Read Friendly Fire for Free Online Page B

water. The water spigots were a knurled wheel-and-spoke design that looked more appropriate to an outdoor hose bib. They were unmarked, but Ethan bet on the standard arrangement of hot on the left. Standing to the side, he cracked the knob, heard a rush of air, and then dodged a formless spray of frigid water that hit him even from his offset of ninety degrees. The chill took his breath away. Five seconds later, the temperature transitioned to scalding. After fifteen or twenty seconds of balancing with the knobs, the spray was tolerable.
    Eyes closed, Ethan took his time. He tried to recall the tricks the psychologists had taught him about focusing away from the demons and toward the positive. He needed to find that boat dock in the woods that he’d never actually visited, but that he’d conjured as his place to retreat mentally. If he could make it to the dock, the bad thoughts could be kept at bay.
    It had worked so well then. But back at that point, after he’d been rescued and returned, the reality of his life was indeed safe. Now, he was back in the hands of—
    â€œOkay, that’s enough,” Taylor said. “Rinse off and let’s get going.”
    Ethan leaned forward into the wall, into the spigots, and let the water flood for just a few more seconds over his face and hair. Down his back. Then he shut the water off.
    Keeping his back turned to the deputy, he said, “Where is my towel?”
    â€œThat comes in another two minutes. Turn around and look at me, please.”
    Covering himself again, Ethan turned. Taylor had donned a pair of blue rubber gloves.
    It won’t hurt. Just imagine you’re at the doctor’s.
    Ethan’s heart rate doubled. “No,” he said.
    â€œIt’s procedure,” Taylor said. “Nobody enjoys the cavity search, but—”
    It did hurt. Oh, my God, it hurt so bad. And the monster laughed as Ethan yelled .
    â€œNo!” Ethan shouted it this time.
    Taylor seemed startled. “Come on, Ethan, don’t—”
    â€”make this any harder than it needs to be.
    The color in the room changed in Ethan’s head. Reality transformed into something unreal—unrooted. He knew it was impossible, but he was eleven years old again. But now he was big. Now he could defend himself.
    He launched himself at the cop. Not the shithead predator cop, but the nice one. The one named Taylor. Like Andy Taylor from Mayberry, the show that played without end on TV Land. The deputy was taller by a head, but Ethan knew a trick to make up the difference. As he lunged forward, he tucked his chin just a little and then on contact, thrust his head up under the deputy’s jaw. He heard a snap, and he heard someone yell. It might have been Ethan’s own howling, but he couldn’t be sure.
    They were on the wet floor now, bare skin against leather and hardware. Ethan threw punches and he received them, but he didn’t feel anything. This was not going to happen to him again.
    The space around him reverberated with noise and he saw more shoes and he felt more hands. He swung at as many of them as he could. His guts exploded as someone landed a kick, and then he saw the stick coming.
    Darkness.

Chapter Four
    â€œW here do you want me?” Boxers asked.
    Jonathan pointed ahead and to the right. “Take the red-black corner.” The right rear corner. “I don’t expect they’ll run away from a knock at the door, but we might as well be prepared.”
    â€œJust sidearms, I presume?”
    â€œAnd keep it concealed. Like I said, I don’t anticipate a panic response from a knock at the door.”
    Boxers backed into a parking space across the lot from room 124, threw the transmission into Park, and sat, his massive hands poised at ten and two on the steering wheel. “This doesn’t feel right, Boss.”
    Jonathan pulled on the door handle. “Let’s see what happens.”
    Playing drunk was a