Lena wanted to laugh. She wanted to call for backup, a negotiator, anyone. But Marcus held up a hand. “He’s wired the back room with something,” Marcus whispered, his jaw tight. “I see det-cord. If we rush him, Chen dies.”
Lena’s scissors blunted against his rock. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. She toed off her heavy-duty boots, then her thick socks. The concrete was cold. “Two down,” the Referee said, peeling off his lab coat. Underneath, he wore a neon-green bowling shirt. Strip Rock-Paper-Scissors - Police Edition Vide...
And so, at five minutes to midnight, Officer Lena Hayes found herself standing on an inflatable mat, facing a madman, preparing to play a children’s game for a man’s life. Lena wanted to laugh
The Referee’s paper wrapped around Lena’s rock. She felt a cold knot in her stomach. “Rules are rules, Officer,” he chirped. Lena sighed, unclipped her duty belt—the gun, the taser, the cuffs, the radio—and placed it on the floor. She was now just a woman in a navy blue polo and tactical pants. Marcus’s knuckles whitened. “He’s wired the back room with something,” Marcus
The man, who introduced himself as “The Referee,” didn’t brandish a weapon. He held a glowing, oversized tablet. On it was a countdown timer.