Keeping with Killers (The Salingers Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

surrender. He wanted to speak, to ask this man what the hell was going on. But the words were caught in his throat.
    The silver-haired man knelt by Howard's body, searched through his pockets, and then shook his head in disappointment. It looked like he hadn't even noticed Blake, who was still backed up against the wall. The man moved over to Wilkes's unmoving body, and searched his pockets too, retrieving a set of keys from the first one.
    Blake had trouble taking it all in. Too much had happened, and too soon. Was this man an attacker or a saviour? Why was he here? Whatever the reason, he was obviously well advanced in hand-to-hand combat, and he was jeopardising Blake's case of appeal. Blake wouldn't have a hand in this, and wouldn't want it to appear that way. As soon as he got out of here - if he got out of here - he would report it to the nearest officer.
    The silver-haired man pointed at him, panting heavily. He looked like a fighting machine. A furious one. 'You're Val's boy.'
    Was it a question? Blake didn't know, but found himself nodding frantically anyway.
    The mysterious attacker removed the fire extinguisher from the wall and threw it into Blake's chest, who clumsily wrapped his arms around it to catch it. The solid metal banged against his knuckles. He had never been good at handling pain.
    'Keep to my side, use that whenever I say.'
    'Wha–'
    The man moved quickly, as if nothing had just happened. As if this was an everyday thing for him. He grabbed the fountain pen from the table - the detectives probably wouldn't be needing it any time soon - and dragged Wilkes up from the floor, an arm around his neck, restraining him like a hostage. He put the pen to his neck, kept it there as a threat.
    Wilkes groaned, drifting in and out of consciousness.
    'I said stay close,' the man snapped.
    Reluctant, Blake moved closer.
    Silver Hair sprung open the door and moved through, dragging a semi-conscious detective with him. Blake caught a glimpse of the main hall. He didn't know why, but his eyes fixed onto a young man who looked to be a junior officer; the way he spun around on his chair and saw what Silver Hair was doing. It was as though his eyes were scanning the situation and, when they had acquired the information, there was a flicker of understanding behind them. Was that absent look the same as the one he had given?
    Blake snapped out of it, shaking his head. He fumbled the fire extinguisher as he stood, picking it up again. He hadn't ever thought that one of these would be so damn heavy.
    'Beside me!' The silver-haired man grunted.
    Blake caught up, fidgeting nervously. Was he really doing this? He scurried to the man's side, edging along the outer wall with their backs to it. More policemen turned to the commotion one by one, each with a unique look of confusion and alarm. He would have found it funny if he had seen it on TV, but the reality of it was frightening. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't give to wake up from this nightmare, warm in his bed.
    'Listen here,' Silver Hair screamed. The room immediately grew quiet. 'Anyone touches an alarm, this young gent takes a biro to the neck.' He stopped underneath a security camera, feeling around with each foot before he placed it. Blake almost walked into him. 'See above me?' he said, his voice lowered a little. 'Dowse it when I say.'
    Blake barely had time to blink before the command was barked at him. Silver Hair lunged forward, cutting across half of the room. Blake squeezed the trigger on the fire extinguisher, hosing the camera with a white blast of cloudy foam. He stepped backwards, still spraying. He understood now–it kept their faces off the camera. Eliminated any further evidence of their escape. Blake almost admired it, though he didn't know how much it would really do to help them.
    Who the hell is this man?
    Blake caught up and they kept moving. One officer tried to take a dive at them, but Silver Hair yelled quick enough for Blake to turn and spray the