DECEMBER 21
Kendra awoke to the buzzing of the alarm clock. She felt August moving on the bed beside 
her, and the alarm shut off. He moved again, and she rolled over. He was sitting on the 
edge of the bed, his back to her, looking down. "August?" she said quietly. She reached 
out and put a hand on his back, but he got to his feet and crossed the room, pushing the 
bathroom door up behind him.
	August ran some water in the sink and splashed it on his face, then turned off the 
faucet and looked up at himself in the mirror, his hands on the counter. He seemed to be 
staring at himself, right into his own eyes, as the water ran down his face. The door 
eased opened behind him, and Kendra came in. "August."
	She looked at him in the mirror, but he seemed to be avoiding her. He grabbed the 
towel from the ring beside the mirror and dried his face off, then passed her without a 
word and went back into the bedroom.



It had been two days since Reggie Kintner had been shot and killed. The funeral was held 
at a cemetary that overlooked Los Angeles. Reggie's parents were seated in the front row 
with their youngest son. Behind them were their immediate family and friends. August was 
stood to one side.
	Everyone stood in silence as Father Adam spoke. "We are gathered here today because 
of an event that lives out our worst fears. Into the normal, regular everyday lives of 
each of the Kintner family, tragedy has struck like lightening out of a blue sky, like a 
prairie hailstorm leaving a swath of destruction. For no reason a violent event has 
pierced into once peaceful lives, bringing untold grief and pain, forever changing the 
lives of those left behind. Into the regular order of the world, of our daily, predictable 
lives, chaos has intruded and we are left with the results, the debris. We are left trying 
to make sense out of senselessness, trying to construct meaning and understanding.
 	"We rest assured in the promise of the one who created all that there is, we rest 
assured in the guarantee of the one who set the stars in the sky and set the planets in 
motion, that we will one day, as surely as the sun travels through the sky, be reunited 
with loved ones who have passed on. This is not goodbye, it is only goodnight, we will 
meet again at the dawning of the new creation. For this is the promise of God. Thanks be 
to God. Amen."
	As the funeral ended a short while later, the crowd began to disperse. August made 
his way to the parents and caught up with them. "Misses Kintner," he said, "I'm sorry for 
your lost. If there's anything I can--"
	She slapped him in the face, making him flinch, and walked on with her son. Mr. 
Kintner stood a little longer and looked at August. "There is something you can do, 
detective," he said. "You can get the son of a bitch who put that gun in my son's hand." 
	August turned as he brushed by and caught up to his wife, putting his arm around 
her. He watched them go.

Joshua Riggs was seated at the bar with a drink. The band wasn't in yet, so the jukebox 
in the corner of the room was playing. Asa Cross appeared with a cordless phone. "It's 
Wu," he said.
	Joshua sat the glass down, then took the phone and turned on his stool, leaning 
back against the bar. "Wu," he said cheerfully. "How good to hear from you."
	Half a world away, Wu LoPan was standing on the balcony of his mountainside mansion 
overlooking Hong Kong. He wore a fancy multi-colored robe of Chinese patterns. "Good to 
hear you, Mister Riggs. I was very--shall we say, moved?--by your offer to help me 
integrate my organization into your country."
	"Well, we look forward to having you."
	"I trust my initial order is set?"
	"Just about, but it will be completely filled by the time of your arrival."
	"Excellent. I look forward to seeing you then, Mister Riggs."
	"I look forward to seeing you as well, Mister LoPan. Goodbye." Joshua turned the 
cordless off and handed it back to Asa, standing as he retrieved his glass from the bar. 
"With this deal, the biggest crime lord in all of China will be the next big crime lord 
in the United States," he said, and took a drink. "He'll be arriving in Los Angeles soon, 
so I want you to make sure the rest of his order is completed by then."
	"I'll get right on it," Asa said, and left.
	Joshua caught the reflection of himself in the mirror and turned. He stood straight, 
smoothing out the lapels of his jacket, then smiled and toasted to himself. "Here's to 
you," he said, and downed the rest of his drink.



"Why kill the mayor?" Chase mused, leaning back in his chair and looking at a black-and-
white photo of mayor Lowry in the morning newspaper.
	Jack Lawson was standing nearby with James Harris. "Any connections between the 
two?" James asked.
	Chase shook his head. "None. That we've been able to find."
	"There's got to be some reason," Lawson said, sitting on the edge of the desk. "You 
don't take out a mayor unless you've got a good reason to."
	Chase folded the newspaper. "With a sick bastard like Joshua Riggs, I wouldn't put 
it past him to have killed him for the fun of it."
	"Maybe," Lawson said with a shrug, "but I think somewhere there's a reason. There's 
always a reason."
	"Hi, guys," a voice called behind them.
	They looked to see Judith Sands, the department psychiatrist, coming up to the desk. 
"Morning, Judith," Chase said. "Haven't seen you in a while."
	"Been pretty busy lately," she replied, shifting a stack of folders under one arm.
	"Oh," Chase said, as if suddenly remembering something. "I think you'll be happy to 
know that I've recently met a really great girl and things are looking pretty good."
	"Congratulations, Chase. It seems our sessions finally paid of. If you still need to 
talk to me, you have my number. If you'll excuse me, I have some people I need to see 
today."
	They watched her walk off, and Lawson whistled once she was out of earshot. "Man, 
Chase. I don't know how you ever let that one get away."
	Chase smiled. "Trust me, Lawson. She may look good, but a psychiatrist does not 
make the best companion for conversation."
	Lawson was still looking down the hall after her. "Oh, believe me, Chase, it's not 
the conversation part I'm thinking about."
	James laughed, then said, "Lawson. Your eyes."
	Lawson turned, alarmed. "What about them?"
	James pretended to examine them closely, then pointed at them with a finger. 
"They're popping out like a Tex Avery cartoon."
	Chase laughed as they walked off. August came into the squad room, carrying his coat 
in one hand. "August," he said, "I was beginning to worry about you. Hadn't heard from 
you since the other night."
	His partner just went to his desk without a word, draping his coat over the back of 
his chair.
	"Oh, the funeral was this morning, right?"
	"Yes," August replied quietly, sitting.
	Chase suddenly felt uncomfortable, not really knowning what to say. He was about to 
attempt a conversation when he was interrupted. "Well, look who it is." Lt. Russ Copeland 
walked in. "Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. You know, you guys are in it up to here," he 
said, holding one hand flat, even with his neck.
	"What are you talking about, Copeland?" Chase asked.
	"I'm talking about your little stunt the other day, McDonald. You think you can just 
vault onto a sixteen-wheeler like Batman and make like a Bruckheimer action scene?"
	"Oh, I should have known you'd come in on something like this."
	"Damn right you should have. You could have killed somebody in that stunt, McDonald, 
and I say that you are damn lucky you didn't. You're off."
	"What?"
	"You're off. Both of you."
	That got August's attention and he looked up, but didn't say anything.
	"You're off this case. You two never should have been brought on board in the first 
place."
	Chase was furious, unaware of the others in the room watching. "Well, excuse us for 
wanting to cut through the department B.S. and try to solve the murder of the mayor of 
Los Angeles. You can't pull us off this case."
	"The hell I can."
	"Maybe we'll just take it up with the captain," Chase said.
	"Don't try to pull that card, detective. You've already gotten more leeway than you 
should by running to daddy."
	Chase's eyes widened. He lunged at Copeland and grabbed him, and the room exploded 
with shouting. August and James tried to pry Chase off, while Lawson and Richardson 
grabbed at Copeland. The two were separated, though firm grips were kept on both. "Hey, 
hey!" Jensen yelled, storming in. "What the hell is going on in here?"
	Calmed, Chase and Copeland were released. "Copeland's trying to take us off the 
case, Captain," August said.
	Jensen turned to Copeland. "Is this true?"
	"Yes, it's true," Chase said, straightening his jacket, then looked at Copeland. 
"This man has no brain."
	It was Copeland's turn to lunge, and Jensen forced himself between them and shoved 
them apart. "Stop it! Knock it off, both of you! Now I want you and you"--he pointed at 
August--"and you in my office, right now!"
	Seconds later, the door to the captain's office slammed shut behind them as they 
entered. "What the hell do you think this place is? The WWF arena? I will not have this 
kind of behavior in my station." He took a deep breath and seemed to calm, walking around 
to his desk.
	August made sure he stayed between Chase and Copeland, but Chase had already moved 
over to stand beside the office window.
	"Now," Jensen said, turning behind his desk. "What's going on?"
	"Detective McDonald," Copeland began, "took part in a very dangerous stunt the 
other day that involved a sixteen-wheeler careening out of control down several blocks 
and through more than a few red lights. He's damn lucky no innocent civilians were killed 
in his little escapade."
	"It was not something I wanted to do, Captain," Chase said. "It was a last-minute 
attempt to stop a shipment of stolen, illegal weapons from getting away."
	"And did you stop them?" Jensen asked.
	"Yes, I did."
	"Well, surely that must mean something."
	Copeland shook his head. "Whether it was successful or not doesn't mean he should 
get off any easier. McDonald may have stopped the weapons from getting away, but his 
reckless behavior is unexceptable. It has been ever since he came to this department. 
Using a rocket launcher to stop a group of car thieves during a shootout with police, 
chasing an armored truck down a dozen or so miles of highway on a motorcycle, attempting 
to take on a big rig--again--with a police cruiser, numerous reckless car chases that 
sometimes caught innocent civilians in the way. The list goes on and on."
	Jensen let out a sigh and took a seat in his chair, nodding. "I agree, Detective 
McDonald sometimes lets his intentions get the better of him."
	Copeland scoffed. "Yeah. There's an understatement."
	Chase mumbled something.
	"What was that, McDonald?"
	August put a hand to his shoulder and said, "Take it easy, Copeland."
	"Don't think I haven't forgotten about you, Brooks."
	August looked at him. "Excuse me?"
	"You may not be as reckless as your partner, but you've done enough for me to get 
fed up with your behavior, too."
	August was about to counterattack when Jensen, "Alright, alright! That's enough. I 
don't want anymore yelling. I'm already getting enough of that from the mayor's office. 
Copeland, do you really think it's necessary to pull these two off the case?"
	"No, it's not necessary," Chase said.
	"I'm not talking to you, McDonald!" Jensen shouted.
	Chase turned away with his arms crossed, looking out the window into the hall.
	"Yes," Copeland said. "I feel they should be pulled off this case, suspended, and 
face the long overdue punishment they deserve for their actions over the past five years."
	"Good," Jensen said, "because I don't."
	All three of them did perfect double-takes at Jensen.
	"What?" Chase and Copeland asked simultaneously.
	"It's my decision, Copeland, not your's, to pull my detectives off a case. You and 
I already agreed they could work on it, and unless both of us agree to pull them off, 
they're staying on. Chase, August. Get out there and get back to work."
	"Thanks, Captain," they both said, and left the room.
	Copeland turned. "You've just exceeded your authority, Jensen."
	Jensen jumped to his feet. "Listen to me, Copeland. You may not like Chase and 
August, and you may not like the way they do things. But they are damn good detectives 
who always finish a case, and they'll finish this one."
	Copeland pointed a finger at the captain. "And you listen to me, Jensen. You've 
pulled as many strings as you can for those two, and now your out of them. I may not be 
able to give them the punishments they deserve, but the chief can."
 	"Then take the matter up with him."
	"I'll do just that."
	"Good. Now get the hell out of my office."
	Chase looked up from his desk. Copeland was standing outside Jensen's office. He 
glanced over and stared at Chase for a moment, then walked off down the hall. He didn't 
look happy. "Looks like Jensen ripped I.A. a new one, hu?" James said.
	"Don't worry about it, guys," Lawson said. "I.A. can't get you for anything. All 
they can do is try to put in some favors."
	Chase seemed to ignore them for a moment, then said, "I'm not worried."
	"Hey, guys." Samantha was coming into the squad room with a folder. She stopped as 
she saw everyone gathered around Chase's desk. "Am I interrupting anything?"
	August said, "Your boss just tried to take Chase and I off the case, but our 
captain overruled him. Copeland did not look happy when he left."
	She made a dismissive wave. "Oh, he always looks like that."
	That made Chase laugh, and it seemed to relax.
	"Anyway, thought you guys would like to know." She opened a folder she was carrying 
and handed it to Chase. "The trace on that gun came back, the one the guy August sh-- The 
one Reggie Kintner had." She glanced at August out of the corner of her eye, but whether 
he had heard her or not she couldn't tell.
	Chase read the paper. "Lewis Avery," he said.
	Samantha nodded. "He had the gun prior to Reggie. Forensics found a print on the 
magazine clip belonging to Avery."
	August said, "So let's pay a visit to Lewis Avery and see where the trail leads."
	"That's the idea," Samantha said.
	Chase handed the folder back and stood, grabbing his coat. "Let's go."



A knock fell on the front door, waking Lewis Avery from his late morning sleep. He opened 
the door and asked, "What?"
	In response, the screen door was flung open and a powerful fist grabbed him by the 
neck, pulling him outside and slamming him up against the house. A gun that looked 
familiar was jammed in his face. "Where did this gun come from?" August demanded.
	On the porch steps behind him, Chase and Samantha both had their backs turned, 
watching the street, pretending to be unaware of what was happening.
	Lewis was refusing to talk, rambling incoherently. August gave him another slam 
against the house. "I said where did this gun come from? Tell me! Tell me, you son of a 
bitch!"
	Twenty minutes later, Chris Nailand's back door was kicked open. He dropped the 
crack pipe and reached for a gun on the coffee table, but another hand grabbed his and 
pulled it away, turning him on the couch. August practically climbed onto the couch, 
towering over him, putting the gun in his face. "Where did you get this gun? Where!? 
Where!? Answer me, you two-bit scumbag piece of sh--"
	John Cortez was getting into his car in his driveway when the door was shut against 
him, slamming him between the door and the car. He screamed. A hand grabbed his hair and 
pulled his head back, and a gun was placed against his neck. August spoke beside his ear, 
"I've followed this gun all across the city, and I'm getting a little sick and tired of 
walking. Where did you get this gun?"



