Denver Overrun (Denver Burning Book 4) Read Online Free PDF

point of tears, although she would never let anyone see her losing control of her emotions. She had always taken satisfaction in being the face of justice and order, the reassuring figure that showed everyone how good had firm control over evil on this side of the world. Now that arrangement had been undermined, and there was a sense lingering in the smoky air that it remained to be determined whether good or evil might now have its day.
    The civilians that saw them, those who dared poke their heads out, pled for assistance and news. The two police officers didn't have much to offer of either. They provided some first aid to one woman whose car had smashed into a wall when its engine died. She was grateful, and they advised her family to treat her for shock and stay low for the rest of the evening. But farther on, a man got combative, demanding answers they couldn't give, and Andrews had to draw his weapon to get the man to back off. They chased another couple of punks away from a convenience store whose owner had closed it and left.
    As the sun drooped behind the buildings, they came to a block on the western edge of their district and saw one of their squad cars. When they approached, their spirits fell. Officer Mason was inside, dead, seat belt still in place. He had been shot and his car looted.
    "We're not doing any good here," Andrews said, squatting on the curb for a breather. "Maybe we should head downtown toward HQ."
    "I don't think so," Alicia replied. "That's probably five or six miles. It would be dark by the time we got there. And I'm getting more and more worried about that big fire from the crashed jet. It's going to spread into our district if it burns unchecked."
    "What can we do about it without the fire trucks?"
    "Get people to safety. Manage the situation as best we can. That's our role. We need to run toward the danger, not away from it."
    Andrews nodded. "I'm with you. But if we see any more of those gunmen, I'm going after them. And I'm not stopping until they've paid for this." He gestured to Officer Mason's car.
    "Agreed." Alicia led the way back along the wide street that would take them to the fire.  
    As they walked, Alicia thought of her family again and wondered if they were watching the news, or if their power was out too. Again she felt grateful that they were out of harm's way-- she refused to consider the possibility that things could be as bad in Salt Lake City as they were in Denver-- and her mind turned to Andrews' family.
    "Andrews, you have a wife and kids?" she asked. She realized she had never heard him speak about it.
    Andrews walked in silence for a few moments. "No," he finally replied. "I used to. They're gone. I lost them both in a car accident."
    Alicia nodded. "I'm sorry. Well, at least..." She stopped herself before saying something insensitive, but Andrews agreed.
    "At least they're safe from all this. They're beyond the reach of evil now."  
    Something about the way he said this made Alicia curious, and she looked at him but didn't want to put her foot in her mouth again. This was the most she'd ever heard him say about personal matters, and she decided to let him say whatever he would at his own pace.
    "My daughter would have been twelve this year," he said, contemplating the sidewalk and they moved toward the smoke pillar ahead. "She and my wife were run off the road by a couple of gang members fleeing a drug bust. They were going ninety miles an hour down Hollister Drive."
    Andrews didn't say anything more for a few minutes, so Alicia spoke up. "I'm very sorry to hear about that, Officer Andrews. I guess I can see now why you joined the force. Did you try to get onto the gang unit?"
    "No. I knew I'd have a hard time controlling my actions if I got too close to those guys," Andrews replied. "I'm not in this for revenge. I just wanted to dedicate my days to reinforcing the good of society and suppressing the bad, so that my story isn't repeated so often."
    Alicia was about