The Crypt Read Free Page A

your statement at the police station.”
     
    “I’m not going anywhere with you. How do I know you aren’t all in this together?”
     
    The officer stared at her. “In what together?”
     
    “English boy over there just said that it was his job. What the fuck does that mean? Who are you people? No one follows me. You will never get the drop on me.”
     
    English turned away. He was evidently pissed that even a portion of the truth had been revealed.
     
    “In America you may have crooked cops but over here I am a member of the Rendorshag , the Hungarian police. I do not consort with the likes of these men.”
     
    “Bullshit,” was all Sarah said under her breath.
     
    The cop looked surprised. “Okay, you’re coming with me.”
     
    “Try it.”
     
    “Try what?” he asked.
     
    She could tell her confidence was keeping him at bay. But how far did she want to push this? She was in a foreign country. She didn’t know anyone. What would Hungarian jails be like? What was she even doing here in the first place?
     
    “I was obviously followed by these three men. I was hit in the face and I defended myself. I am a small girl out walking alone. Three men attacked me and you want to take me to your police station? If that doesn’t reek of corruption then I don’t know what does. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
     
    “How could you possibly stop me? There’s three of us still standing.”
     
    “As I said a minute ago, try it.”
     
    The standoff didn’t last long. The officer stared for a moment and then stepped toward her.
     
    He reached back for something on his belt. Possibly handcuffs or wrist ties. All that mattered to Sarah was that he left an opening. His chest and face were unprotected.
     
    Without thinking of the consequences, acting only on her inner call to violence that seemed to never be satiated, she lunged forward and jammed her thumb into the base of the officer’s throat in the center of where the collarbones meet.
     
    He instantly staggered back, mouth open and began the horrible sounds of choking for air.
     
    She knew she’d jabbed hard, but not hard enough to kill him. It would leave him gasping for a minute or two.
     
    The normal reaction for the person choking was for both hands to raise to the area of the neck. The police officer didn’t disappoint her.
     
    Her left hand dropped both shoes to the pavement as she bent at the waist, leaned forward and snapped the clip holding his gun. With deft hands she had the weapon lifted out of its holster and in her palm aimed at the other two men in less time than they had to react to her attack on the cop.
     
    “Stay back,” Sarah said as she aimed her new weapon in their general direction. In the same movement she flipped the safety off and slid her index finger inside the trigger guard.
     
    The officer was breathing better. A wheezing, raspy sound emitted from his mouth as color returned to his face.
     
    “I’m done for the night. I will back away and leave you to do as you please. If anyone tries to follow me I will take it as a personal threat to my person. In my defense I will be forced to shoot my would-be attacker. Are we clear?”
     
    The officer nodded right away. He wasn’t stupid. He knew who held the gun.
     
    English and his gypsy friend who still stood off to the side behind the cop only stared at her.
     
    “I asked, are we clear? Don’t be a fucking idiot. Answer the question or I will be forced to make you hear me. You don’t want to piss me off. I get ugly when I’m pissed off.”
     
    The cop turned to both men. He mumbled something unintelligible.
     
    English looked at Sarah and nodded almost imperceptibly.
     
    “No, you answer me. Are we clear? That is the last time I ask.”
     
    She still held the gun out at arm’s length. She adjusted its aim to focus on English’s face.
     
    He waited another moment and said, “Yes. We are clear. No one will follow you again tonight. But I will be