Another warehouse, not unlike the kind that was discovered a few days earlier. A pick-up 
truck was being loaded with wooden crates. Several men were moving about, lifting the 
boxes into the bed and bringing them over on a small forklift. From around the corner 
that lead to the front office, Chase peared cautiously and took a quick look at the scene, 
then pulled back.
	"How many?" August asked.
	"I count four. Three near the truck, one on a forklift."
	They drew their guns. "Ready?" Samantha asked.
	"No," Chase said, "but here we go." They came out from around the corner with guns 
raised. "Excuse me. L.A.P.D. Why don't you drop what you're doing and put your hands 
above your head."
	One man, standing in the bed of the truck, looked at the others, then pointed a 
finger at them and said, "Screw you, cops."
	"'Screw you'?" August repeated, looking to Chase. "Did he say 'screw you'?"
	"I think so."
	August fired a single shot and hit the corner of one crate, just inches from the 
man's thigh. "Get your butt down out of that truck." The man complied without question.
	Chase took a step forward. "Get down on the floor."
	A fifth man appeared from around the corner and grabbed Samantha, knocking the gun 
from her hand with a chop and holding her around the waist, putting his own gun to her 
temple. Chase and August both turned and brought their guns up. "Let her go," Chase said. 
August keep watch on the others.
	"I don't think so," the man said. "Now look around you, cop. There's five of us, 
and three of you. Well, two if this pretty little lady goes bye-bye. But you don't want 
that to happen, do you?"
	Samantha saw Chase's fingers beginning to loosen. "Don't do it, Chase," she said. 
"Don't do it. He'll kill us all."
	Chase tightened his grip again and brought the gun up. "Drop the gun," he ordered. 
"Do it now!"
	The man was laughing. "You want to take a risk? You want to risk me shooting the 
lady? Hu? Do you! You want to risk that, cop? Do you!?"
	Before he knew it, Samantha's right leg was coming completely up in front of her, 
her foot kicking him in the face. His grip on her loosened, and he stumbled back. Chase 
and August were staring in amazement. Samantha just gave a shrug and a smile, then turned 
and knocked the gun from his hands.
	Remembering the others, the detectives turned. One tackled August, and Chase ducked 
to avoid another who was charging. He came up with the man on his shoulder and flipped 
him over onto the hard concrete floor. August grappled with his man, who managed to get 
the gun out of his grasp and drop it to the floor. August buried his knee in the man's 
stomach and socked him across the face.
	Two more had climbed back up into the pick-up bed and were throwing open one of the 
crates. They each grabbed automatic weapons and opened fire. Chase threw himself behind 
a stack of drums for cover. He turned around and saw that Samantha was giving her attacker 
a good workover, with punches and kicks until he finally collapsed, falling backwards onto 
a pile of junk. Chase fired randomly around the barrels to give her enough cover to run 
and scoop up her gun, then execute a roll that put her behind some crates across the room 
from him.
	August's attacker swung his fist. He ducked and came up behind him, and the guy hit 
a pipe instead, breaking his knuckles. He screamed and turned, but before he could 
completely turn, August gave him a show, sending his face smacking against the pipe before 
dropping him to the ground.
	Two down, three to go. While one man provided cover, the other two tipped one of 
the crates over the side of the truck, and they took up position alongside it. Chase 
slapped a new clip into his gun as August appeared beside him, having retrieved his own. 
Samantha fired a few shots from behind her barricade. "So what do we do now!?" she shouted 
above the gunfire.
	"If you have any plans," August replied, "I'm open to suggestions." He opened fire.
	From Chase's position, he spotted something. "August, can you give me cover?"
	"For what?"
	"The forklift."
	"The forklift? What the heck are you going to do with a forklift?"
	"You'll see." He turned toward Samantha and whistled. "Hey."
	She fired two shots, then looked over. He made a motion that he was going to run 
for the forklift, and for her to give him cover as well. She nodded in response, and he 
got into a crouching position behind the barrels. "Okay, here I go." He took a few deep 
breaths, gave Samantha a glance, then nodded. Her and August opened fire simulatenously, 
and Chase jumped to his feet and ran. The other three were pinned down behind the truck, 
so they didn't see him.
	Chase was glad to see the back of the lift portion was covered, so bullets wouldn't 
get through to him. He climbed up into the cab and tried to acquaint himself with the 
unfamiliar controls. He thought he would be pretty basic, but was beginning to think 
maybe his plan had backfired. He got the engine fired up, but the barrage of gunfire kept 
it hidden from the shooters.
	He found the brake release and applied the gas. The forklift jerked backwards. He 
hit the brake and got it into the correct gear, then pulled forward. He worked the 
control for the lift tongs, raising them to the height of the truck. The shooters were 
so busy shooting they didn't hear the forklift until it was slamming into the truck and 
shoving into them. They fell to the ground and quickly scrambled to their feet. One of 
them got out from behind it before it hit the wall, but the other two were forced to jump 
over into the bed. The firing ceased, August and Samantha came forward to apprehend them.
	Chase heard a sceam and looked to see the last man lunging into the cab with a 
knife. He caught the man's wrist with the knife inches from his throat and struggled with 
him. Somebody hit the controls, throwing the forklift into reverse. Chase tried to keep 
the man off him with one hand, using the other to try and control the vehicle. But it 
wasn't working. They were heading toward a large roll-up door. He tried to hit the brake, 
but the guy had worked his way further into the cab.
	Chase punched him across the face twice, but it didn't seemed to have any affect. 
Keeping a tight grip on the hand with the knife, Chase risked a look back just in time. 
The forklift punched through the roll-up door and they were suddenly outside, backing 
across the street. Chase looked and saw a semi-truck barreling down the street. He could 
have sworn his heart skipped a beat. He gave one final punch to his attacker and climbed 
out the back of the forklift, jumping clear.
	The attack slumped against the control and shook the dizzyness from his head. He 
heard a horn and turned to look, and only had to time to throw his hands up and scream. 
The truck slammed right into the forklight, exploding it into flames and smoke, carrying 
it for several yards as the truck's tires squealed.
	Samantha came running out from the warehouse as Chase got to his feet. His knees 
were sore, and the palms of his hands were scratched. "You okay?" she asked.
	"Yeah," he said through gritted teeth as he started to walk.
	Samantha gestured toward the burning forklift. "What about him?"
	"I'd say he's about well done by now."



With a scream, Joshua hurled the glass across the office, shattering it against the wall. 
"McDonald is really starting to get on my nerves," he said. "He's persistent, I'll give 
him that. When he gets on a case, he doesn't quit until it's finished."
	"Maybe we should take him out," Asa suggested. "And his partner, too."
	"No, no. That will just bring more heat down. We need to up the stakes a little."
	Asa raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, sir?"
	"Up the stakes for the police. Make them think twice about being so determined to 
nail us."
	"What do you suggest?"
	Joshua was thinking, then he smiled. "I have the perfect idea."

Chase pulled up in Alex Clairmont's driveway and climbed out of his Mustang. He walked 
forward to the car parked in front and leaned in through the window. "How's it going?"
	The two cops sitting inside both shook their heads. "Nothing so far," the driver 
said. After the incident two nights ago, Chase had talked Alex into letting him give her 
protection. There were two more cops positioned further down the driveway toward the 
main road, and another car would be arriving in the evening to help with the night shift.
	"Good," Chase said. "You know where she is?"
	"In the barn, I think."
	Chase rounded the house and headed toward the barn. As he came in, Gunpowder was 
standing in his stall, chewing some hay from the floor. He lifted his head and snorted. 
Chase reached over the bar and patted him on the head. "Hey, boy. You seen Alex?"
	"In here," a voice called quietly.
	He found her in Thunderbolt's stall, sitting on the floor of hay. He swung open the 
gate and came inside, kneeling beside her. "I just came by to see how you were doing."
	She wiped at her face. Chase could tell she'd been crying. "I'm okay," she said. 
"You probably think it's stupid to cry over losing a pet."
	"I don't think it's stupid. I know what it's like. I had a little dog when I was a 
kid." He smiled as he recalled his childhood pet. "Name was Chase." He laughed. "That's 
where I got my nickname. I use to go everwhere with that dog, so my friends and family 
started calling me Little Chase. He was my best friend for a lot of years. We used to 
take trips down to the creek, play in the field together. Then one day, I was about nine 
or so, we were heading home. There was a car accident and one of the vehicles was thrown 
off the road. It came right at us and . . . well, I'm just glad it happened fast."
	Alex was listening quietly.
	"I can remember yelling his name through the dust. I could feel it clinging to my 
tears as I cried. I found him a few yards away, lying on the ground. He wasn't moving. I 
cried for days." He fell silent, then said, "So, no. I don't think it's stupid crying 
over a pet."
	Alex smiled and embraced him.



August and Kendra were lying in bed with the lights on. "You know, when my pager went off 
the other day, I thought that was it. I thought I was going to be a dad."
	She smiled. "And I thought I was going to be a mom."
	He rolled over onto his side, taking her hand in his. "I've been thinking, Kendra."
	"About what?"
	"About me and the force. I mean, I have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. 
And I'm about to be a dad." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I had this dream 
the other night. We had a baby, and you got a call saying I had . . . been killed, during 
a shootout. We'd only had the baby for two days. It really got me thinking."
	"About quitting?"
	He said nothing, just nodded. "I've been on the force for twenty-one years, Kendra. 
That's a long time. And I've been damn lucky all that time. But luck runs out, sooner or 
later. And I don't want it to run just when we're about to start a family. You know, for 
the last twenty-one years, it's been about me. Now I think it's time that it be about us."
	Kendra was certainly touched by what he had said, but she didn't quite know what to 
say in response. She put her other hand over his. "It's your decision, August. But I 
think it's one you're going to have to really think about. I don't want to be the one to 
tell you what to do, and--Ooh."
	"What is it?"
	"I just felt the baby kick."
	"You did?"
	"Yeah, I just--oh, he did it again." She laughed.
	"He?"
	"Or she. Feel, feel."
	She pulled her shirt up and put his hand on her belly. He sat still, waiting, but 
felt nothing. A long moment went by and still nothing. He was about to pull his hand away 
when he felt it. He laughed. "That feels so weird." He looked at her. "I love you so much," 
he said, and kissed him.



DECEMBER 22

Flight 113 from Hong Kong arrived at Gate Nine at Los Angeles International Airport. It 
was a quarter after eight in the morning. Asa Cross and another man were standing near 
the waiting area as the passengers began to emerge from the access tunnel. Moments later, 
a tall thin Chinese man stepped out. His salt-and-pepper hair was combed straight back, 
and he wrote a colorful jacket with native drawings and text. Asa counted at least four 
others as part of his escort. He stepped forward.
	"Mister LoPan," he said, extending his hand.
	"Mister Riggs?" Wu inquired.
	Asa smiled. "Actually, I'm a very good friend of his, Asa Cross. There was a bit of 
last-minute business he had to attend to personally this morning, so he asked me to greet 
you."
	The older man looked at him skeptically for a moment, as if thinking it might be a 
trick, then smiled and said, "Only joking. Mister Riggs mentioned your name."
	Asa smiled, releaved, and shook his hand. "Welcome to America. If you'll follow me, 
the car is this way."
	With his own man and the four bodyguards in tow, Asa walked with Wu toward the 
front of the airport.



Captain Jensen pulled into his parking spot at the rear of the station and climbed out 
with his briefcase. He walked around the rear and was heading for the door when he saw a 
man hunched over the truck of a squad car. "Hey, pal, you okay?"
	Joshua Riggs stood, gun in hand. Jensen recognized him instantly. "Good morning, 
Captain," he said. "Been a long time."
	"Not long enough, Riggs."
	"Now is that anyway to talk to an old friend?"
	"You're anything but."
	Joshua grabbed him by the arm and walked him back toward his car. "We're gonna go 
for a little drive," he said. "Get in."
	Jensen unlocked the driver's door, pushed the button to unlock the others, and 
climbed behind the wheel as Joshua slipped into the seat behind him. "Drive."
	Jensen started the car and backed out, driving toward the exit.



"Morning, August," Chase said as he walked in.
	August looked up, as if distracted. "Hi, Mac."
	"Something on your mind, partner?"
	"Yeah, sort of."
	He sat on the edge of August's desk. "Anything I can help you with?"
	"I'm not sure."
	"Try me."
	August took a breath and exhaled slowly. "I've been thinking lately about . . . 
retiring."
	Chase seemed taken aback, as if he was still trying to understand the words he had 
just heard. "Are you serious?"
	August nodded. "I mean, with what happened the other night and the fact that I'm 
about to be a dad, it's really got me thinking."
	"Wow." It was about all Chase could say. "Have you made up your mind for sure?"
	"No, no, not yet. I've just been thinking about it. You know, trying to get the 
pros and the cons of both choices."
	"Ah." Chase nodded. "Have you mentioned this to Kendra?"
	"Last night."
	"What did she say?"
	"That it was something I was going to have to think about, and that she didn't want 
to be the one to tell me what to do."
	"Well, I agree on both counts. I'd really hate to lose you as a partner, August. 
But it's your decision, and whichever one you choice, I'll be there for you."
	August smiled. "Thanks, Mac."
	"No problem."
	"Chase, August." Samantha came into the squad room. "The checks just came back in 
from those guys we busted at the wherehouse the other day," she said, handing them a 
sheet of paper. "All of them are former convicts. Served time for everything from armed 
robbery to attempted murder. Check out who each guy's arresting officer was."
	The detectives both looked and said simultaneously, "Joshua Riggs." Chase looked 
up. "That's why he's got so many guys. He's taken on all the ones he busted while he was 
on the force, and that's up in the hundreds or more."
	As August and Samantha continued to look over the paper, Chase went to answer his 
phone. "McDonald. Okay, we'll be right there." He hung up. "That was Cragmeyer. He's got 
something."
	Moments later, they were standing in the forensics lab. Another table had been set 
up, on top of which sat two computers, connected via cables to one of the lab computers. 
Annie was working over the keyboard while Cragmeyer stood behind her. "We found these 
two computers at that wherehouse you guys raided the other day," he said. "We managed to 
crack into them."
	"What did you find?" August asked as she hit the PRINT command.
	Annie rolled over to the printer in her chair and took the paper after it was 
finished, then rolled back and handed it to Chase. "A list of warehouses," she said. "All 
of which were listed as being storage sites for the stolen weapons."
	"This is fantastic," August said, taking the paper to look at it himself.
	"We could start taking down Riggs' organization with this," Samantha said.
	Chase nodded. "It'd be just the thing to bring down the heat on him."
	August looked at his partner. "So? What do you want to do?"
	"Get everyone assembled in the squad room," he said. "We've got a killer to bring 
down."



Asa Cross lead Wu LoPan into Suite 20 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "Here you are, Mister 
LoPan," he said, holding the door open for him. "Your accomodations. We hope you find 
them to your satisfaction."
	The door lead down a short hall to the entrance foyer. The ceilings were high, and 
an arched doorway to the right lead to the sitting room, with fancy marble columns and 
luxurious couches and chairs, and dark wood coffee tables. To the left, a curtained 
doorway lead to the bedroom. Wu walked into the sitting room and turned in place, looking 
the room over. "Not as big as my bedroom closet, but it will do," he said, and laughed. 
"When may I expect to see Mister Riggs?"
	"Joshua will be in contact with you as soon as he finishes this morning's business."
	"May I ask what it is? Nothing that jeopardizes our meeting, I hope."
	Asa smiled. "No, nothing like that at all. It's a separate matter than Joshua felt 
he had to see to quickly. But it won't take long, and he will be with you as soon as he 
can. He's well aware of your dislike for people who do not show up when they say they do, 
and he promises he will not make you wait long. As soon as I leave, I'll contact Mister 
Riggs and let him know that you've arrived, and then he will be in contact with you."
	"Very good, then," he said.



