“Three minutes,” he announced. “Remember the key beats. Robbery at :00. Chase reaches the Pier at :07. Barricade by :12. No shooting until the undercover gives the code phrase: 'The tide is coming in.' It’s cheesy, but it works.”

The offending SUV vanished. A moment of silence fell over the pier.

He slammed on his brakes, jumped out, and raised a combat rifle.

The city was a symphony of chaos, and Jay hated it.

The suspect’s car screeched to a halt at the Pier entrance. The three “hostages,” who had been hiding behind a hot dog stand, ran screaming into the scene. /me trips on a stray seagull. /me cries for her mother. Jay nearly laughed. They had listened.

“Hold, Car One,” Jay said, a spike of tension in his gut. “We have local PD in the AO. Let him clear.”

“Reaching the Pier in 3… 2… 1… now,” Mikey said. “Barricading in the archway.”