NYPD Red

Chapter 77

Spence’s breathing was labored. One look at his bloodied face and I knew why. His mouth was taped shut, and his nose had been shattered. This time my little pocketknife was more than enough. I pried out the blade and cut through the layers of duct tape behind his head.

I had no time to be delicate. “This is going to hurt,” I said and yanked the tape off hard, taking hair and skin with it.

Spence hungrily sucked in a mouthful of air. “Bomb to the right of the front door,” he gasped.

“I see it,” I said, walking over to it. “Not very sophisticated.”

“Zach, Spence, what’s going on in there?” It was Kylie on the other side of the door.

“He’s okay,” I said, which was seriously stretching the truth. “Hang on. I’m trying to disarm the booby trap. In fact, I want you to stand in the stairwell…just in case.”

“I thought you said you knew what you were doing?” she said.

“I do,” I lied. “It’s just a precaution. Now, back off, dammit.”

“I’m going. Hurry up. We have less than eight minutes.”

Spence’s face was contorted with pain. I had no idea how he might help, but I was out of my element, and since I was about to do something that could kill us both, I figured two heads were better than one.

“Spence, can you focus?” I said. “I need you to track my thinking.”

“I’ll try.”

“Okay, the front door is the trigger. Opening it pulls the trip wire. Trip wire activates the blasting cap.”

“And then we’re dead. Makes sense.”

“Now logic would dictate that if I pinch the wire and cut the piece closest to the door…”

“You take the door out of the equation,” Spence said. “No trigger.”

I pinched the trip wire between my thumb and index finger.

“Do it,” he said.

I cut the wire. One half fell to the floor. I opened my fingers and let go of the other half.

“We’re still here,” he said.

I opened the door and yelled out for Kylie.

She ran down the hall, then stepped into the apartment cautiously, eyes glued to her husband.

“Don’t go in any farther,” I said. “When Benoit Skyped us, the block of C4 he held up had a timer. The one I disabled doesn’t. There’s got to be another bomb somewhere.”

“We don’t have time to look for it,” Kylie said. “Let’s just get Spence out of here.”

“You can’t,” Spence said.

“Yes, we can,” Kylie said. “We’ve got six minutes and twelve seconds, and we’re getting you out of this building if we have to carry you out stark naked, chair and all.”

Spence’s body started to tremble. “You can’t get me out,” he repeated.

“Why?”

His eyes stared straight down at his feet. “That’s why.”

I followed his gaze. I hadn’t seen it before. Probably because there was almost no blood-just small dark stains where Spence’s feet had been nailed to the floor.