Chase and Samantha stood before the gathering of officers, among them James Harris, Sam 
Richardson, and Jack Lawson. August came back and said, "Jensen's not here."
	"He should have been here by now," Richardson said.
	"I'll fill him in later," Chase said. "Okay, people, here's the situation. Joshua 
Riggs' organization has been exposed." He held up a sheet of paper. "I have here a list 
of all the places he's been using to not only store his weapons, but sell them from, 
also. I've already talked to the D.A.'s office, and the warrants are being processed this 
very moment. We are going to take these warehouses down. There will most-likely be men at 
each of these locations, so expect resistance. August, Samantha, and I have already 
encountered that twice in the past few days."
	"As crazy as it may seem," August said, "we still don't have one piece of solid 
evidence linking Riggs to the mayor's murder. Taking down these warehouses is just a way 
of putting the pressure on him and, hopefully, causing him to do something that will 
expose him. But it's going to be hard."
	"When do we strike?" James asked.
	"As soon as the warrants get here," Chase said. "Within the hour. Now let's punch 
out the details."



Joshua Riggs turned as the hotel room door opened. A burly man in a suit stood inside. 
"Joshua Riggs to see Wu LoPan," he said.
	The man motioned for him to enter and stepped aside. Joshua walked through the foyer 
toward the sitting room. Another man approached him and said, "Arms up." Riggs complied, 
and the man gave him a quick pat-down before jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.
	Riggs walked into the room, where Wu was sitting on the couch across from Asa, who 
was in one of the chairs. Both of them stood as he entered. "Mister Riggs, I presume," Wu 
said.
	"That would be me," he replied. "Joshua Riggs."
	"Wu LoPan." They shook hands. "So very nice to finally meet you in person, Mister 
Riggs."
	"Likewise."
	Wu turned and gestured toward the cups and pot sitting on the coffee table. "May I 
offer you some fine Chinese tea, Mister Riggs?"
	"You may call me Joshua. Perhaps after we talk first."
	"Of course. No time for drinks when there's money to be made, I always say."
	"My thoughts exactly." Joshua took Asa's seat, who stood beside him.
	Wu returned to his spot on the couch and said something in Chinese. The bodyguards 
stepped out of the room. "Now. Where shall we begin?"



The rear parking lot of the police station was full of cars, lined up and ready to go. 
Lawson came over as Chase was donning his bulletproof vest. "I wonder where Jensen is."
	"It's not like him to be this late," Richardson said.
	James said, "Maybe Copeland got the chief to call him in."
	"Copeland," Chase scoffed. "I'd like to make him strip down to his boxers and make 
him jump in Lake Michigan."
	"Chase," a voice called.
	He turned to see D.A. Alison Hart coming through the lot. "Alison," he said.
	She set her briefcase on the hood of a squad car and opened it, taking out the 
warrants. "Here are your warrants, signed, sealed, and delivered."
	"You brought these down yourself?"
	"With something else."
	"What's that?"
	"Be careful, Chase. Just because we're not together anymore doesn't me I don't care 
about you." She put her hand on his arm for a moment, then walked away.
	"Who was that?" Samantha asked, walking up.
	"Un, nothing. Long story."
	"I'll bet."
	Chase ignored her cynicism and turned to the others. "Okay, we have the warrants. 
Let's roll."
	The officers began to disperse and climb into cars. Sirens lite up and began to 
howl as the cars pulled out of the lot.
	There were six warehouses on the list, plus the two Chase, August, and Samantha had 
previously taken down. Split into three large teams, they hit the locations three at a 
time. Chase and Samantha lead the first time, August and James the second, Richardson and 
Lawson the third.
	There was the expected ammount of resistance, resulting in gunfire and hand-to-hand 
confrontations. Brief foot pursuits also occured as some men attempted to flee. Chase 
ran and tackled one man trying to escape, landing in a pile of tarp-covered moving 
plateforms. Samantha came across a man wielding a crowbar. He knocked the gun from her 
hand with it and tried for another swing, but she showed no mercy as she unleashed her 
impressive martial skills, quickly dispensing of the attacker before he could even know 
what had hit him.
	August and James stormed into their first warehouse with two dozen back-up officers, 
and weapons were soon blazing. Two men attempted to escape by piling into a car. James 
took aim as they swung the car around in a wide arch and fired. He webbed the windshield, 
and the car veered sharply. Another shot to the pasenger-side tire made it swerve the 
other way. It clipped another parked car and got only a few feet off the ground before 
crashing loudly into the wall of the warehouse.
	"Nice shootin', Tex," August commented.
	"Thanks," James said, and pretended to blow smoke from the barrel of his gun.
	More doors were bashed in or thrown up on their rollers, and dozens of cops roared 
in shouting orders. They were met with more resistance, a barrage of gunfire and attempted 
escapes that ultimately proved useless. Just a couple hours after the raid had begun, it 
was over. All three teams informed the others over cell-phones. "That was Chase," August 
said, turning his phone off. "They're finished."
	James looked around as officers handcuffed the remaining men and escorted them out 
to the waiting cars. "Not a bad day's work," he said.
	August was about to laugh when a beeping went off. He instinctively drew one of his 
pagers and looked at the tiny LCD display.
	"What is it?" James asked.
	"It's Kendra," he said as the second and third one went off. "It's Kendra. I gotta 
go. I gotta met her at the hospital. Will you be okay--"
	"Yeah, don't worry. I'll handle the rest of this."
	August was already running out through one of the roll-up doors. "Great. I owe you."



"I think you'll be very satisfied with your decision, Wu," Joshua said.
	"I think I will, too," Wu said.
	"Of course, I don't expect you to pay until you've been allowed to examine the 
merchandise."
	Asa's cell-phone began ringing, and he stepped aside to answer it. "Yes?" he said 
quietly. "What? Okay. No, no. I'll let him know." He shut the phone and stood in place 
for a moment, as if not wanting to do something, then turned and walked back. "Excuse me 
for interrupting, but I need to speak with you."
	"Can't it wait?" Joshua asked without looking up, annoyed.
	"I'm afraid it can't."
	Joshua sighed and said, "Will you excuse me for a moment, Wu?"
	"Of course."
	Joshua stood and walked to one of corner of the room. "What is it?"
	"That friend of your's, McDonald. Him and the L.A.P.D. just took down all of our 
warehouses."
	Joshua looked up. "What?" he said slowly.
	"Every single one of them. The guys have either been killed or arrested, and the 
guns and ammo are being confiscated. Everything."
	Joshua was furious, the anger showing in his eyes, but he kept it restrained. 
Informing Wu would certainly destroy the deal. "You can't tell him," Asa said.
	"I know," Joshua replied, nearly yelling. He lowered his voice. "Let me finish 
talking to Wu, then we'll get out of here."
	"Then what?"
	"Then we'll kill them. We'll kill them all."

"You're wife is very close to giving birth, Mister Brooks," Dr. Grant said.
	August was sitting beside Kendra, lying on the gurney. Rosie was on the other side.
	"When do you expect her to give birth, doctor?" he asked.
	"Well, she seems to be getting close to that stage now. Delivery is not exactly a 
predictable event. But I would say very soon. Within a day or two, no more. How are you 
feeling, Kendra?"
	"Like I'm about to explode."
	The doctor laughed. "Are you feeling any pain anywhere?"
	"Not yet."
	"Doctor?" a nurse said, appearing at the door.
	"Excuse me for a moment," he said, and left.
	"We were out shopping when she had a contraction," Rosie said. "After the false 
alarm the other day, she felt it was best to just come to the hospital and stay until 
it was all over."
	"You need me to get your things from the house?"
	"Yeah. The suitcase is all packed. You know where it is?"
	"In the front closet," he said, "I know. After I get off work I'll stop by and 
pick it up, okay?"
	"Sure. Have you thought anymore about what you mentioned last night?"
	"Not really. But it's still on my mind."
	"And it's your decision. Don't ask me what you should do. I don't want to feel like 
I have to make that decision for you."
	"Don't worry, I won't. I gotta go, but I'll be back this evening, alright?"
	"Okay. Bye."
	"Bye, honey." He kissed her. "I love you."
	"I love you, too."



Chase was standing at his desk with the others. "Man, that's a lot of weapons," he said, 
flipping through sheets of paper.
	"What's that?" August asked, walking in.
	"Manifests from all six warehouses. Is everything okay? James told me your pagers
all went off."
	"Everything's fine. Kendra's staying at the hospital until she gives birth." They 
all congratulated him, James, Richardson, and Lawson. "Hey, is Jensen in yet?"
	Lawson shook his head. "No, not yet."
	"I'm starting to get worried," James said.
	"I called the chief a little while ago," Chase said, "but he hadn't seen him either. 
But he did say he'd be getting back to me in regards to 'what Lieutenant Copeland had to 
say' about me."
	"Are you serious?" Richardson scoffed.
	"Don't worry about it," Samantha said.
	James said, "That's probably as far as Copeland'll get in his quest to bring a good 
cop down."
	Chase gave a nod and said, "Thanks. I hope so." His phone began ranging, and he 
answered it. "McDonald."
	"Good afternoon, Chase," Joshua said.
	Chase signaled for someone to start a trace, and James hurried to his desk. "Joshua," 
he said. "What's up?"
	"Don't try to small talk with me, McDonald, I'm not in the mood. You're probably 
scrambling right now trying to trace this call. Let me save you the trouble and tell you 
it won't worked."
	"Why are you calling?"
	"I see you've been a busy bee this morning, taking down all my warehouses. But the 
funny thing is, you still don't have a solid inch of proof against me, do you? Otherwise, 
I'd be behind bars right now."
	"Does this call have a point, Joshua, or should I just lay the phone down and walk 
off?"
	"Oh, it has a point, Chase. This is a warning. Do not attempt to tackle me, because 
I've got something that can get in the way."
	Chase looked up, alarmed. "What are you talking about?"
	"Oh, you know. Just a little somebody you call Captain?"
	"Joshua, you son of a--"
	"Now, now, no time for name-calling. I know you don't want him to get hurt, and I 
won't hurt him unless you give me a reason to. This is your final warning, McDonald. Do 
not attempt to grow a brain." He hung up.
	Chase lowered the phone slowly as James came over shaking his head. "Trace got 
blocked, but it didn't matter. It was routed all over the place."
	"Chase, what's wrong?" August said, noticing the look on his partner's face.
	"He's got Jensen."
	"What?" Richardson said.
	"He's got Jensen. And he's holding him to make sure we don't try anything. If we 
make another move, he may . . . kill him."
	"Then what do we do?" Samantha asked.
	"We don't say anything," August answered.
	Lawson looked shocked. "What?"
	"No, August is right," James said. "If we tell others, especially the press, that 
Jensen has been kidnapped, chaos will really rain down."
	"Right," Chase said. "Our priority is to get to Riggs without him knowing we're 
coming."
	"And how do you suggest we do that?" Lawson asked.
	Chase was about to reply when his phone rang again. "McDonald. Alex? What's wrong? 
Wait, wait. Slow down. At your place? Oh, God. No, just--just stay there, and don't move. 
I'm on my way." He hung up and looked at August. "That was Alex. The guards are dead. 
Someone's in the house."
	August hurried after him down the hall.



Chase was relieved when he came around the bend in the road and saw Alex's house. It was 
the first time he'd been angry with the fact she lived so far out of Los Angeles. But he 
was here now. He and August climbed out and hurried up the steps, passing the car with 
the two dead guards inside.
	The front door was kicked in. Chase entered first with his gun drawn. He listened, 
but didn't hear anything. He motioned for August and gestured that he would go upstairs, 
and started up the steps slowly. He was glad much of the house, with the exception of 
the living room, dining room, and kitchen, was carpeted, as it helped silence his steps.
	August moved through the dining room and into the kitchen. There was food on the 
countertop. Someone had been making sandwiches from the look of things. He adjusted his 
grip on his gun and moved into the next room.
	Chase peered around the corner and looked down the hall. Some doors were open, 
others were shut, but the hall itself was empty. Whenever he came to an open door, he'd 
switch sides and press his back against the opposite wall to give himself a slightly 
better angle to look in.
	At the end of the hall was the door to the master bedroom. He put his hand on the 
knob and turned, easing it open slowly and peering in. Something swung down in front of 
him, and he grabbed out at it and pulled it around. It was Alex's arm, and she was 
clutching a flower vase. "Chase," she said, embracing him.
	"Are you okay?"
	She nodded. "Yes."
	He pulled back and said, "How many where there?"
	"Two, I think."
	"Are they still here?"
	"I don't know. I haven't heard any cars leave."
	"Okay. Come on."
	He took her by the hand and lead her back down the hall. At the end they headed for 
the stairs, walking on the open hallway that looked out over the front room. "Chase!" she 
shouted.
	He looked in time to see someone standing inside the front door with a shotgun and 
ducked, pulling her down with him just as the gunshot rang out. The wall above them and 
the front of the solid hallway railing was peppered with buckshot. "August!" he yelled.
	"Chase!" she shouted.
	He followed her finger to the opposite end of the hall, where a second man was 
charging from. Chase fired twice. He stumbled forward with a yell and slumped against the 
wall, then turned and tumbled over the retaining wall, falling and crashing onto the 
coffee table below.
	August emerged from a door behind the stairs, saw the man in the front doorway, and 
threw himself down onto a series of recessed steps that fell below the rear of the front 
room. The gunman fired, and August heard buckshot spray the wall.
	Chase risked looking over and opened fire. The shooter threw the shotgun down 
and stepped outside onto the porch, drawing a pistol from his jacket and returning fire 
around the side of the doorframe. Chase ducked as bullets hit the top of the railing. 
"We can't get out that way," he said. "Where's your Jeep?"
	"In the garage."
	"You got your keys?"
	She reached into her pocket and said, "Yeah."
	"Good. Get ready to run. August, you hear me?"
	"Yeah!" he shouted over the gunfire.
	"Can you get to the garage?"
	"I think so!"
	"Good! We'll meet you there! Go!"
	Firing randomly toward the front door, August jumped to his feet and bolted through 
the doorway he had come out of. Chase did the same, standing and running down the open 
hall, firing blindly down at the door as he pulled Alex behind him.
	August reached the garage moments before they did and was already climbing into the 
backseat. Chase took the keys from Alex and climbed behind the wheel as she took the 
passenger seat. "You may need to give us cover from back there, August," he said, jamming 
the key into the ignition.
	"That's the idea."
	Chase turned the key, and the engine roared to life. Alex pointed. "What about the 
garage door?"
	With a crash, Chase plowed through it, rocking the vehicle. "I'll buy you a new one," 
he said, shifting gears as he tore down the driveway.
	The shooter was coming off the front porch as they neared the front of the house. 
He ran into the driveway as they raced pass and started shooting. August returned fire, 
shooting holes in the clear plastic rear window. "Sorry," he said.
	Up ahead, Chase saw a car coming head-on, swerving to block their path. The doors 
opened, and two men climbed out. Asa Cross raised a machine gun. Chase shouted, "Hang on!"
	He veered off the driveway and broke through the fence that circled the large front 
yard. Asa ran to the opening and cut lose with the machine gun. Chunks of lawn were thrown 
up around the Jeep from bullets and spinning tires. Chase fought to keep control of it as 
they bounced across the wet lawn. Alex yelled and gripped the door handle tight as they 
crashed through a small gazebo. August was being tossed around in the backseat. "Damn it, 
Mac!"
	"Sorry, August."
	The Jeep climbed a small incline before bursting through the fence on the opposite 
side of the yard and landing on the driveway again, then turning a corner and disappearing 
behind a growth of trees as it made for the main road.



