He’d just lit another one when the windows exploded and SWAT officers swarmed into the basement.

Fucking finally, Sam thought, expelling a sigh of relief that was short-lived when she saw Stahl calmly drop the lit match into the pool of gasoline that surrounded her. Motherfucker. Flames erupted only a few feet from her, the heat searing her face and other areas of exposed skin.

Two of the SWAT officers, wearing full riot gear, fell onto the flame, dousing it before it went any further. Three others jumped on Stahl, taking him down quickly as he screamed obscenities.

Sam watched it all happen with a detached sense of relief and disbelief. Was she actually going to survive after all?

“Is she alive?” a male voice Sam recognized in her heart and soul screamed from outside.

“I’m alive,” she yelled back, wanting to keep her promise to let him know as soon as she could that she was all right.

“Thank fucking God.”

For the first time in hours, Sam had reason to smile. “Don’t touch me,” she said to the SWAT officer who approached her. “Razor wire.”

“Holy fuck,” he uttered when he took in the sight of her tied to the chair and wrapped in razor wire. Into the radio transmitter he wore on his shoulder, he said, “We need some wire cutters in here. Stat.”

Smoke hung in the air, mixing with the smell of gasoline.

“Close call, Lieutenant,” Captain Nickelson said as he took in her predicament.

“Not the best day I ever had,” Sam replied. “Get me out of here, will you?” She had things to do and people to see.

“Hang tight. You’re bleeding like crazy and your face is unrecognizable. You’ve got a trip to the hospital in your immediate future.”

“I want to see my husband.”

“Not until we get you out of here.”

“Well, hurry up about it, will you? I’ve got to pee like a racehorse.”

Into his radio, Nickelson said, “She’s fine. Full of piss and vinegar.” He smiled at her as he said that. “Get EMS in here right away for her and one other vic.”

Outside, a loud cheer went up that she assumed came from her MPD colleagues. “Aww, they love me.”

“For some strange reason they do.”

“I’m touched.” In truth, she was elated and giddy and light-headed with relief—and probably blood loss, but why let that get in the way of a happy ending? She took great pleasure in watching the SWAT officers haul Stahl out of the room, kicking and screaming and squealing like the pig he was. While part of her wished they’d killed him, the other part of her took perverse pleasure in knowing what awaited him in prison. And this time, after he’d committed murder and taken a police officer hostage, there was no way in hell he’d be granted bail.

Farnsworth, Malone, Gonzo, Cruz and Hill came down the basement stairs. Freddie pulled on a pair of heavy gloves and produced a pair of wire cutters that he used to cut her free from the razor wire while the others stood back and watched, their expressions grim.

“Where’s Nick?”

“The Secret Service agent wouldn’t let him come in here. He’s waiting—very impatiently—for you outside,” Malone said.

“Why do you all look like you’ve lost your best friend?”

“Because we nearly did,” Freddie replied.

“I’m fine. It’s over. Nothing to worry about.”

Hill stood back from the others, hands on his hips, golden eyes trained intently on her.

Sam looked away from him, uncomfortable as always by the way he looked at her.

“Um, you should see what you look like,” Gonzo said. “If you could, you wouldn’t be saying you were fine. He tuned you up pretty good, huh?”

Sam would’ve shrugged, but there was the matter of the razor wire. “He tried, but I didn’t give him one ounce of satisfaction. I didn’t say a single word to him the entire time, but I did spit in his face. That was fun.”

Farnsworth turned away, his head bent.

Sam looked at Malone and nodded at him to see to the chief. “Did someone call my dad?”

“Nick did,” Freddie said. “He was relieved to hear you’re all right and glad he didn’t know you were being held all this time.”

Gonzo cut the last of the wires that surrounded her and grasped the edges to pull them apart. The wire strands fell into a pile on the floor. Next he went to work on the tight bindings on her hands and legs. When her hands were freed and the blood began to flow again, she gasped from the intense pain. “Fuck, that hurts.”

EMTs came into the room, carrying equipment and two gurneys.

“See to her first,” Sam said, nodding to Marissa. “He gut shot her a while ago. I don’t think she’s alive anymore, but I’m not sure.”

“What happened to the maid?” Hill asked.

“Marissa shot her when Edna questioned what she was doing taking me hostage.”

“So Marissa took you hostage?” Gonzo asked.

“She was in on it with Stahl. From what I could gather, they teamed up to discredit the department.”

“Christ,” Malone said. “What a partnership. So why’d he shoot her?”

“He said she outlived her usefulness. Is Jeannie here?”

“Yeah, she’s outside,” Freddie said.

“Tell her to come in here.”

He made the call on his radio and Detective McBride came rushing in a minute later.

“Lieutenant, oh my God,” Jeannie said, her eyes wet with unshed tears, “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“I need your help.”

“Of course. Whatever I can do.”

“I need to pee—urgently—and my hands and legs are useless.”

“Aw jeez,” Gonzo said. “I coulda gone my whole life without knowing that.”

Thankfully, Jeannie sprang into action, moving to Sam’s side.

“Wait,” one of the EMTs said. “Don’t move her until we assess her injuries.”

“I’m fine,” Sam assured her. “Surface stuff. You aren’t going to make me wet myself in front of my brass, are you?”

The EMT hesitated before gesturing for Jeannie to go ahead.

Jeannie lifted her right out of the chair and carried her to the bathroom.

“I had no idea you were so freakishly strong.”

“I’m running on adrenaline after the last couple of hours.” She put Sam down, waited for her to find her legs and then helped with her pants.

“This is kinda embarrassing,” Sam said.

“We’ve been through worse,” Jeannie said with a meaningful look.

“Yes, we have.”

“This has been the second worst day of my life.” Jeannie helped her onto the toilet, where Sam took the single most satisfying pee of her life. “Wow, you weren’t kidding.”

Her lower body ached from the relief and the pain of holding it for so long. “Had to go the whole freaking time and there was no way I was going to piss myself in front of that asshole. I was all about denying him satisfaction today.”

“Good for you.” Jeannie hesitated before she said, “He didn’t try to, you know...”

“Thank God, no.”

Jeannie blew out a sharp, deep breath. “Thank God is right. Nick is out of his mind.”

“I can imagine. I need to see him.”

Jeannie handed her some toilet paper. “Can you do this part yourself?”

“I hope so.” Though she had very little feeling in her hands, she operated on rote, going through the motions and hoping she’d done a good enough job. What did it matter? She was going to need the world’s biggest shower after this day.

Jeannie helped her back into her pants, which were shredded from the razor wire. “Can you walk?”

“I think so. I don’t want the press getting pictures of me like this. What can we do?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

She walked with her arm around Sam back into the family room, where a second team of paramedics waited for her. Marissa had been removed. “Is she dead?”

“Not quite but close.”

They got Sam settled on the gurney and began assessing her. At the sight of a large needle heading for her hand, Sam said, “Whoa, what’s that for?”

“An IV. We need to get some fluid into you.”

“Get me a bottle of water. No IVs.”