An Encounter in Atlanta | Page 3

intersection and the guy almost tripped over his sword trying to scramble out of the street.
Cade stepped back from the window and looked to his left and right. There was only the Atlanta cop -- Avery -- standing next to him on the right. On his left, one person still sat by the windows, apparently frozen in stark, staring terror.
"Get away from the windows," said Cade.
Avery stepped back as Cade grabbed the frozen guy's coat to pull him to his feet and insistently repeated, "Get away from the window, dammit!"
The man's eyes fixed on Cade's Glock and he said nothing, but as bits of debris pelted down on the street outside the window, he stood quickly on shaky legs and tried to comply.
His knees failed and he wound up kneeling, then sitting on the floor. Avery came over to get a grip on the guy's other shoulder and they dragged him away from the windows.
The rain of unidentifiable debris slackened quickly and seemed to end, and Avery started back toward the window to look up between the buildings.
"Avery!" said Cade. "Not yet. Count to thirty before you go near that window."
Cade put his Glock back in its shoulder holster under his field jacket and looked around again. Nine people. Five men, four women. Two had apparently left the cafe.
He heard more debris-rain hit the street and buildings outside and saw Avery cast a wondering glance at him.
"Some of it had farther to fall," said Cade.
As if to punctuate his words, a car bumper slammed into the street, narrowly missing a black Lexus, and spinningly bounced out of view toward the intersection.
Glancing past the group clustered by the cafe entrance, Cade saw the two missing women hurrying past the reception desk and he took off after them at a trot.
He caught up with them by the elevators and didn't bother with introductions; they'd likely remember him.
Stepping in front of them, he said, "Ladies, get back to the cafe. You're witnesses to a shooting."
"I'm not going back in there!" the one on the right said in a near-hysterical tone. "I'mnot! You can't make me!"
Snatching her purse off her shoulder, Cade said, "I won't have to. The cops'll find you with whatever's in this."
Turning to the other woman, he asked, "Are you going to give me a hard time, too?"
Shaking her head slightly, she said, "No. I didn't think we should leave, but Judy..."
Interrupting her, Cade said, "Cool. Let's go, then."
Putting his arm through hers, he led the way back to the restaurant. After a moment, Judy followed. Cade turned the ladies and Judy's purse over to Avery, then stepped away from the group to have a look at the street below the window.
The street was empty of people. Between the blonde hauling the car upstairs, the gunshots, and the blast in the sky, most of them had at least had sense enough to get off the sidewalks and under the cover of the Rivage's drive-through.
The rent-a-cop who'd been directing foot traffic across the street between the hotels was one of those under cover. Cade whistled to get his attention and pointed to the body on the sidewalk, then yelled that he should keep people away from it. The guy nodded and headed toward the body. Cade went back to Avery, who was talking to someone on his radio.
Avery finished his immediate conversation, then turned to Cade and said, "Teams five and nine got lucky, too. Two dead and one in custody. The guys on the roof are coming down, so we'll have some help here in a few minutes."
Nodding, Cade said, "I'll go out and keep the tourists away from the one on the sidewalk."
Extending a hand, Avery said, "Okay. Hey, if I don't see you again, it's been good working with you. Why won't they tell us where you extra guys came from?"
Shaking Avery's hand, Cade said, "Damned if I know. I'm from Florida, if it helps any."
"Oh, yeah," laughed Avery. "That helps a bunch."
"Great. Later, then."
Moving past the coffee bar, Cade stopped and looked around for the attendant, then knocked on the counter. A man in a suit separated himself from the crowd by the door and came to say that the coffee bar was closed.
"You're management?" asked Cade.
"Yes, sir. Look, we're rather busy at the moment..."
"I'm the guy who shot out your window and I have to go guard a body on the sidewalk. How much is a coffee to go?"
The man seemed to have to find a way to attach the two concepts in his mind before he said, "Uh, just take one, sir."
"Thanks. Why not offer all those spooked people a cup, too? It'll look great on your record if you take charge and keep them quiet and happy until all the note-taking is finished."
The guy glanced