Joshua was standing at the window of his office when Asa entered. He turned. "Please tell 
me what I want to hear." When he saw the expression on Asa's face, he sighed and looked 
down. "McDonald," he said, putting his hands on the back of his chair. "McDonald!" He 
threw the chair aside, crashing it to the floor. "What happened?"
	"McDonald and his partner arrived before we could find the girl," he said. "We 
almost had them, but they got away. Why did you want the girl? We have their captain."
	"Because it would also be good for us to have someone he's intimate with. Did they 
see you?"
	Asa didn't reply. He didn't want to. In all his life, he had never been intimidated 
by anyone. But Joshua was the first person who did, and he did not want to answer this 
question.
	"Did they see you!?"
	"Yes," he said after a moment.
	Joshua turned back to the window.
	"I wasn't expecting them to get away the way they did."
	Joshua turned, holding a hand up for him to be silent. He walked around the desk 
and put a hand on Asa's shoulder. "If they trace you back here, I'll kill you myself." 
Asa felt the wind get knocked out of him when Joshua slammed his fist into his stomach. 
He dropped to one knee as he fought to get his breath back.
	Joshua returned to the window. "That's just a small example of half of what I'll do 
to you."
	Asa staggered to his feet, one hand holding his stomach, the other clutching a 
chair. "They won't get away this time."
	"They'd better not."
	"What do you suggest?"
	"Anything. Do it in anyway necessary. I don't care what it takes. Get them!"



James Harris entered his building and headed for the row of mail boxes in the wall. Before 
opening his, he pushed open the little slot lid to see if there was any mail. There was 
none, but he saw something else. He pushed it open further and tried to look inside. It 
looked like two thin wires twined together, one blue and the other red. He tried to get a 
better look, standing up a little further and moving to get more light, but it was still 
hard to see.
	He hurried up the stairs to his floor and quickly unlocked the door. Jennifer was 
in the kitchen cooking. "Hi, James."
	As if not hearing her, he moved directly down the hall to the bedroom and pulled 
open his desk drawers, searching through them. Then he moved to the closet and began to 
sort through the boxes on the floor, taking out a screwdriver and a Swiss Army knife. 
Jennifer was coming down the hallway when he came back.
	"What's wrong?"
	"Stay here," he said, and left.
	He descended the steps fast and saw a woman with a bag of groceries about to open 
her box, right next to his. "No, don't!"
	He meant to just move her aside with a light shove, but she lost her balance and 
fell, and her groceries spilled on the floor. "James, what the hell are you doing?"
	He was already at work on the hinges of his box's door. "Sorry, Janice," he said 
without looking.
	"What's going on?"
	He ignored her, moving on to the second hinge. He quickly had it unscrewed and 
carefully let the top of the door open an inch or so. He peered in, and his eyes widened. 
It was bomb. Small and compact, but powerful, judging from the design.
	"What is that?" Janice asked.
	"Just stay back."
	He unfolded the blade from the knife with his teeth and began to move around the 
wires with his fingers. Jennifer appeared at the stairs and leaned over the rail. "James, 
what . . . Is that what I think it is?"
	He said nothing as he moved through the wires, looking for the right one. Hoping 
he had found it, he folded it over the blade of his knife and cut it. The red light 
flashed off, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Letting the box door drop to the floor, 
he lifted the bomb out and looked at Jennifer with an expression of amazement.



August was asleep beside Kendra in the hospital room. The lights were off. A shadowy 
figured moved through the room, it's faint shadow falling over him briefly. He roused up, 
thinking he had heard a noise, and was about to close his eyes when he caught a glimpse 
of something to his left. Glancing over, he saw a man who was not dressed in any kind of 
hospital wear lowering a syringe toward Kendra's arm. His eyes widened, and he exploded 
from his chair. "Kendra!"
	The man looked up before he could insert the needle, and August was grabbing at him 
across the bed. Kendra was awaken by the yell and the jostling of her bed, and screamed 
when she saw August and the man struggling, the syringe still in his hand. August slammed 
the man's hand against his knee, knocking the syringe from his grasp. He caught an elbow 
in the jaw and stumbled back.
	An orderly came in. "What's going on?"
	The attacker grabbed the nearest object, a rolling stool, and flung it across the 
room, crashing into the young man and knocking him back out into the hall. August took 
advantage of the distraction and jumped on the man's back, locking his arm around his 
neck. The attacker wheeled about wildly and threw himself against the wall.
	August grunted as he was slammed twice, but kept a tight hold. He swung his elbow 
back, catching August in the stomach, and his grip loosened. He slid to the floor as the 
attacker went for the syringe. He came at August with it held out in one hand. Still on 
the floor, August made a sweep with his leg, knocking the attacker's legs out from under 
him. He fell.
	Another orderly arrived in the room, flicking the light on. August rolled the man 
over and saw that the syringe had stuck in his chest, and that at least half of whatever 
had been inside had been injected. He wasn't moving. As a nurse arrived with a security 
guard, August jumped to his feet and went to Kendra. She sat up and put her arms around 
him. "Are you okay?"
	"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. You?"
	She nodded, crying.



Alex was standing on the balcony of Chase's house, looking out at the darkened beach. 
She could hear the waves through the darkness. Chase came out behind her, put a hand 
around her shoulders. "How you doing?"
	"Okay. Considering. I was so scared today."
	"I know." He held her against him. "I was, too."
	"You thought you were going to lose someone else."
	He said nothing, just nodded. "I'm not going to let that happen again. If anything 
ever happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."
	She smiled and kissed him, a long passionate kiss. When they pulled away, she said, 
"Why don't we go back inside? Get out of this breeze."
	"What do you have in mind?"
	"Oh, you know." She slowly got closer to him, her two fingers walking up his chest. 
"Have a drink maybe, go upstairs, get a little . . . intimate?"
	"Ah, I think I see where this is heading."
	"Do you?"
	"Uh-hu." He gave her another kiss and walked inside with her, sliding the door shut.
	They didn't notice the light out over the ocean, slowly growing bigger as it neared 
the shore. The helicopter, still far off from shore, hung low to the water. The pilot 
hoped the sound of the waves closer to the house would mask the whipping of the blades 
until it was too late.
	They were already kissing when they reached the bedroom. Chase didn't bother trying 
to close the door as they moved toward the bed. Alex broke the kiss just long enough to 
pull her shirt over her head and drop it onto the floor, then returned her lips to Chase's 
and put her arms around his shoulders as he laid her back on the bed. He held himself over 
her for a moment, pulling away from the kiss to stare into her eyes, brushing a lock of 
hair from her face. "You are so beautiful," he said. She reached up and put a hand on the 
back of his head and pulled his lips onto hers.
	They embraced each other as the kissing grew more passionate. He ran his hands 
through her soft hair, and she rolled her head to the side as he nibbled at her earlobe, 
then kissed down the side of her neck. They rolled over and Alex, now on top, sat up and 
reached behind her to unhook her bra, smiling coyly. She was just about to unsnap the 
last hook when she happened to glance out the window. "Chase?"
	"We can talk later," he said, putting his hands on her thighs.
	She smiled and playfully slapped at him, but asked, "What's that?"
	He turned his head and followed the direction she was pointing. He saw a light out 
over the ocean and said, "Probably just a ship."
	"That close to the beach?"
	He shrugged. "It's a little closer than usual, but I'm sure it's just a boat." As 
he took a second look, he saw the ligther was grower, as if coming toward the house. He 
propped himself up with one elbow and strained to see through the darkness. "Okay, now 
that's getting a little too close," he said, and before he realized it, the light 
had gotten bigger, and the helicopter seemed to appear out of the darkness, turning 
sideways. A nearby light source reflected off a machine gun sticking out of the open rear 
door.
	Throwing an arm around her waist, Chase rolled off the bed with her and landed on 
the floor atop her. The machine gun sprayed the room with gunfire, throwing padding and 
shreds of bed sheets into the air. Alex screamed as debris fell onto them. Chase covered 
the back of his head with one hand, covering Alex as best he could. He heard glass 
breaking to the sound of automatic fire. The windows had been shattered instantly, and 
the furniture was either splintered to pieces or torn to shreds. Pictures were hit and 
knocked from walls.
	Chase looked up as the firing stopped. He glanced over the top of the bed and saw 
the man in the rear hurrying to reload. It knew it was his chance to move. "Stay here," 
he said. "Don't move until I come back." Alex nodded, and he stayed low as he hurried 
out of the room.
	In the back of the helicopter, the shooter slapped another extended magazine into 
the machine gun and cocked the weapon. As the helicopter repositioned slightly, the 
spotlight lit part of the roof of the house. Chase seemed to suddenly appear, jumping up 
onto one of the electrical boxes and opening fire with his own machine gun. The light on 
the bottom of the chopper shattered and flickered out.
	It turned sideways, and Chase jumped down for cover as the shooter returned fire. 
He crouched behind the large box as bullets tore at the roof. Jumping up at the next 
break, he fired back, hitting the open rear door. The gunman jerked himself back in, and 
Chase lifted his aim and fired at the blades. They sparked as the bullets hit them. He 
dropped his aim a bit and fired at the base of the rotor, and smoke soon began pouring 
out.
	The helicopter began to rattle as alarms started going off. The pilot fought for 
control as the chopper began to descend, but it was no use. It crashed nose-first onto 
the beach, and the entire helicopter erupted into a huge fireball that lit up the nearby 
houses. Standing at the edge of the roof, Chase felt the intense heat and raised an arm 
to shield himself. He watched the burning blaze for a moment as black smoke began to lift 
into the night sky, then turned and hurried back inside.

Asa Cross stood silently in the office. Joshua had just been told that the most recent 
attempts had failed, and Asa was fearing for his life. He swallowed nervously. Joshua was 
standing at the window, one hand in his pants pocket, the other rubbing his chin. "How 
much luck can one man have!?"
	The phone rang, and Asa had a moment of relaxation as Joshua turned his attention 
to something else. "Yes?" he said. "Wu, good morning. How are you? I . . . What? You're 
not serious? No, no, those are just minor setbacks. No, no, I assure you. There's--there's 
nothing for you to worry about. I understand your concern. I do, I do. Right. I promise. 
Thank you." He hung up. "McDonald is really screwing up my plans. Wu found out that our 
warehouses were raided. He knows we've been getting heat from the police, and now he's 
threatening to terminate our deal and head back to China."
	"Is he going to?"
	"He's agreed to give us until the end of the day to make good on our part, otherwise 
he's heading back tonight. I cannot lose this deal. With it, Wu can bring his gang here 
and I'll have more money than God."
	"What about--"
	Joshua held a hand up to silence him. "I do not want to hear his name again." He 
crossed the room, and Asa thought for sure he was going to get the wind knocked out of 
him again, or worse. He held up a finger. "You have one last chance to make this end. If 
you fail this time"-- he pointed behind him--"the top of that file cabinet will be the 
permanent location of your head. Do you understand?"
	Asa did his best to control his fear. "Yes, sir."
	"Good. Not get out there and kill them!"




DECEMBER 23
August got to his feet as Chase came into the station the next morning. "Chase, where 
have you been? I've been trying to reach you all night and morning."
	"Some of Joshua's cronies paid me a visit last night."
	"You, too?"
	"You, too?" Chase repeated.
	"Some son of a bitch came into Kendra's hospital room and tried to inject something 
into her."
	"God. Is she okay?"
	"She's fine. A little shaken. What about you?"
	"My assassin came in the form of a Huey helicopter. Alex and I barely made it."
	"And your house?"
	"What house? It's a gazebo now. The place is shot to hell. We spent the rest of 
the night at a hotel outside town. I would have called you, but I didn't want to take a 
risk."
	"Where's Alex now?"
	"Somewhere safe, with plenty of cops. Kendra?"
	"I've got cops at the hospital. And we're not the only ones. I talked to the 
others. Richardson was nearly run off the road last night. He rolled his car, but he's 
okay. Lawson's attacker broke into his house and tried to get him while he was sleeping. 
James had a bomb in his mail box, big enough to bring down the whole building."
	Chase walked to his desk. "Joshua's getting nervous. I know him. He wouldn't try 
to take someone out for fear it'll bring down more heat. So for him to attempt this many 
hits in such a short amount of time, he's really starting feeling the pressure."
	"Guys," Samantha said, coming in.
	"Samantha," Chase said, and noticed the bandage wrapped around her wrist. "What 
happened?"
	"Oh." She flexed her wrist a little. "Sprained it fighting off someone last night."
	"You, too?" Chase and August both asked.
	"The guy was in my house waiting for me. Riggs must be getting desperate if he's 
carrying out this many attempted hits."
	August said, "That's what we were just talking about."
	"Chase, August." James hurried in with a sheet of paper, a fax print-out. It was a 
mug shot and information on someone named Wu LoPan.
	"Who's this?" August asked, looking at it.
	James said, "His name's Wu LoPan. That fax just came in from Hong Kong."
	"Hong Kong?" Chase said.
	James nodded. "He arrived in the city yesterday morning. I talked with a Detective 
Chin in Hong Kong, he's the one who faxed me that. According to his sources, this LoPan 
has been rumored to be looking to move this crime syndicate to the United States. Chin 
said an informant of his told him LoPan had apparently left for the U.S., but he was 
unable to confirm it."
	"What does this guy have to do with--" Samantha started.
	"Rumor also has it that Wu LoPan is here for a multi-million dollar arms deal," 
James told her.
	Chase seemed to take notice. "And the only person in L.A. with enough firepower to 
raise the interests of a man half a world away is Joshua Riggs."
	A man walked into the room unnoticed, glancing about, holding a suitcase. As Chase 
talked he happened to catch sight of the guy. "What is it?" Samantha asked.
	"That guy over there," he said. "He looks familiar."
	August looked around his partner. "I don't recognize him."
	"I swear I've seen him before," Chase said quietly, thinking. Giving up, he turned 
back to the others. "Well, if this LoPan is here for an arms deal, you can bet it's with 
Joshua."
	James laughed. "Yeah. Too bad Riggs doesn't have any guns left to make a deal with."
	Chase glanced over again and noticed the man was gone. But his suitcase was sitting 
on the floor beside a desk. He looked and saw the man walking down the hall. Suddenly, 
everything seemed to click. "I know," he said, and ran off.
	The others looked up. "What?" August asked, but his partner was already gone.
	The man looked back and saw Chase coming, and ran. Chase jumped forward and tackled 
him to the floor, turning him over. "Gregory Mells," he said, then he looked up as if 
something had occured to him. He turned and looked at the suitcase, and pointed. "August! 
Bomb!"
	August saw the suitcase. "Everybody run!"
	The squad room became a panic zone as officers and personel ran for cover. August 
hurried down the hall with James and Samantha, Lawson and Richardson running for the rear 
hall. Seconds later there was an explosion. Those who were still on their feet were blown 
forward by the blast. August crashed into another officer and fell to the ground as smoke 
filled the hall.
	Emergency lights flicked on within seconds, their beams shining through the thick 
cloud of smoke and dust. Everyone struggled to get to their feet. "Everybody okay?" Chase 
asked. His voice was unable to mask the fact he had been scared.
	The replies came in mumbles that everyone was more-or-less okay. They coughed, 
waving their arms to try and clear the smoke, but it was useless. "We gotta get out of 
here," August said between coughs.
	Chase lifted the Gregory to his feet and said, "Okay, let's go. You've got a lot of 
explaining to do."



