursing herself for being so forgetful.
She knew she couldn't hold off the three gunmen much longer with nine bullets, and she also knew that with all the damaged that had been inflicted on her car the police radio was probably toast. She reached to her hip and pulled out her phone, sending Korsak a "Mayday" text. She just hoped he got the message in time….
With a steady hand on her back, Jane tried to reassure Maura that Korsak knew where they were and that the SWAT team would be there soon, but she still felt like she owed it to Maura to tell her that they were in a dire situation at the moment.
"Maura, listen to me. I only have nine rounds left. I'm gonna keep firing at these SOB's to keep them back until the SWAT team gets here. But once I'm out of ammo… well, I don't know what will happen, okay?"
Fear was in Maura's eyes, but she bravely nodded and managed to say a weak "Okay" before Jane turned around, raised her gun and started firing.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Jane now had six rounds left.
As she quickly moved back down behind the safety of the car, two more rounds were fired off at her from behind an SUV parked one row over.
The bullets were getting closer.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Jane only had three bullets now. Three lousy bullets.
Jane looked up from her gun, only to see Maura studying her face. Maura could tell by Jane's eyes that things were getting worse by the second. Jane laid her hand on Maura's shoulder and with all the calm she could muster, she softly said, "Maura, Korsak and the guys will be here any second. We're going to be okay. But, if things go wrong…. there is something I want you to know."
With that last word, Jane didn't hesitate. She leaned over and kissed Maura full on the lips. Not for a long time, only a couple of seconds, and then drew away. She turned and quickly raised her gun up over the hood.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Three, two, one.
All gone.
Just as the last shot left Jane's gun, the sound of loud voices yelling "Freeze!" and deafening eruptions of semiautomatic weapons filled the garage. The Cavalry had made it, and not a moment too soon. Jane turned back around to breathe a sigh of relief, and saw Maura still staring at her with a surprised look on her face, with her mouth slightly open forming an imaginary kiss. "Maura, we're okay- we're safe now! They made it just in time!" Jane hugged her friend and helped her stand to her feet. Maura wasn't sure if she could walk on her own- the last 15 minutes of her life had been more than intense, and the adrenaline still pumping through her body was now making her shake all over. Things seemed to be moving in slow motion now, but she recognized Jane's voice booming out over the other noises, "Korsak, I don't think I've ever been happier to see you." As some of the SWAT team ushered Maura to the stairwell where the paramedics were waiting to give her a once over, Jane looked back at her across the garage and smiled. At that moment, the full impact of the situation suddenly hit Jane like a kick to the stomach.
And all she could think was Oh, crap~ I just kissed my best friend on the lips.