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Ella held her ground, her own handssteady even as his clenched into white-knuckled fists. She could almost hearthe rapid drumbeat of his heart, the staccato rhythm of someone cornered. ‘I'mnot accusing you of anything, Mr. Puder,’ she replied, her tone even but firm.‘But there are questions that need answers, and you're going to help us findthem.’
Puder's pacing began, a predator'scircle, each step measured, deliberate. To Ella, he was an unread book withtorn pages, a story veiled in shadows that she was intent on bringing to light.Mia caught Ella's eye—a silent signal between partners—and they both knew itwas only a matter of time before the act played out.
Then Puder bolted, a sudden blur ofmotion that set the factory floor into chaos. Workers dove out of the way as hecharged through, his escape a desperate sprint for freedom.
‘Ripley!’ Ella called out, alreadyin pursuit, threading her way past bewildered faces and the hum of machinery.
‘Got it!’ Ripley's response wasimmediate, her own strides eating up the distance between them and theirquarry.
They wove through the mechanicallabyrinth, the clank and whirr of industry a dissonant soundtrack to the chase.Ella's focus narrowed to the fleeing figure ahead, her training kicking in,every sense heightened. Her legs pumped faster, her breaths drawn hard andfast, the distance closing inch by relentless inch.
‘Stop, Puder!’ Ella's commandboomed over the din, a clear note of authority amidst the cacophony.
But it went unheeded as Puderbulldozed onward, driven by whatever demons spurred his flight. And yet, Ellawas undeterred, her resolve as unwavering as the concrete beneath her feet. Thehunt was on, and she was the hound at his heels, dogged and determined.
‘Dark, watch it!’ Ripley's voicecut through just as Ella sidestepped a trolley laden with parts, her agilitysparing her a nasty collision.
‘Close!’ she shot back, her gazelocked on the back of Puder's head, willing him to falter, to stumble, to giveher the opening she needed.
The chase continued, a relentlesspursuit that would only end with the truth, however elusive, in their grasp.And Ella Dark would not be denied.
The space between Ella and Pudershrank as she darted past the obstacles of the factory floor, her athleticframe a stark advantage against his lumbering gait. Adrenaline surged throughher veins, a potent cocktail of determination and duty that drove her forwardwith unrelenting speed. She could see the faint outline of the shutter doors inthe distance, the gateway to freedom that Puder so desperately sought.
‘Can't let him get out,’ shemuttered under her breath, a fervent whisper lost amid the cacophony ofmachinery.
She knew the ramifications ofdischarging her weapon here – the ricochet of a bullet could spell disaster ina place like this. No, she had to rely on her agility and training; herinstincts honed from years on the force were her best asset now.
‘Dark!’ Ripley's voice was adistant echo, but there was no need for words. They both understood the stakes.
With a final burst of energy, Ellaclosed in on Puder just as he reached the gaping maw of the open shutter doors.She lunged, her body coiled like a spring, and grabbed hold of his thickworkman's jacket. The force of her tackle combined with his momentum sent themcrashing into the metal doors. The impact reverberated through the structure, ametallic clang that echoed like a gong of defeat for Puder.
He hit the ground with a thud, theair whooshing out of him, his body crumpling beneath Ella's grip. Withoutmissing a beat, she whipped out her sidearm and aimed it squarely at his heart.
‘Move and you're down for good,’Ella warned. Ripley arrived beside her, halting to a stop with a heavy bootagainst the concrete.
Puder lay still, his chest heavingwith labored breaths, eyes wide with a feral mixture of fear and rage.
It was the look of defeat. The lookof a man who knew the chase was over.
‘Ripley, cuff him,’ Ella commanded,keeping her weapon trained on Puder while her partner moved in to secure thesuspect.
‘You don't understand...’ Puderbegan, his voice ragged, but Ella cut him off.
‘Save it for the precinct,’ shesnapped.
As Ripley clicked the handcuffsinto place, Ella couldn't shake the grim satisfaction that came with knowingthey'd caught their man. But even as Puder was hauled to his feet, the weightof unanswered questions pressed on Ella's mind.
This was far from over, but she hadto remind herself that innocent people didn't run.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ella Dark stood rigid, her posturebetraying none of the adrenaline still pumping through her veins from theearlier scuffle. The metallic clang of the holding cell door reverberated offthe concrete walls of the Sturgeon Bay precinct, a harsh reminder of the chaosthey'd just quelled. Daniel Puder was now a caged animal behind those bars, hisheavy breaths echoing in the stark room lined with cells.
Ella made her way down thecorridor, out into the precinct. Ripley followed her, and they found Caldwellwaiting on the other side
‘Quick work,’ Caldwell remarked.'That guy has a lot to say, by the sounds of it.'
'That son of a bitch really testedme,' Ella said. She flexed her fingers, which still tingled from the struggle.She could still feel the ghostly imprint of her grip on her service weapon, thenear-decision to incapacitate Puder with a bullet to the leg.