A short time later, while firefighters worked to extinguish the remaining fires and clear 
out the heavy smoke, the detectives temporarily relocated to another floor. They were in 
an unused office, their suspect seated behind a table in handcuffs. "Gregory Mells," 
Chase said. "I thought you looked familiar."
	"Who is he?" August asked.
	"Joshua and I busted him one time while we were working a joint case together," he 
explained. "Joshua sent you to deliver the bomb, didn't he?"
	Gregory said nothing. He just sat there, trying his best not to make eye contact. 
August stepped forward. "Why did Joshua have the mayor killed?" No response. He leaned 
in. "Listen, scumbag. You're ass is already nailed for the attempted murder of dozens of 
police officers, so you're not going anywhere. Do yourself a favor and spill it on why 
Joshua Riggs had the mayor murdered. It might--might--help you, just a little."
	They got no response, just a glance out of the corner of his eye and nothing else. 
Frustrated, August turned and left the room. Chase glared at Gregory for a moment, then 
followed his partner, shutting the door behind him.
	Samantha was waiting outside. "Anything?"
	Chase shook his head. "Nothing. He won't talk."
	"Hmmm. Let me give it a try," she said, and stepped into the room. "Hi."
	Gregory looked up. "Oh, what are you supposed to be, the bad cop?"
	"No," she said matter-of-factly, walking toward the desk. "The good cop and bad cop 
have gone home. I'm a different kind of cop."
	He looked at her suspiciously.
	"What's the connection between Joshua Riggs and the mayor's murder?"
	As with the others, she got no response. She walked casually around the desk, 
stopping behind the chair. "Are you going to tell me?"
	Nothing.
	She shrugged. "Okay," he said, and had him in a headlock before he knew it. He 
started gasping, grappling at her arm. "You gonna talk now? Hu? No? No? Okay." She let go 
and dropped him to the floor, then spun the chair around and set it over him so that one 
of the leg bars fell less than an inch above his neck, then sat on it, pinning him to the 
floor. "Now you want to talk?"
	"What the hell are you doin', lady? You can't do that!"
	"I just did." She tilted the chair forward slightly, applying just a small amount 
of pressure to his neck. "How's that feel, hu? Feel good? Does it?" She sat the chair 
back on all fours. "Want to talk now?"
	"I can't say anything."
	She returned the leg bar to his throat. "Not what I want to hear," she said.
	"Okay," he said between chokes and gasps. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll--I'll talk."
	She sat the chair back and stood, moving it then lifting him from the floor and 
plopping him back down on it. She walked around the desk and knocked on the door. Chase 
and August came back in. "He's ready to talk," she said.
	The detectives traded glances. "So suddenly?" August asked.
	"I have a way with words," she replied, then turned to Gregory. "Start talking."
	His coughing under control, he said, "Joshua ordered the hit on the mayor."
	Chase asked, "Why?"
	"A few weeks ago, one of Joshua's men double crossed him," he explained. "His name 
was Donald Parks."
	"Donald Parks," Chase said. "That's the case Richardson's got, isn't it?"
	August nodded and said, "Go on."
	Gregory sighed. "Anyway, Donald sort of had a change of heart and decided he wanted 
out. So he told the mayor what Joshua was up to. In exchange for giving up evidence on 
Joshua, Donald wanted witness protection and relocation. Joshua found out, and when 
Donald came back to his place to get the evidence, Joshua was waiting for him and killed 
him. Even though the mayor never got the evidence, he knew Joshua was the one behind the 
thefts, so Joshua had him taken out."
	Samantha asked, "Is Wu LoPan here to make a deal with Joshua?"
	"Yes, ma'am," he said. After what he had experienced at her hands, he wasn't about 
to tick her off again, so he decided to be as polite as his mother had raised him to be.
	"Is LoPan still here?" Chase asked.
	"Yes, but not for long. He learned that the police were giving Joshua heat, and he's 
threatened to leave the country by tonight if Joshua doesn't deliver on his end."
	"What about our captain?" August asked. "Where is he?"
	Gregory shook his head. "I don't know, honestly. Joshua handled that. All I know is 
that he does have him."
	"Does Joshua have enough weapons left to make good on his part of the deal with Wu 
LoPan?" Samantha asked.
	"Not really," he said, almost with a laugh. "But he did say something about planning 
another trip to get more."
	"Do you know when?" August asked.
	He shook his head. "No. But soon. He hasn't done it yet, I know that."
	Chase looked at the others. They had enough to finally go after Joshua Riggs. "Okay," 
he said. "When we bring him in, are you willing to testify?"
	"Yes," he said, after a moment of hesitation.
	As they left the office, Chase turned to Samantha. "How did you get him to talk?"
	"Ever seen Tango & Crash?"
	Chase seemed confused, but after a moment of thought said, "You used a chair on him?"
	"I couldn't find a piano," she said with a smirk, and walked off.



In Samantha's office, she was at the computer while they watched over her shoulder. 
"After the initial theft," she said, "the remaining weapons were moved. When the other 
thefts occured, they were moved again and again to different lock-up facilities."
	"Where are they now?" Chase asked.
	"I'm looking," she said as she typed.
	Chase happened to glance down and see a desk drawer partially opened. He spotted 
something odd inside and pulled it out. He looked at it in amazement, then turned it to 
show August, who also looked amazed. It was a copy of MAD Magazine. As if sensing Chase's 
finding, she turned and saw what he had. "Do you mind?" she asked, taking it away and 
setting it on the desk, then turning back to the computer.
	Chase looked at August, and his partner just gave an amused shrug.



The guard on duty stepped out of his kiosk as the car pulled up. Behind the wheel, Jensen 
showed him his identification. In the passenger seat beside him, Joshua sat with one hand 
inside his jacket, holding a concealed pistol on him. The guard gave the credentials a 
quick check, then pressed the button to raise the guard arm and waved him through.
	Jensen pulled down into the underground parking area. "Just keep your cool," Joshua 
said. "No need to get jumpy."
	"You're out of your mind, Joshua," Jensen said as he drove. "Do you really think you 
can get away with all this?"
	"Would I be doing all this if I didn't think I could get with it?"
	Jensen ignored his cynicism and pulled up near the main office, a standing structure 
backed by one wall of the building. They climbed out as another guard came toward them. 
"Captain Jensen," he said with a smile. "Haven't seen you down here in a long long time."
	Jensen tried to act calm and attempted a smile. "Been busy," he said.
	"What can I do for you?"
	"I need to get some specifics from weapons lock-up."
	"Not a problem." He reached into his pocket. "For you, I think you can let yourself 
in," he said, and handed him the keycard.
	Joshua, having walked around to the side of the guard, put two bullets in his back, 
dropping him.
	"You son of a bitch!" Jensen yelled, stepping forward.
	He raised the gun to him. "Not a word."
	"You didn't have to--"
	Another guard emerged from the office in a hurry, and Joshua dropped him with a 
single shot before he could get his gun unholstered. He unclipped a small walkie-talkie 
from his belt and said, "Now."
	Outside, a truck roared up toward the guard kiosk, and a grenade was tossed inside 
as it sped past and broke through the guardrail. The grenade exploded with the guard less 
than two feet away, and the kiosk went up in flames and smoke.
	Joshua was waiting by the car when his men arrived, brakes squealing. Asa Cross and 
two others climbed out and came forward. "Glad you could make it," Joshua said, then 
turned to Jensen. "Captain, if you'll lead the way."
	Jensen gave him a look of disgust for a moment, then reluctantly took the lead as 
he lead them toward the lock-up area.



"Wait a minute," Samantha said. "This information has been accessed."
	Chase leaned in over her shoulder. "What?"
	"From outside. Someone's already accessed this information looking for where the 
weapons were moved to after the last theft."
	"Have you found where they are?" August asked.
	"Right here," she said as the information appeared on her screen. "They were moved 
to . . . the evidence lock-up right down the road."
	"What?" Chase asked, but she was already out of her seat and moving toward the door, 
with the detectives on her heels.



As Joshua looked over the crates full of weapons, the pick-up was backed up to the end of 
a loading ramp. With the crates on dollies, Asa and the driver began to push them up the 
ramp and into the back of the truck. Joshua kept watch on Jensen. "Why are you doing this, 
Riggs?" Jensen asked. "You used to be one of us, for Christ's sake."
	"That's exactly why I'm doing it. Because I used to be one of you. When I retired, 
all I got was a lousy pension and a cheap gold watch. Why am I doing it, Captain? For the 
money." He laughed.



Chase rounded the corner and saw the entrance to the evidence warehouse up ahead, and the 
smoke coming from the guard kiosk. "Here we go," he said. August and Samantha both drew 
their weapons and got ready.
	He pulled past the kiosk and moved down the ramp, making his way toward the weapons 
lock-up. When he came around the final turn, the windshield spider-webbed as a gunshot 
rang out. "Hang on!" He gunned it and spun the car sideways, and they piled out onto the 
driver's side.
	Asa was hurrying to load the last crate while the driver kept the cops pinned down 
with machine gun fire. Joshua grabbed Jensen by the arm. "Okay, come on." He ordered 
Jensen into the truck and climbed in behind the wheel. Asa loaded the final crate and let 
the dolly roll back down the ramp as he lifted the bed gate shut and ran around to climb 
into the cab beside Jensen.
	The driver was running over. "Joshua, wait," he said.
	"Sorry. Only room for three, and I'm not staying behind." He stuck his arm out the 
window and fired, dropping his own man, then fired up the engine and stepped on the gas 
pedal.
	Chase and August attempted to line up shots, but Chase said, "Damn. He's got Jensen 
with him."
	"Run!" Samantha shouted.
	The truck was barreling down on them, and they dived out from behind the car. The 
truck clipped the front fender and spun the car around as it raced past. Chase recovered 
first and broke into a ran.
	The engine roared as Joshua gunned it up the driveway, shooting past what was left 
of the guard kiosk and bouncing into the street. Chase emerged from the warehouse moments 
later, jumping over debris from the kiosk and turning into the street. The truck was a 
great deal ahead of him. He knew he'd never reach it, but he kept running anyway.
	"Need a lift?"
	A car had pulled up beside him, and August was driving. "Move over," he said.
	"What?"
	"Move over. I'm driving."
	August opened the door and kept the speed up while Chase pulled himself in. With 
Samantha in the passenger seat, August climbed into the back as Chase shut the door and 
slammed the accelerator down, throwing August against the seat.
	Joshua was smiling to himself when he heard tires squealing and looked in his mirror. 
He saw the car in the distance and swore under his breath as he increased speed.
	"Mac, remember," August said from the backseat, "our captain is in that truck, so 
be careful, okay?"
	"Relax, August. Things will be just fine."
	Chase raced down the street after the fleeing truck. The back end of the car swung 
out as he hung a tight corner. Samantha silently pulled her seatbelt around herself and 
buckled it in.
	"Give it up, Joshua," Jensen said as Asa put a pair of handcuffs on him. "With Chase 
on your tail you'll never get away."
	Joshua ignored him, swerving around traffic as they neared city streets. He hit the 
back end of a car and sent it crashing into the side of another. Chase dodged the collison 
and kept on the truck's tail as he sped up.
	"Toss out some distractions," Joshua said.
	Asa opened the glove box, revealing some grenades. He grabbed one and removed the 
pin with his teeth, dropping it out the window. It bounced and rolled under a parked car. 
Chase was just passing it when the car exploded and lifted off the ground. "Woah!" August 
exclaimed, turning to look back as they raced by. Pedestrians ran for cover as it was 
flipped over onto the sidewalk in a shower of smoke and flames.
	Chase saw another grenade drop from the truck and shouted, "Hang on!" He yanked 
the wheel and drove around the grenade just as it explode. The shock vibrated the car, 
and Samantha instinctively jerked back from the window as the flames shot up beside the 
car.
	Asa was letting out another grenade when Joshua swerved to pull around a slow-moving 
vehicle. The movement threw Asa's shoulder against the window frame, and the grenade flew
from his hand, bouncing across the street toward another parked car. "Watch it, watch it!" 
August said from the backseat.
	The grenade exploded, turning the car into a pile of twisted steel. Sparks seemed 
to come out of somewhere, and suddenly Chase realized the telephone pole on the corner a 
few feet from the car had been damaged and was coming down. "Son of a--" He gunned the 
car forward, racing underneath the falling pole mere seconds before it crashed onto the 
street.
	Asa took out the last grenade, removed the pin, and dropped it. Chase was closer to 
them now, so he had less time to react. He spotted the grenade just as he drove over it. 
He swerved to get out from over it, but it exploded just as the rear end of the car was 
passing over. All three of them screamed as the car seemed to lift from behind and topple 
forward, crashing upside-down and sliding down the street in a shower of flames.
	Joshua disappeared around the next corner.
	When the car stopped rolling, the detectives struggled to pull themselves free. They 
could hear the flames crackling over their heads. The car was on fire. Chase unbuckled his 
belt and fell onto the roof, then helped Samantha down. His door was jammed, so he gave it 
a few kicks and knocked it open. He scrambled out and turned back to help Samantha. August 
was getting out on the other side.
	Chase pulled her to her feet. "Run!"
	"Good advice," she said as they ran.
	The car exploded. The force threw them forward. They landed hard on the ground, 
scraping their hands and knees. Chase struggled to his feet and helped Samantha up, and 
they leaned back against a parked car. "August?" he shouted.
	Through the flames, they saw August get to his feet on the other side of the car. 
"Yeah. I'm fine."
	Exhausted and hurting, Chase turned and rested his head and arms on the hood of the 
car. "I'm going to need a major vacation," he mumbled.

Wu LoPan crossed his hotel suite and took the phone from one of his men. "Yes?"
	"I now have in my possession the merchandise you had hoped for," Joshua said.
	Wu smiled. "Very good. But I'm still not so sure I should do business with you if 
the police are giving you heat."
	"I assure you, Wu, they will not be a problem. We can make the exchange at one of 
my unknown offices, where the police will not find us."
	Wu was silent, thinking. "Let me think about it. Call back in one hour," he said, 
and hung up.
	"Damn it!" Joshua slammed the phone down.
	"More problems?" Asa asked.
	"Wu. With the police breathing down our neck, it's really giving him the shake up."
	"Perhaps he should be given some motivation to comply?"
	Joshua made a wave with his hand. "No, that won't be neccesary. Wu is a smart man. 
He'll come around soon and realize what's best for the future of his organization. He 
wants me to call back in an hour. He'll let me know his final decision then."
	"What do we do in the meantime?"
	"Start moving all of our stuff to the waterfront warehouse," he said. "Whatever we 
can't take with us, destroy here. Paper shredder, fire in a barrel, I don't care. Just 
leave no trace of our presence here."
	As he left, Joshua turned back to the window.



