Chapter 16

Without uttering a word, and the sound of gunfire ringing outside, Jane continued silently down the hallway of the vacant shoe store. When she reached the end the hall to her right looked like an inventory area with old pallets and abandon shoe boxes. To her left was a kitchen or break area. The ratty old yellow linoleum caught her attention followed by a back door that looked more like a residential door than a commercial door. It had six panes of glass. Jane put her back to the end of the hallway and that's when she saw it – a door directly across from the back door.

"Now's your chances for freedom; for fame," Harris whispered to Maura. He placed her in front of the stairs and stepped back into the shadows. "Yell Jane's name," he coached.

He held his breath for a moment and watched with anticipation as Maura took a deep breath and yelled.

"Jane!"

Maura watched as the door flew open and Jane appeared at the top of the stairs, gun drawn. Quickly, she pulled the firearm away from her best friend and began to race down the stairs. Maura moved from her position at the bottom of the stairs to give Jane access.

"Oh god, Maura," Jane said as she took the stairs as quick as she could.

She was three steps from the bottom when her foot got caught on something and she tumbled face first down the remaining steps. As a result, she lost her Glock. She watched as it slid across the floor, landing at Maura's feet.

Jane looked down at her shoes to see she had fishing line wrapped up on her feet. As she moved into a kneeling position, she saw Maura holding her gun, pointing it toward her. Jane reached her hand out to Maura.

Behind the medical examiner, from the shadows, Harris took two steps forward.

"Now's your chance," he coaxed her. "Shoot her in the stomach."

Jane's eyes went wide as she watched Maura cup the bottom of the weapon with her other hand.

"Push and pull – the same amount of force. Right, Jane?" Maura asked in an almost robotic, nearly sleepy tone.

Jane's eyes widened even more.

"Maura don't do this," Jane begged. "Just-Just hand me the gun, okay?"

Jane's look of worry took on a curious express for a split second.

The next sound was Jane's Glock19 ringing through the basement.

In an instant, Jane fell to the ground, holding her stomach.

"Son of a bitch!" the detective cried out sounding as if she was in deep pain.

By now, Korsak's team had arrived and the shoe store was surrounded on nearly all sides. With round after round, Conte sprayed fire around the perimeter, keeping the police line at bay – they were unable to move in closer to the location.

"Where's Jane?" Korsak asked Boris. The pair, along with Frankie, were behind the bullet riddled vehicle. The sergeant couldn't help but notice the make-shift tourniquet on Boris' leg.

"Inside," he replied. "I tried to follow her in, but I got hit."

"Jane's in there alone?!" Frankie asked to which Boris nodded.

Down in the basement, Maura stood pointing Jane's own gun at her.

"Magazine capacity: 15," she said softly. Her facial expression seemed blank. Almost zombie-like. "Trigger pull: 2.5 kilograms; line of sight: 153 millimeters," she said as she moved a step closer to Jane with the gun still pointed at the detective.

"Finish her slowly," Harris told Maura. He was still standing behind her, but he had a great view of everything unfolding. "Shoot her in the stomach again so she bleeds to death slowly, like Hoyte had to die. Make her feel the same pain...to the last penny."

The gun shook slightly in Maura's grasp.

"I'm never going to be the same after this, am I?" Maura asked Jane, feeling a bit teary, the robotic quality of her voice gone.

Jane raised her hand and motioned Maura.

"Toss me the gun," she pled from the depths of her soul. "You don't have to do this," she insisted.

"I do," Maura replied, "It's the only way."

Outside, Korsak had seen enough. "Dean?" he said into his walkie-talkie.

"Yeah, Sergeant?"

"You need to be my bait," he told the agent. "Keep moving to your left and don't stop. He'll have to rise up to take his shot at you, but I'm taking mine first. Get moving on three – one, two, three."

Dean took a deep breath and then started moving behind the parked cars traveling down the street. All the while, Korsak lay in wait behind the trunk of the car with his Glock pointed above. From the corner of his eye he could see Dean moving but his eyes never left the rooftop. He stood up as Dean moved farther down the sidewalk.

Suddenly, the opportunity he needed was there.

Conte shifted for just a second and that's all the time Korsak needed. He squeezed off a single round and watched as Conte's head slammed to the side and then slumped.

Down in the cellar, Maura started to raise the gun again on her best friend and Jane made a last ditch plea.

"I love you and-and-and I don't want this on your shoulders, Maur. Please, give me the gun."

"Do it!" Harris orders. "Make her bleed!"

Maura looked directly into Jane's eyes.

"I know what I have to do," she told her firmly. "And I see it now – the candy, the card...Ruth. The numbers are from the book of Ruth. I don't remember much from it, but there's one verse I do remember. It's rather beautiful. It's one message you didn't make me send, Joe... But it's one I can send as I stand here now...Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you. Where YOU go, I will go; Where YOU lodge, I will lodge... your people shall be MY people... and your God my God."

"That's right!" Harris tells her. "I'm your people. I'm..."

"Nothing to me."

After Maura said the words, she swiftly turned toward Harris, gun at the ready. That's when he noticed something...Rizzoli wasn't bleeding. She was never shot. Isle fired away from her so that meant...

His eyes widen only for a brief second. He took two steps toward her in an attempt to rush her, but that wasn't about to happen.

Maura unloaded three shots, hitting him square in his chest, which took him to the ground within seconds. As he struggled to breathe, Maura walked toward him and then leaned over him.

"Ruth. Chapter 1; Verse 16," she told him. "Her people are my people and your hypnosis only functions on those who are willing... you're a sick, dime store excuse of a psychopath...and you will not harm my people again."

Harris looked as if he might speak, but the words never came. His lifeless eyes looked up at the ceiling above them. Only then did Maura lower the weapon and erupt into a puddle of tears.

Jane eased her gun out of Maura's grip and holstered it before bringing the trembling woman into her arms. Maura started to collapse to the ground and Jane made the descent with her, catching her fall. As Jane made soothing sounds of comfort and stroked the back of Maura's head, Korsak and the team poured down the stairs.

"I've got you," Jane reassured her repeatedly. "I've got you. It's over."

Seeing the situation was under control, Korsak ordered everyone back upstairs and Jane gave him a look of silent thanks. Finally, once stillness settled over the room, Maura looked up into Jane's eyes as the two of them lay tangled in a heap on the floor.

"Get me out of here?" she begged.

Jane smiled with tears in her eyes and kissed Maura's forehead.

"Anything you want," Jane said as she rose. She helped pull Maura to her feet as well. "Besides, your people are anxious to see you."

Arm-in-arm, the pair made their way up the staircase and out of hell.

The End