Sorry for the delay in posting - work has been really busy in the last week. It has hopefully quietened down so should be back shortly.
"Everyone get up and move over to that wall," their hostage taker instructed. Kate joined the rest of her colleagues in slowly getting up and making their way to where he had instructed.
"What about Liam?" someone took a chance and asked, indicating the injured officer on the floor.
"He can join you," the gunman said. Slowly someone approached Liam and assisted him in getting to his feet before helping him over to everyone else.
Keeping an eye on his hostages, the gunman locked the door to the cafeteria, trapping them all inside. Kate stood silently and thought through her options. Do as the gunman asked or keep quiet? She was obviously the one this man was after, scared that his drug ring was about to be brought down, although the charges he would now be facing were an awful lot worse. Who had blown her cover? she wondered.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed one of the kitchen staff manage to escape without being noticed by the gunman. If no-one had raised an alarm after hearing the gun shot then it would be now. She would wait to see what the response would be before outing herself, she decided.
"Superintendent Hastings," Ted barked in to the phone on his desk as he answered it. He paled as the caller informed him of some news. "Thank you," he finished the call and replaced the receiver. He looked out in to the open plan area of the office and saw Dot busily working away.
Getting to his feet Ted summoned his DI. He looked around and also saw Steve. Although he wasn't involved in the case he was going to be impacted by the news he had just received. "Steve, you better listen to this as well," he added.
Wordlessly, Dot and Steve entered Ted's office and stood before their boss.
"Our ring leader in the drug ring has gone rogue," Ted informed Dot. "He's taken a few people hostage in the cafeteria. There are reports he has shot one,".
Dot didn't say anything, instead acted shocked at what he had just been told. He had after all been the one to tell the man of the undercover officer in his midst after Kate's rejection the previous evening.
"Kate is one of the hostages," Ted added, making it clear why Steve had been called to the meeting.
"Who's been hurt?" Steve instantly demanded.
"We don't know," Ted replied.
"Why has he done this?" Steve asked. He had had very little to do with the case after meeting Kate that one time and had no idea where the case was at, but he wanted answers now.
"He knows there is an undercover officer at the station," Ted replied.
Steve looked to Dot for answers. This case was rapidly going south and Kate was in danger. "How did he find out about Kate?" He asked Dot who shrugged his shoulders. "You said no one saw Kate walking home with you. Are you sure?" he questioned angrily.
"Maybe there was," Dot admitted. Steve was barking up the wrong tree but Dot went with it. "I'm so sorry,".
"Sorry?" Steve repeated before taking a swing at Dot. His fist hit Dot's nose and there was an explosion of blood on Dot's face. "I told you to keep her safe!" he bellowed.
"DS Arnott, that's enough!" Ted ordered as he sprang to his feet and went to check Dot over.
"Sorry sir," Steve apologised.
"AFO's have surrounded the building and are monitoring the situation," Ted informed his officers. "Would you like to join me and Dot at the cordon?" he asked Steve, knowing his actions had been based on worry about Kate.
Steve nodded his agreement.
"So which one of you is the undercover officer?" the gunman asked back in the cafeteria. It had been thirty minutes now since he had taken his hostages and no-one had come forward. He was aware of what was going on outside. The cafeteria had a window that looked in to the street and he could see the the ARV's parked outside and the cordon's erected. Time to take action before they came for him.
Kate remained quiet and acted like everyone else, staring at her colleagues suspiciously, wondering who the undercover agent was.
The gunman lunged and grabbed the female officer that Kate had been having lunch with. He forced her to her knees and placed his gun at her left temple. "You've got ten seconds to reveal yourself or I shoot," he threatened. "Ten...nine," he started his countdown. His intended victim started screaming. "Eight...seven..." He continued.
Kate looked around as she wrestled with what she should do. She was praying the AFO's would storm the building but it wasn't likely to happen before he reached zero.
"Six...five...four...,".
She was going to have to own up as she wouldn't be able to live with herself if someone was killed in her place.
"Three...two," the gunman continued getting ready to fire.
"It's me," Kate admitted as she stepped forward. "I'm the undercover officer,".