"Where's Joshua making the deal with Wu LoPan?" Chase asked.
	Gregory squirmed in his seat. "I don't know."
	August asked, "Where are they meeting?"
	"I don't know."
	Samantha stepped in. "Where is the deal going down?"
	"I told you, I don't know."
	Samantha stood and looked at Chase. "May I?"
	"By all means."
	She had Gregory in a headlock again before he knew it. "Do you remember now?"
	"No."
	She tightened a little. "Now? Hu?"
	"No, no."
	She tightened some more. "Now do you remember?"
	He began to cough, gasping for air. "O--okay," he said between chokes. "Okay, I'll 
tell you."
	She released her grip and stood. August looked at Chase with a look of amusement. 
"Where's it going down?" he asked.
	"Most-likely, on the waterfront," he said, and coughed again. "He has an office 
there that only a select few know about. If he wants to get away from you guys to do the 
deal, then it's where he'll be."
	"Where at on the waterfront?" Chase asked.
	"At the Port of Los Angeles. One of the warehouses."
	Samantha said, "Which one?"
	A moment of hesitation, then: "Number five."



The limousine turned through the dock entrance and drove toward warehouse five. Attached 
to the front of it was a small office with a window and a door. The limo pulled up in 
front and stopped. The rear door opened, and a bodyguard stepped out, waiting while Wu 
LoPan exited. With the rest of his guards in tow, he proceeded toward the office.
	The door opened as he approached, and Asa greeted him. "Mister LoPan," he said. 
"Joshua is waiting for you inside."



Chase lead the convoy of cars down the road. August and Samantha went about loading their 
weapons as they rode. In the car behind them where James, Richardson and Lawson, followed 
by an assortment of plain-clothed and uniformed officers. The sirens cleared the road 
ahead of them as the convoy snaked through the streets, moving towards the waterfront.



"Wu," Joshua said, shaking his hand. "Glad to see you changed your mind and decided to go 
ahead with the deal. You won't regret it."
	"I'd better not. Where's my merchandise?"
	Joshua stepped back and held an arm out for him to proceed. "Right this way."



With silent sirens, the cars turned onto the dock one by one and began taking up position 
around the front of warehouse five. Chase climbed out with the arrest warrant in hand. 
The other cops emerged from their cars and set themselves up behind the V of their open 
doors, guns and rifles ready. Chase looked at his partner. "Okay, August. Let's go." With 
Samantha, they began walking toward the office.
	"Here's your merchandise," Joshua said, and flipped over the lid of just one of the 
many crates of weapons.
	Wu stepped forward and inspected the top ones, running his hand over their surface. 
"Good condition," he said.
	"We pride ourselves on stealing only the best."
	"What about ammunition?"
	"Not a problem."
	Wu stood, thinking. "I think I like what I see."
	Joshua smiled. "Very good."
	Inside the office, four men were kicking back in chairs, smoking, reading magazines, 
playing cards, doing anything to keep themselves occupied. They flinched when a knock fell 
on the door and they heard, "L.A.P.D. We have an arrest warrant. Open up." They looked at 
each other in panic.
	Chase and August were standing on opposite sides of the door with guns drawn. 
Samantha was on the other side of the front window, gun in hand. Again, Chase knocked on 
the door. "Open up, or we'll be forced to break in."
	The response came in the form of a shotgun blast blowing through the door. The 
detectives drew back as splinters of wood rained on them. They hit the ground as gunfire 
erupted from inside, shattering the window and tearing through the front of the office.
	Joshua looked up. "What is that?" Wu asked.
	"Stay here," he said, and hurried back to the office. He opened the door and saw 
his men firing out the window. "What the hell's going on!?"
	"Police!" one of them shouted.
	Joshua tensed, considering what to do, said, "Keep them busy!" then shut the door.
	Chase, August, and Samantha were pinned to the ground as the gunfire roared on over 
their heads. The other officers were unable to fire back because they were in the way. 
"We have to get out of here!" Chase yelled.
	"Brilliant idea, Mac!" August replied, and the three of them began crawling toward 
saftey.
	Suddenly, one of the roll-up doors in the side of the warehouse opened up, and 
dozens of men appeared, armed with weapons of every shape and size. "Watch out!" Chase 
dived forward, tackling Samantha to the ground as bullets tore in her direction. They 
landed on a pile of wooden moving platforms.
	"Why didn't you just yell 'look out?'"
	"Didn't you read my file? 'Man of action.'"
	The three of them out of the way, James yelled, "Open fire!"
	The gunfight erupted.



"What's going on?" Wu demanded as Joshua returned.
	"Nothing for you to be concerned with," Joshua assured him.
	"It's the police, isn't it? They're coming to get you for what you did to the mayor."
	"And they won't get me if we complete the deal so we can both get out of here."
	"Forget it," Wu said. "The deal is off. You're never getting out of this one, and 
the guns are as good as confiscated anyway. We'd never get them out of here in time. And 
I'm not hanging around waiting to get caught and shipped back to Hong Kong in chains."
	He turned to leave, but Joshua grabbed his arm. "Do not back out now, Wu."
	"Unhand me," he said, and tore his arm free. "You should have made sure things were 
good before you started this." With that he walked off with his bodyguards.
	"Wu, get back here," Joshua said. "Wu!" He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists 
tight in out-right rage. "McDonald!"



Chase was positioned behind a stack of oil drums, firing back at the shooters from the 
warehouse. "August!"
	His partner was pinned down a few yards away. "What?"
	"We gotta get inside that warehouse! Joshua's in there somewhere!"
	"I know, I know! How do you think we do that?"
	Chase had no idea, and flinched as a bullet struck the drum next to his head. He 
pulled back and looked around. To his left, past August, they could work their way around 
to the warehouse and use the various obstacles as cover: work vehicles, cranes, stacks of 
drums and crates, and other junk. He turned back to Samantha. "Stay here."
	"Where would I go?"
	He bolted across the dock toward his partner and reached cover just as a spray of 
gunfire hit the ground. "Are you crazy, Mac?"
	Chase ignored him. "We can get to the warehouse that way," he said, pointing.
	August shrugged. "It's worth a try." Getting to their feet, they hurried off.
	The police hadn't taken many casualties yet, but the other side had taken plenty. 
But it seemed like everytime one went down, two or three more replaced him. From behind 
his car door, James saw Chase and August making for the warehouse. "What the hell are 
they up to?" he wondered.



Chase opened a side door to the warehouse and stepped in. August shut the door behind 
them. They were in an unused storage room, the sound of gunfire slightly muffled. "Okay, 
now what?" August asked.
	"We split up. Look for Joshua. I'll go left, you go right."
	"Okay."
	They headed for opposite doors. August turned. "Mac."
	Chase stopped in the doorway and looked back. "Yeah?"
	"Be careful, partner."
	Chase nodded. "You, too."



Lawson ducked as a bullet shattered his door's windshield, covering his head as glass fell 
onto him. "Damn!" He glanced up and saw a car pulling out of the other side of the 
warehouse. He looked across the front seat to James on the other side. "James, check it 
out."
	James strained to see without raising his head too high and saw the car.
	"What do you think?" Lawson shouted.
	"Take out the tires."
	Lawson aimed his gun around the edge of the door and fired. The tire popped as it 
was hit, and the car swerved violently. In the backseat, Wu was thrown against the door. 
The driver struggled to keep control. Lawson took out the other front tire. The car lost 
all control and shot across the dock, straffing through the exchange of gunfire and 
plowing into a large cargo container. The impact was powerful enough to knock it back a 
few feet, causing the container on top of it to crash down onto the car, flattening more 
than half of it.
	Lawson whistled. James looked over at him slowly. "Nice job."
	"Thanks."



August moved through the hallway slowly, listening for any sound of movement. He found a 
door slightly ajar and pushed it open with his foot. Asa Cross turned and smiled when he 
saw August. "Don't move," August ordered.
	Asa took a step forward. "Ever since the restaurant I've been waiting for this 
moment."
	"That's make two of us," August said.
	His beeper suddenly went off, and he looked down out of instinct. He realized his 
mistake and raised his head, but it was too late. Asa was coming at him, his foot kicking 
the gun from his hand. August tried to block a punch, but he got in a swing and completely 
spun him around. They grabbed at each other at the same time, but Asa threw his weight 
forward, slamming August's back into the wall as his second pager went off.



Chase opened a door and stepped out into the warehouse itself. He stopped and listened. 
He sensed something, his eyes widened, and he turned just in time to see Joshua coming 
at him from the catwalk above. He squeezed the trigger as Joshua knocked his hand aside. 
His arm swung down as the shot fired, and Joshua took a hit in the leg.
	They struggled for possession of the gun, but Chase wasn't about to let it go. "You 
know, Chase? I always liked you. You were a good cop."
	"Were?"
	"Yeah. Because you won't be one for very long." He hooked his leg around behind 
Chase's and used Chase's own weight to topple him over, dropping him to the floor. Over 
him, Joshua slammed his hand on the floor, knocking the gun from his grasp and sending it 
spinning across the floor.
	Joshua took a swing, but Chase moved his head, and Joshua struck the ground. He 
yelled. Chase stuck his fist into his stomach and made him slump over, then put his foot 
against his shoulder and kicked him off. Joshua landed on his back as Chase scrambled 
to his feet and ran for the gun. Joshua jumped up and ran after him, jumping forward and 
tackling him to the ground.



An officer behind the door to James's left took a hit and fell back against his car. 
"Officer down!" James shouted and returned fire. It seemed like they couldn't get rid of 
the shooters at the warehouse. They just kept coming and coming.
	Richardson ran to reposition himself and took out a guy with an AK-47, while Lawson 
dropped another one.



August crashed through the side wall of the office, landing in the room next door. Asa 
came in slowly and towered over him as he got to his feet. He couldn't believe the timing, 
fighting Asa and having his pagers going off at the same time, which could only mean one 
thing: Kendra was in labor, and his first child could be coming at anytime. And he was 
afraid he wouldn't be there to see it.
	"Too bad," Asa said, coming forward. "I kind of liked you."
	August kicked his foot up into his stomach, making him double-over. He got to his 
feet and tried to swing, but Asa blocked and gave him a karate chop to the side of his 
neck. August fell over a desk. Asa grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. "Ah, 
don't go to sleep yet." He slapped him across the face. "Wake up. Time to die," he said, 
and buried his fist in August's stomach.



Joshua punched Chase in the side twice, then locked him in a headlock. Low next to his ear, 
Joshua said, "I'm sorry it had to end this way, Chase. But one of us has to die, and it 
sure as hell ain't gonna be me."
	Chase plowed his elbow back into Joshua's stomach, but it didn't loosen his grip. 
Nor did the second try. Reaching around with his right hand, he put his palm against 
Joshua's forehead and began to push back. Both men yelled as each applied pressure to the 
other. Chase was able to swing his left elbow back, catching Joshua in the chin and making 
his head snap back. His grip loosened, and Chase slipped out of his arms. He fell to his 
hands and knees, gasping for air.
	Joshua staggered to his feet, rubbing his sore jaw. "You always were the resilient 
one, weren't you?" he said, and kicked him in the ribs. Chase tried to get up again, but 
Joshua gave another kick, knocking him over onto his back.
	When he came in again, Chase swung his leg, knocking his feet out from under him. 
Joshua came swinging as Chase got to his feet, but the detective ducked and caught him 
around his waist, slamming him onto his back. He got two punches in to Joshua's jaw 
before he countered and knocked Chase off of him. As he came for him again, Chase put 
his feet up and caught Joshua in the stomach, using his momentum to flip him up over his 
head. Joshua landed with a scream on a flight of metal steps.
	Chase turned and grabbed Joshua, putting him in a headlock. He struggled to walk up 
the steps with him, stopping every couple feet to give him a sharp jab to the face. Near 
the top, Joshua punched Chase in the ribs and slipped out of his grip, then grabbed Chase 
and tried to throw him over the rail. Chase grabbed onto the bar and swung his elbow back.
	Joshua staggered up the last step and fell onto the walkway as Chase regained his 
balance and came after him. Joshua got to his feet as he charged and grabbed him. They 
struggled on the walkway and ran each other toward a window screaming. They crashed 
through and flipped outside, slamming onto a wood awning that collapsed under their 
weight, burying them in a pile of wood and dust on the dock at the rear of the warehouse.



A few officers at the front line were lying on the ground, injured but alive, yelling for 
help. Samantha made her way back to the car she had come in with Chase and August and 
opened the trunk, taking out bulletproof vests. She went around to the passenger side and 
stuck them in through the windows, then rolled them up.
	"What are you doing?" James shouted.
	"Just watch." She climbed in and slipped the car into drive, gunning it forward. 
Bullets riddled the front of the car. James and Lawson watched in amazement. She pulled 
around the fallen officers and hit the brakes, swerving the car in front of them and 
braking. She climbed out and knealed beside the car. "Come on!"
	Several officers hurried forward to collect their fallen comrades.
	James looked at Lawson. "She's good."
	"No kidding."



Asa stumbled back, wiping the blood from his lip. He looked at it and smiled. "Not bad," 
he said. "But is that all you're made of?"
	August charged swinging. Asa blocked and delivered a blow to his head, knocking him 
aside. August recovered and turned as Asa kicked at the back of his leg, dropping him to 
one knee. He went for a swing, but this time August blocked, grabbing his wrist and 
twisting. Asa yelled as August got to his feet, then spun him around, holding his arm up 
behind his back. He ran forward and slammed Asa into the wall.
	"That's what I'm made of."



Chase sat up with a jolt, a hand shooting to his side as he felt the pain move through 
him. He pushed away some boards and slowly got to his feet. He felt more pain in his 
right leg. He looked around the dock. Joshua was gone. But soon he sighted the limping 
figure at the edge of a bluff.
	Joshua looked out over the marina at sunbathers and yachts before skidding down the 
bluff over the rough, shrub-covered surface. His ears were tuned to revving motors, and 
he went in their direction. Chase reached the top of the bluff and looked down to see 
Joshua hobbling along a pier to a boat slip. Two relaxed and suntanning crews were tuning 
up their cigarette boats, laughing and egging each other on before a race.
	The first boat's captain looked at Joshua's twisted, bleeding figure and was concerned 
for him. "Hey, are you all right?" the captain asked.
	"No," Joshua answered, and drew the gun from his jacket, shooting the captain point 
blank. He toppled over the side. The rest of the crews fell away screaming as Joshua 
dropped into the boat and throttled it up. He started out toward the harbor, ripping the 
anchor rope from the pier. He was tearing off when Chase reached the pier and the opposite 
cigarette boat.
	With one hand pressed to the wheel, Joshua turned and fired, peppering the dock. 
Chase fell to the pier as the second boat's captain was hit in the arm. He fell into the 
water. The engine was still running. Jumping into the boat as Joshua tore past, Chase 
revved it and was off.

