Chapter 6 - Friendly Fire
Marcus didn't run for the front door. He kicked open the side window, diving into the xeriscaped side yard just as the front door was kicked off its hinges.
"Vance! Stand down!" an officer yelled.
Marcus sprinted for the block wall, ignoring the commands. Gunfire shattered the desert silence. Bullets chipped the stucco wall inches from his head. They weren't trying to arrest him; they were shooting to kill. Miller had put out a burn order.
He vaulted the wall, landing hard in the neighbor's yard, rolling to absorb the impact. He drew his service weapon but kept it pointed down. He wouldn't shoot state cops, even if they were dirty.
He navigated the labyrinth of manicured lawns and swimming pools, staying in the shadows. He reached his truck, hot-wired it to avoid the key fob lighting up the cab, and peeled out into the night, killing the headlights until he was miles away.
His phone buzzed. It was Sarah. "Marcus, Miller just issued a statewide BOLO. You're listed as armed and dangerous, suspect in the kidnapping of Brenda Carmichael. He's framing you to justify putting you down."
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"Sarah, the tablet is destroyed. We have nothing."
"Not nothing," she replied, her voice tight with adrenaline. "Leo's tablet was linked to his school cloud account for homework. I know a guy in cyber. We might be able to pull a ghost-sync of the photo before they wiped the hard drive."
