Wildfire snippet 3

 So, in a few minutes (or an hour or so if I get interrupted) I'm going to start publishing Wildfire. Hopefully B&N has their act together this time.

Anyway, I thought I'd pass on the last snippet for Wildfire beforehand. :)

Cat and Mouse

 

Cast:

Carmen “Cat” Santiago: Female jaguar cat burglar

Lee Cho: Jordan clone

Detective Tom “Mouse” Sloan: Robbery & burglary senior detective

Chief Aileen Bumpass: Chief of police for the capital

Glory Hole: Dark website where contracts are put up for bid.

 

Planet Limbo

 

“You are cornered, lady! Give it up! You aren't going anywhere this time!” Detective Tom Sloan said, leaning out the window to look at the shadowy being below on the fire escape.

Cat looked around, noted the alleyway, and saw the length in her HUD. It would be tight but she'd made that jump before.

Tom watched the thief turn, pull her mask down briefly to stick her tongue out at him, and then tense. “Don't do it!” he called out, instantly reading her body language and knowing what she was up to. “You won't make it!”

“Oh ye of little faith,” she said. “Just watch.”

She leapt backwards in an incredible somersault, spinning in the air before she landed on the fire escape of the neighboring building. She was up the fire escape as he cursed and called for backup to surround the neighboring building and expand the perimeter.

She climbed to the roof as police officers shined their lights on her from below. A police drone hovered nearby. She gave it a one-fingered salute and then kept moving.

She ran across the rooftop under the glare of the lights from the police air car and then ducked under a bunch of air ducts. The heat exchange for the HAC threw off their IR scanners.

“We lost her,” the police chopper said after a minute passed. “Yup, we can't pick her up. Expanding the search perimeter.”

“Nimble little minx,” Tom muttered with a shake of his head. He knew she'd won this round.

<(((@)))>

Cat managed to slip out from under the ducts and into the vent. She had planned the contingency hiding spot just in case. The temptation to continue to flee was strong, but she knew better. Someone running would attract attention. The drones and air cars might not be in sight, but that didn't mean they couldn't see the rooftops.

Instead, she waited, curling up for a satisfying nap.

<(((@)))>

Tom realized they'd lost her a half hour into the search. She was like a magician, damn good at disappearing. He stayed on site to deal with the forensics and the fallout through the night and into the morning.

She was good, damn good, he thought grudgingly over and over. That had been close, the closest he'd gotten to her yet. He was certain she was a female now. He replayed her brief speech and nodded. Her form said feline, obviously a medium-sized cat. Given how limber she was, she had to have some aerobatic training. He put that in her file as well as his other thoughts.

As expected forensics came up dry. The cameras had been messed with; she'd used some sort of localized EMP to knock them down to a blurry mess. The electronic techs said they might be able to get something out of it but no promises.

He'd heard that line before so he knew better than to hold his breath.

The CSI techs reported no DNA, no prints just like before. No hairs either, which was damned odd. She was good, very good; the best he'd ever seen. Clearly a pro, probably a member of one of the guilds.

<(((@)))>