With his door full of bullet holes, James decided it was time to find better cover. He 
fired twice and ran for another car, but screamed as a searing hot pain shot through his 
shoulder. He knew he'd been hit as he collapsed forward onto the ground. Richardson, who 
was crouched behind the trunk of a squad car, struggled to pull him behind the car. "You 
okay?"
	James gritted his teeth in pain as he sat up. "I think so," he said. He pulled down 
the left shoulder of his jacket and saw the blood stain on his shirt.
	Lawson, meanwhile, was out of ammo. He looked over at Samantha. "You got any clips?"
	"I'm on my last one."
	"Damn." He looked around, as if trying to find something that would help, then eyed 
the car Samantha had driven forward to act as a shield. "Hey. You got a cigarette lighter?"
	"No," she replied, sounding as if she was confused by his question.
	He turned back to face the nearby cops. "Who's got a cigarette lighter? Anybody?" 
Nobody had one. "Geez," he said, then looked up as an idea occured to him. "Cover me."
	He was running before they had a chance to question him, making for the shield car. 
He knealed beside the open driver's door and leaned it. "Ha." He pushed in the cigarette 
lighter to let it charge, then moved toward the back of the car.
	Richardson and James were watching from around the back of their car. "What in the 
hell--" James started.
	"--is he up to?" Richardson finished.
	Lawson unscrewed the gas cap and took a handkerchief from his back pocket, shoving 
it into the gas tank with a long amount left hanging out. He went back to the door and 
reached around the steering wheel, grabbing the keys and firing up the engine. When the 
lighter popped out, he went back to the gas tank and held it to the tip of the cloth until 
it caught fire.
	"Oh my God," Richardson said.
	James said, "He is out of his damn mind."
	Dropping the lighter, Lawson hurriedly climbed in behind the wheel, dropped the gear 
into drive, and floored it toward the warehouse.
	Samantha looked over at James and Richardson. "What the hell is he doing?"
	The engine roared as Lawson sped toward the opening. The front of the car was turned 
into Swiss cheese by a hailstorm of bullets. He slumped low in the seat, ducking nearly 
below the windshield. When he was almost to the warehouse, he threw himself out of the car 
and rolled across the ground. The car continued on, and the shooters spread out as the 
vehicle raced it and hit another car, and both exploded into flames.
	Using the distraction to their advantage, the officers charged the building.



August slammed back onto the floor as his first pager went off again. Asa was on top of 
him almost immediately, locking his hands around his throat. August could feel blood 
trickling from his mouth. He grabbed Asa's wrists and tried to pull him off, but he was 
strong. He even tried kicking his knee into his side, but he just grunted and kept a firm 
grip on his neck.
	He clapped both hands against Asa's ears. Yelling in pain, Asa took his hands away 
to cover his ears. August planted his foot against his chest and kicked him off hard. Asa 
threw his legs over his head as he hit the ground and rolled up into a crouching position 
as August got back to his feet.
	He reached into his pocket and drew a switchblade, smiling as he expertly flipped 
the blade out. "So you wanna play nasty, hu?" he said. "Let's see how you like it like 
this."
	August heard his second pager go off as Asa charged. He spun sideways and grabbed 
his wrist by both hands. He looked at Asa as he tried to force the knife out, and Asa 
gave him a head butt.



The boat's spead peaked as Chase caught up to Joshua. He turned and fired. Chase ducked 
under the wheel as the windshield shattered. He crouched to steer as both craft charged 
toward a fishing boat cruising toward the shore. Joshua turned his boat sharply, but 
rammed the fishing boat's stern, sending both boats spinning. With a jerk, Chase veered 
to the left of the fishing boat, but was unable to avoid a sideswipe. His boat raced on 
its side, rose into the air, then smashed with a violent jolt back onto the water. Joshua 
floored the pedal, and his boated started off slowly as Chase brought his around to 
continue the pursuit.



James stood weakly, slumped against the frame of the roll-up door, as the officers began 
arresting suspects, while others were kept on the ground awaiting the arrival of more 
officers. Samantha walked over to where he stood with Richardson. "Lawson found Jensen," 
she said. "He's okay."
	"Thank God," Richardson exhaled.
	She glanced about. "Have either of you seen Chase and August?" she asked.
	"No," Richardson said.
	"I haven't seen them since they went toward the warehouse," James said. "They've got 
to be here somewhere."



August dodged the knife blade as it swung at him, moving left and right. "Come on," Asa 
said. "You gotta fight back some time. You can't just keep dodging."
	When he came in the next time, August dropped to one knee and kicked his leg up, 
planting his foot between Asa's legs. He grunted in pain and doubled over, the knife 
falling from his hand. August stood and slammed his knee into Asa, knocking him back. He 
crashed through the hole in the wall and fell back into the adjoining office where the 
fight had originally started.
	August came through as Asa scrambled to his feet. He turned in time to catch a blow 
to the face, spraying blood across the wall. August threw a quick left-right combo. Asa 
staggered back. He went for another left, but Asa caught his arm and turned holding it, 
snapping his elbow into August's stomach. He doubled over and Asa tried to get him in a 
headlock, but August turned and threw Asa over his shoulder. He landed beside the knife 
and grabbed it, glaring at August as he got to his feet.
	"Okay," he said. "Enough screwing around. This time you're dieing."
	August just waved him on. "Come get some."



Chase caught up to Joshua's badly-damanged craft easily, and the two boats raced parallel 
to one another. At point-blank range, Joshua smiled agressively, baring his teeth as he 
squeezed the trigger, but a sudden wave caused it to change direction. The shot hit Chase 
in the arm instead. He yelled and slumped over the wheel, clutching his arm. His boat was 
also affected by the wave, and both men over-compensated when they jerked their wheels 
back. The boats collided against each other and bounced away.
	Up ahead, Chase recognized an approaching craft as a police boat. "Halt. This is the 
police!" a voice boomed over a loud speaker.
	Yelling, Joshua raised his gun over the windshield and emptied the clip toward the 
police cruiser. He hit the driver, and he fell over the wheel. The violent swerve threw 
officers from the boat as it spun around sharply.
	Chase was coming in on Joshua when he countered unexpectantly, slamming into Chase. 
Chase leaned to the left as he rode his boat against Joshua's. He looked up and saw that 
Joshua was taking him right toward the back of the police boat. Joshua tore away at the 
last moment. Chase's eyes widened, and there was no time to do anything. He ducked below 
the wheel as his boat hit the back of the cruiser, lifting up and completely tearing 
through the conning tower.
	He heard wood braking and explosions as he clung to the steering wheel, could feel 
the warmth of flames on his back. The tower exploded as he plowed through. His boat looked 
as if it had been launched out of the flames, and then he was clear, airborne, sailing at 
least twenty feet above the water. His boat slammed hard onto the surface. He was amazed 
he was still alive. A quick glance back showed him the police boat engulfed in flames and 
beginning to sink.
	Ahead he saw the wake left by Joshua and opened the throttle.



August slid across the top of the desk and fell onto the floor. He stood weakly, feeling 
his knees beginning to buckle. He knew he couldn't last for much longer. Asa came at him 
with the knife. August caught his wrist, but couldn't keep him from slamming him against 
the wall. The knife was between him, and August knew that only one of them was going to 
come out of this alive. They stared into each other's eyes as they struggled for control.
	Then there was a slight twitch in Asa's right eye, and the expression on his face 
seemed to change. His grip on August's neck loosened, and his hand slowly fell away. He 
stood for a moment, then stumbled back a step, and August saw the knife protruding from 
his chest. He seemed to look at August in amazement, then looked down at the knife. He 
fell to his knees and managed to utter a slight laugh of amazement before collapsing over 
onto his side.
	August slumped against the fall and slid down to sit on the floor. Moments later, 
the door kicked in, and Richardson entered. "August," he said, and hurried over to check 
on him. "You okay?"
	"Yeah," he said weakly. He coughed.
	"Where's Chase?"
	"I don't know."



Chase's boat was beginning to take on water, and steering was becoming harder from damage 
sustained. Quickly bringing his boat alongside Joshua's, Chase put his foot on the edge 
and vaulted over the two-foot distance, landing in the back. Joshua turned and tried to 
fire, but Chase was already crashing into him. The gun fell over onto the front of the 
boat. Chase climbed up over the windshield to get it, grabbed it with one hand, and 
pivoted to finish Joshua.
	But Joshua had found the anchor and was hurling it over his head as Chase moved to 
get into firing position. Chase fliched and turned to avoid it as it punched into the 
shell of the boat, sticking in place. Joshua was climbing over the windshield when Chase 
kicked him in the chin, knocking him back down into the boat just as they rushed under a 
low pier that barely cleared them.
	Joshua grabbed the wheel and turned the boat sharply. The gun flew from Chase's 
hand as he rolled across the boat. Joshua turned again, and Chase rolled toward the other 
side. A third violent turn, and Chase knew he was going over. He reached out for anything 
and clutched the anchor rope in his hand as he slid over the side.
	Chase was thrashed against the side of the boat as Joshua sped over the surface, 
laughing, thinking Chase had been pulled under. Chase lost hold with one hand and felt 
himself nearly pull away, but found the rope again and held on tight. The water stung his 
body as he was pulled alongside the boat.
	He managed to get his feet down onto the water and stand long enough to grab onto 
the side of the boat with one hand. Joshua happened to glance back and seemed to stare in 
disbelief as he saw Chase clinging to the side of his boat. Looking forward, he saw 
another pier racing toward them and made for one of the support pylons. Chase saw Joshua's 
idea and struggled to get back into the boat.
	He pulled himself up and fell over into the back seconds before the pylon flashed 
by. He jumped to his feet and tackled Joshua, slumping him against the wheel. It turned 
under his weight, the both men were thrown against the side as the boat veered sharply to 
the right, heading back toward the shore.
	Joshua turned and grabbed Chase by the collar, punching him across the face. Chase 
felt blood pouring from his mouth as Joshua hit him again and again and again. He managed 
to block the next punch and drove his knee into Joshua's stomach, doubling him over. 
Joshua came up and they grabbed each other, but Joshua saw the expression on Chase's face 
and turned to look.
	The boat crashed. It smashed head-first into the rocks of the breakwater, and the 
rear end lifted. Chase and Joshua were thrown up into the air, arms and legs flailing as 
they flew forward. The boat exploded as it turned over on itself on the shore. Chase hit 
first, landing hard on the wet sand. Joshua landed several feet away and felt pain shoot 
through his body. Both men lay motionless, dazed and immobile.
	Chase moved slowly, dragging one hand out from under him. His entire body ached. He 
had never been in so much pain. It felt like it would be impossible to move. He saw the 
gun lying on the sand a few feet away. He slowly pushed himself to his knees. Joshua's 
head was bleeding as he lifted it and sighted the gun. It took him less than a moment to 
realize that Chase was up and going for it. He crawled faster, but stumbled and fell 
forward onto the sand.
	Chase got to the gun first. On wobbly legs he stood, soaking wet, and stared into 
Joshua's eyes. For the first time ever, Chase saw fear in Joshua Riggs. He slowly stood, 
like a baby taking his first steps. In the background, police sirens could be heard. 
Joshua sneared, leaning on his good leg, holding a hand over the bleeding wound in his 
other. "You won't shoot me, Chase," he uttered weakly. "You can't."
	Chase discreetly made sure his footing was firm. He heard the crashing of the waves 
against the breakwater, felt the cool sea spray on his face. He took the briefest of 
glances at the spectacular clouds floating in the blue sky. Joshua had a rising sense of 
hope when he saw Chase's arm relax, dropping to his side. There was a prolonged moment of 
silence as the two men stared at one another.
	That's when Joshua made a move for something under his coat, and Chase fired. Joshua 
jerked and dropped to his knees, clutching his chest and staring at Chase, fell forward, 
and was still. Chase stood, feeling weak all over. His arm dropped to his side, the gun 
fell from his hand. A sudden wave of dizzyness came over him, and he collapsed to his knees, 
slumping in the sand. Behind him, he heard a car screech to a halt and the doors shut. 
"Mac!" a familiar voice called. It sounded distant.
	He strained to see August and Samantha hurrying down the embankment toward him. He 
tried to smile, a signal that he was okay, but he suddenly went lightheaded and fell back 
onto the sand.
	"Chase!" August yelled. His partner reached him and knealed beside him. "Chase. 
Chase, open your eyes, partner. Come on, man, open your eyes. Open them. Don't make me go 
through this again, Mac."
	Chase opened his eyes slowly and looked up at his partner. August sighed in relief. 
Samantha was walking back from Joshua's body. "He's gone," she said. A breeze caught one 
side of his jacket and threw it open, and she saw a small holstered pistol attached to his 
belt, the restraining strap unbuttoned.
	August seemed to ignore her. "You okay, Mac?"
	He swallowed. "Yeah," his said quietly. "I'm fine. You?"
	August got half a smile across before his hurting face forced him to stop. "I've 
been better." And then he collapsed from exhaustion beside his partner, breathing deeply, 
staring up at the sky. The sound of more cars arriving could be heard.
	"Today was a good day, August," Chase said.
	August nodded as best he could, recalling that time on the dock, after Chase had 
killed Bobby Cole. "Yeah," he said. "It's was."
	Then August's pager went off.



Moments later, both men were in an ambulance as it raced toward Los Angeles Memorial. 
Two paramedics were tending to Chase's wounds, while August was trying to talk into a 
cell-phone, shouting to be heard above the siren. "I'm on my way!" he yelled. "When do 
they expect it? When do they expect it? I know, I know, I'm trying! We just went through 
hell! I'll be there as soon as I can!" He turned the phone off and leaned forward. "Mac. 
Guess what? Kendra's in labor," he said excitedly.
	Chase smiled underneath the oxygen mask. "Way to go, partner," he said, his voice 
slightly muffled. He reached up with one hand and removed it. "You're gonna make a great 
dad, August."
	August smiled and held his friend's hand. "Thanks, Chase. You hang in. You're gonna 
be okay."



