Myles turned and saw a woman in uniform walking over to them. She was an African-American with dark braids pulled back into a ponytail.
“Officer Stowe,” Mac replied, facing her.
She stopped before them and motioned over to the street corner where another patrol officer was speaking with a few women.
“Those ladies over there came down here because they know who is in the house,” she said, rotating back to them.
She was calm, and Myles could see the wisdom and experience in her eyes. This was one beat cop who didn’t take no shit.
“They were watching the television and caught the news reports. They can identify the suspect.”
Good. All the cops had was his description but no name. He’d refused to give up a name from what Myles knew.
“Iker and Zain, escort them over to the command van. We don’t know the mindset of the suspect and don’t want him randomly shooting,” Mac ordered.
“Yes, sir.” Iker and Zain left with Officer Stowe.
“We’re giving this fucker one time to come out. This has been drawn out longer than necessary,” Declan announced.
“I agree. The longer we let him remain in there, the more he could escalate,” Myles said.
He glanced back at the house from around the edge of the BEAR.
This was the part of being a SWAT officer he hated the most.
Waiting.
Myles was growing restless with the waiting. They’d received an update that Ash had made contact with the suspect. Apparently, his name was Darius Sherman, and he had a mental history. According to his sisters, Lisa and Kim, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was off his medications. The house belonged to an ex-girlfriend of his who now lived with her new girlfriend.
“Mr. Sherman would not allow Ash to speak to the two women. We’re going to go in prepared to meet the worst.”
The team surrounded Mac while he gave instructions.
SWAT would do what they did best.
It was unfortunate that they had to assume the worst, and the suspect was not cooperating.
If he was indeed off of his mediations and a paranoid schizo, then there was no telling where he was mentally.
“We’re going to use a normal hostage extraction protocol. The front door will be the entry point. A few patrols will post up in the back to make sure he doesn’t try to escape through the rear door.”
Myles listened to the instructions of his sergeant. These were vital. Following orders was how they proved to be a successful team. They worked well together, and each trusted Mac to lead. Each man would be reviewing protocols and knew exactly what would need to be done.
Around him stood the men he knew would do their damnedest to ensure the hostages would be removed safely.
“Any questions?” Mac asked.
Face masks and helmets were pulled into place.
Myles willed his heart to slow down. Anxiety and nerves didn’t belong out in the field. He breathed in deeply and drew his semiautomatic weapon closer to his body as he waited for the phrase he knew were coming.
“SWAT, let’s hunt.” Mac’s voice rung out clear and concise.
Three little words put everyone in the mindset that it was time to do what they did best.
The team moved with their practiced precision. They worked together like a well-oiled machine.
Brodie arrived at the door first with his shield in place. Zain came from behind with the battering ram. Two good hits, and the wood splintered.
“CPD!” Declan’s hard voice shot through the air.
They entered the building swiftly in a single-file line with their weapons drawn. Iker and Myles were the first inside.
“Clear,” Iker called out, scoping his side of the room.
“Clear,” Myles echoed, his gaze sweeping the living room.
The rest of the team moved on, trusting Myles and Iker. Myles and Iker would fall back to the end of the line as they walked through the house.
“Hands on your head!” Mac shouted from the back room.
Myles braced for the sound of gunfire, but it never came. He watched Declan and Brodie go into the small room.
“Hostages. Where are they?” Declan asked.
Myles motioned for Iker and Zain to follow him without waiting to hear the answer. They still had to secure the rest of the house. They could never be too careful when in a hot situation. Even though they knew it was the two women and Darius, they had to be sure there was no one else in the house.