August rushed through the entrance of the Emergency Room as the paramedics wheeled Chase 
in on the gurney. "I'll catch up with you later, Mac," he said as they started down the 
hall.
	"I won't be going anywhere."
	August hurried to the front desk. A nurse at the counter looked up, alarmed when 
she saw his bruised face. "Sir, are you--"
	"Where's the delivery ward?" he asked.
	"Excuse me?"
	"The delivery ward, where is it? My wife's having a baby."
	"Oh. It's, go down the hall and take the elevator to the third floor. Turn right 
and you'll see it straight ahead."
	He was already moving before she had finished. "Thank you," he said.
	She leaned over the counter. "Are you sure you're okay?"
	At the elevator there was a line of people, visitors and hospital staff. He saw a 
door marked STAIRS and went for it. He threw it open and started up the steps, taking 
them two at a time. He flung the door to the third floor open and turned right. He could 
see the nurses station ahead. As he neared it, he saw the adjoining waiting room. Rosie 
looked up and saw him. She jumped to her feet and rushed over.
	"Where's Kendra?" he asked before she could say anything.
	"She's in there," she said, gesturing over her shoulder. "She's been in labor for 
awhile. The doctor said the baby should be coming pretty soon. What happened to your--?"
	Ignoring her, he brushed past and went through the doors, ignoring the nurse who 
yelled for him to stop.
	Kendra couldn't believe the pain as he screamed. "Okay, Kendra, okay," Dr. Grant 
said. "I think it's just about time to get this baby out."
	"August isn't here yet," she said.
	"I know, but I'm sorry. We can't exactly put this on hold."
	"Kendra."
	She recognized the voice and looked up. "August?"
	He was coming into the room, wearing a blue doctor's apron and untied cap. "Don't 
worry, baby, I'm here," he said.
	"I thought you weren't going to make it."
	"Me, too." He took her hand in is.
	"You're face," she said.
	Grant said, "Kendra, it's time. Now only push when I tell you to, okay?"
	She nodded and looked at August. He smiled. "It's going to be okay," he said.
	"Okay, Kendra. Push."
	She gritted her teeth and pushed, clenching her fist. August shouted as she squeezed 
her hand. "Ow, Kendra."
	"Sorry, August!" she said.
	"That was good, Kendra, that was good," Grant said. "Again."
	She pushed again, nearly out of breath by the time she stopped.
	"I can see the head," Grant said. "I can see the head. Okay, Kendra. One more push 
should do it. Push."
	She gritted again as she pushed. When she heard the doctor say, "Okay, that's it," 
she stopped and dropped her head back onto the pillow. Seconds later, she heard the sound 
of a baby crying. She strained to see, but couldn't. The nurse came over with a blanket 
as the doctor cleaned the baby up, then wrapped it in the blanket.
	"August, would you like to cut the umbilicle cord?"
	He went to the end of the gurney and took the scissors from the doctor, carefully 
snipping the cord. The doctor carried the baby to the other side and gently handed her to 
Kendra. "Here you go, Kendra," he said with a smile. "It's a girl. Congratulations."
	"Thank you," she said, almost in tears.
	August smiled. "Thanks, doc."
	Kendra held her in her arms and looked at her. "August, she's so cute."
	August leaned over. "Yeah, she sure is. She's got your ears."
	"And your eyes." She laughed to herself, feeling an overwhelming sense of excitement 
as she held such a small, fragile form of life in her arms. "What should we name her?"
	August thought for a moment. "How about . . . Amy?"
	"Amy," she repeated, saying it for herself. "I like that." She looked at the baby. 
"Amy it is."
	August put a hand on her forehead. "I love you," he said.
	"I love you, too, August." She kissed him.



					EPILOGUE:

DECEMBER 31

Just over a week later, it was a clear Tuesday afternoon with just a slight cool breeze. 
On the outdoor stage, a line of men and women in police uniforms sat in chairs as Chief 
of Police Max Colleary spoke at the podium. Chase and August sat next to each other, 
flanked on either side by other officers also receiving promotions. Chase's left arm was 
in a sling. A small butterfly bandage covered a cut on August's forehead, but his other 
facial wounds had healed well enough to conceal themselves to someone from a distance.
	Seated in the front row, dressed in uniform and holding their hats in their laps, 
where James Harris, Sam Richardson, Jack Lawson, and Captain Jensen, along with Samantha. 
The back rows were for civilians, family and friends. Kendra was holding Amy beside 
Rosie, next to Alex and Jennifer. Also among the crowd were Cragmeyer, Annie, and Judith.
	"August Brooks," Max said.
	To a round of applause, August stood and crossed the stage, lowering his head for 
the chief to place a medal around his neck. Both men saluted one another. "Congratulations 
on your promotion to Sergeant, Detective Brooks."
	August thanked him and shook hands, then returned to his seat.
	Max took the next medal from a man standing beside him and said into the microphone, 
"Chase McDonald."
	The crowed seemed to roar with applause. Not one for crowds, Chase was a little 
nervous as he stood and approached the podium. The chief placed the medal over his head, 
and both men saluted. "Congratulations on your promotion to Sergeant, Detective McDonald."
	"Thank you, sir." Chase shook his hand, turned, and returned to his seat.



That evening, a large CONGRATULATIONS banner hung from the ceiling of Sevens. Everybody 
was gathered: Alex, Kendra with Amy, Rosie, Captain Jensen, Samantha Cullen, James 
and Jennifer, Richardson, Lawson, Annie, Cragmeyer, Judith Sands, and even Dr. Samantha 
Morecroft, who had been unable to attend the ceremony but was able to make the party. 
They were all gathered not just for a post-promotion party, but for the New Year's Eve 
celebration as well. The rest of the tables were taken up by other people out to enjoy 
the New Year partying.
	They cheered loudly, the place filling with applause as Chase and August entered, 
medals still around their neck, though they had changed out of uniform. They had been 
given instructions to remain after the ceremony to take part in a photo session and 
possible interviews, of which there were many inquiring about the Joshua Riggs case. It 
had lasted for nearly two hours.
	Everyone came forward to congratulate them, with pats on the backs, slaps on the 
shoulders, and hand shakes. Jensen smiled proudly. "Congratulations, you two," he said, 
shaking their hands. "You guys have definitely earned this."
	"Thanks, Captain," Chase said.
	"Thank you, Captain."
	Alex came up and put her arms around Chase. "You looked so good up there on that 
stage," she said, and kissed him.
	"Hi, baby." August kissed Kendra, then leaned over to see Amy, wrapped up in her 
blanket. Kendra laughed as she swatted a hand at August as he tried to rub her nose.
	Samantha came around to Chase and said, "I have to admit, despite all the outrageous 
behavior and your undeniable maniacal style of doing things"--she smiled--"it was great 
working with you."
	Chase returned the smile and shook her hand. "Thank you. It was great working with 
you, too."
	As she walked away, Alex pulled Chase from the crowd and asked, "So, have you made 
up your mind?"
	He acted confused. "About what?"
	"About coming to England with me for awhile?"
	He smiled. "I know, I was just kidding," he said. "As a matter of fact, I have made 
up mind."
	She smiled excitedly. "And?"
	"I'd love to go."
	She smiled again and embraced him.
	"Careful," he said.
	"Oh, sorry." She pulled away, remembering his injured arm. "Sorry. I'm just excited."
	"Me, too."
	"But can you get away long enough?"
	"Hmmm." Putting his good arm around her, he walked back to the others. "Captain."
	Jensen was laughing at a joke James had said. "Yeah, Chase."
	"Seeing as how August and I solved the mayor's murder and all, do you think the 
mayor's office could see fit to give us some kind of reward?"
	"Like what?" he asked, as if skeptical.
	"I don't know about August, but all I'm asking for is a trip to Europe."
	"You want them to pay for a trip to Europe?"
	"Well, actually, the money part is already dealt with. It's just, well, I don't 
have enough vacation days built up to take a lot of time off to go there for awhile, so 
I was hoping maybe something could be arranged that would allow me to."
	"Ah. I see." He thought for a moment, then a smile formed on his face. "I think 
something can be arranged."
	Chase smiled and kissed Alex. "What about you, August?" he asked.
	"What about me?"
	"Have you decided if you're going to retire or not?"
	The others looked at him in surprise. "Retire?" James, Lawson and Jensen asked at 
the same time.
	"I'd been thinking about," August said, "with a baby on the way and all."
	Everybody seemed to be hanging in suspense. "But I have decided," he said. "And the 
answer is . . . no."
	While the others cheered, Kendra masked her disappointment well enough for her 
husband not to notice.
	"I may have a dangerous job," he said, "but the rewarding feeling at the end of 
each day still makes it all worthwhile."
	Priscilla Webster, the widow of Chase's first partner, Max, came over with a tray 
containing two full pitchers and a stack of cups. She was accompanied by a couple of 
waitresses carrying trays of food. "Okay, everybody," she said, setting it on the table. 
"Let the partying begin." The talking and laughter began to grow as everybody started 
taking their seats and reaching for food and drinks.
	Priscilla took hold of Chase by the arm and said, "Max would have been so proud of 
you, Chase. If only he were here to see it. Congratulations."
	"Thanks, Priscilla. But I have a feeling he did see it."
	She smiled and hugged him, then said, "Now have some fun with your friends."
	After dinner, the partying at Sevens was still going strong. Everybody watched as 
August stood on the stage, making use of the karaoke machine, leading everyone in a 
rendition of "Auld Lang Syne."
	"Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld 
acquaintance be forgot, and days o' lang syne."
	It was sung with lots of smiles and a doss of laughs whenever somebody messed up 
a lyric or hit a wrong note. His arm around Jennifer, James and her swayed side to side 
with everyone else as they sang. Chase was laughing as he tried to keep up, attempting 
to recall the lyrics since it had been years since he'd last sang it.
	August's completion of the song was met with a round of applause and whistles, and 
he gave a playful bow and said, "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week."
	"Do another one!" James shouted, and got everyone's support. They began cheering 
for another song, and August seemed to be considering it.
	"Okay," he said to great applause. "Any requests?" Several names were thrown out, 
some of which he didn't recognize. He looked through the stack of karaoke CDs to see what 
was there, nixing the ones there wasn't music for. "Ah." He lifted one CD. "Here's one." 
He set the microphone down as he removed the previous CD and put the new one in, then 
turned back to the crowd. "Honey, would you please come here, please."
	Kendra seemed embarrased that he had singled her out, but handed Amy to Rosie and 
quickly took to the stage to everyone's cheering. "What did you have in mind?" she asked. 
August whispered something in her ear, and she smiled.
	Chase looked at the others with an amazed smile. "You gotta be kidding me," he said 
slowly, in disbelief. "First, August, now Kendra sings, too?"
	August handed her another microphone and started the CD, and music began playing. A 
few people began hollering when they recognized the music, and August laughed. Kendra 
lifted the mike to her lips and began the first verse. "They say we're young and we don't 
know. We won't find out until we grow."
	August raised his mike. "Well I don't know if all that's true. 'Cause you got me, 
and baby I got you."
	Turning to face one another, they both sang, "Babe. I got you babe. I got you babe."
	Kendra: "They say our love won't pay the rent. Before it's earned, our money's all 
been spent."
	August: "I guess that's so, we don't have a pot. But at least I'm sure of all the 
things we got."
	By now, everybody was getting into their rendition, laughing and smiling, clapping 
their hands to the beat.
	"Babe. I got you babe. I got you babe."
	"I got flowers in the spring."
	"I got you to wear my ring."
	"And when I'm sad, you're a clown. And if I get scared, you're always around."
	"Don't let them say your hair's too long. 'Cause I don't care, with you I can't go 
wrong. Then put your little hand in mine. There ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb."
	They smiled at each other. "Babe. I got you babe. I got you babe."
	"I got you to hold my hand. 
	"I got you to understand."
	"I got you to walk with me."
	"I got you to talk with me."
	"I got you to kiss goodnight."
	"I got you to hold me tight."
	"I got you, I won't let go."
	"I got you to love me so."
	There were a few moments of music, and then they began to finish, singing together, 
"I got you babe. I got you babe. I got you babe. I got you babe. I got you babe."
	As the music faded out, their duet was capped with a thundering applause. The two 
of them laughed on stage, giving a bow. August put his arm around Kendra and kissed her.
	Later, near midnight, Alex found Chase standing outside. A cold December breeze was 
in the air. "Hey," she said.
	He turned and smiled, putting an arm around as she came up to him. "Hey."
	"What are you doing out here?"
	"Oh, I was just thinking."
	"About?"
	"About what it's going to be like spending two-and-a-half weeks in England with the 
most beautiful girl in the world."
	"That's funny," she said. "The other day I was thinking about the same thing."
	"Really?"
	"Well, actually, it was with the most handsome man in the world instead of a girl."
	They smiled and kissed each other. "This has been an amazing year," he said. "And 
not only am I entering a new year, but a new life."
	"Me, too. I talked with my agent this evening, and he said that Universal Pictures 
is interested in starting a working relationship with me."
	"Really?"
	She nodded. "They like a lot of my work and want to start planning some possible 
projects."
	"That's great. You're going to direct a feature. That's what you've wanted for 
years. Congratulations."
	"Thanks. I mean, nothing's set yet, it's just meetings that may go nowhere. But 
there's always hope."
	Richardson suddenly leaned out the entrance and said, "Hey, you two love birds, the 
ball is starting down."
	Everyone was gathered around the big screen television that had been set up for the 
night, watching the ball as it made its descent, lite up brightly. A clock was ticking 
off the seconds in the lower right-hand corner. They counted down with the announcer. 
" . . . Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Happy New Year!" they all exclaimed, raising their 
glasses and cheering.
	Couples were kissing throughout the room, including August and Kendra, and James 
and Jennifer. Cragmeyer looked shocked when Annie gave him a playful peck on the cheek. 
He put a hand to his face and stood wide-eyed, looking as if he was about to pass out. 
Jensen laughed. Richardson and Lawson, standing side-by-side, looked at all the kissing 
around them and seemed to look at each other with heartbreaking looks on their faces. 
Then, as if each had sensed what the other was thinking, they hugged each other and 
pretended to cry and wheep as if they, too, were a couple. "Lawson," Richardson said.
	"Sam," Lawson replied.
	Chase put a hand to Alex's face and looked into her eyes. "I love you."
	She smiled warmly. "I love you, too," she said, and they kissed.
	A few feet away, Jensen turned off his cell-phone and came over. "Chase, August."
	They both looked up from kissing the women they loved. "What is it, Captain?" Chase 
asked.
	"Sorry to spoil your New Year's fun," he said, "but there's just been a murder, at 
a toy store downtown. 1152 Dwight Road. It's yours."
	The detectives traded glances. "Okay," August said. "Let's do it."
	August gave Kendra a kiss and said, "I'll see you later."
	Chase kissed Alex. "See you later," he said. "We'll work out the details for that 
trip the minute I get back. And we'll finish what that helicopter interrupted."
	She smiled. "You bet."
	Chase turned. "You ready, partner?"
	"Ready as I'll ever be, Mac." They started walking toward the entrance.
	Chase climbed behind the wheel of his Mustang and fired up the ignition. "Think 
about this, August. Our first case of the new year is our first case as Sergeants."
	August buckled his seatbelt and looked up slowly, as if realizing it. "I know. It's 
got a . . . certain feeling to it, doesn't it?"
	"If you're feeling what I'm feeling, it's definitely a certain feeling."
	They smiled and saluted each other. "Sergeant Brooks," Chase said.
	"Sergeant McDonald."
	They laughed and shook hands. "Let's go catch some bad guys," Chase said.
	August set the light in the dash and turned the sirens on as they pulled away from 
the curb and raced down the street.