Perimeter guards maintained a strict schedule and shouldn’t make rounds for ten minutes. Time to smell the rain coming, listen to the distant rumble of thunder, and feel the prickle of hair raising on her arms and neck.
After slipping through the fence, they’d run fifty yards before reaching the building’s shadowy protection.
Nature’s cold breath grew stronger, the forecast of rain becoming more than a possibility, as if nature conspired with evil to thwart the McAllisters’ objective.
Luc’s muffled growl filled her ear when he snagged his TAC pants on the fence’s jagged links. Neither brother compromised his ego in lending a hand. She on the other hand, wasn’t hampered by testosterone and reached out to steady him, receiving a grunt in response.
Once he helped her across, he urged her back into a crouched position while Matt’s team passed through and wedged the links back in place. They couldn’t hinder a speedy escape by binding the ends. She prayed the wind didn’t reveal the gap. Time to go.
A quick nod between the men conveyed all the concern they wouldn’t voice. This was where they parted ways. Billy signaled Matt, who in turn led Lexi and Ethan to the west, each in a hunched run.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Deep in the shadows of the building, Lucas itched to rub the back of his neck. He’d gotten that same feeling the night street punks ambushed Millner. Now he wanted to protect a different partner and prayed the horrific past didn’t replicate in a like tragedy.
Lexi’s whispered words over his mic confirmed the building’s security monitors on a loop, and electronic doors unlocked as he scanned the space they’d just covered. Billy insisted on taking point, citing the guard’s approach from behind a more immediate threat with Luc the best shot.
He thumbed the cover over his watch to read the digital numbers to keep Billy appraised of their time. “Four minutes until the guard passes our point of entry.” If they couldn’t find a hidden passage into the building, they’d slip through the structure’s east door.
Billy stepped out of the shadows to inspect the wellhead indicated earlier on the plot diagram. Centered in a square flowerbed, it contained no fall flowers or dead stems.
Megan tilted her head after kneeling at the manicured edge. “It’s rubber mulch that’s been glued in place. This is weird, even for corporate types.”
“It’s a piece of misdirection.” Luc rested his fingers on her shoulder, using his touch to add reassurance. “The well doesn’t have a cap.”
The pipe stuck up twelve inches but lacked the normal configuration of a wellhead. Crouching low, Billy grasped the casing and used his weight to pull back. A small gap appeared. “Eureka. It’s a handle.”
“Matt, we’ve found the entrance. It’s a fake wellhead.” Luc’s soft confirmation received a one and two tap corroboration through the mic from the other teams.
“Luc, give me a hand. This bitch is heavy.”
“Wuss,” came the soft reply.
The crack widened several inches at the far side of the mulched area to reveal a yawning blackness ready to devour unwary trespassers. The deep abyss appeared never ending as Billy leveraged the opening wider. Once vertical the heavy lid remained upright.
Billy felt for the first rung of a ladder or concrete step. “It’s straight down and slippery. Watch your footing.” At the bottom, a tiny swath of red light from his mini-flash defined a narrow chamber.
Megan didn’t hesitate in descending into the black abyss, yet the movements animated Luc’s darker side. Fictitious fiends controlling giant imaginary superchips converted her into a mindless raging animal.
She gasped when Billy placed a hand on her calf to steady her descent.
“You’re fine, Megan. I’ve got you,” Billy whispered.
A clinking in the distance indicated the guard had discovered their entry point before a strong beam of light cut the yard in asymmetrical segments in search of intruders.
“Shit. We’re out of time. Damn punctual employees.” Lucas crouched lower and froze. If perimeter guards knew of the hidden entrance, they would’ve highlighted trespassers with little searching. The light cut dangerously close as Luc found the first step.
The beam strafed over him, then backtracked to find him half exposed. A split hesitation was all Luc needed.
“Hey. Stop right there.” On the heels of the order, the guard fired a shot. The loud pop failed to incapacitate or coincide with the pain of a bullet ripping through his chest.
Bet they have their own graveyard for intruders.
Billy snatched Megan back while Lucas hustled to get below ground. The second shot ricocheted off the wellhead just before it slammed shut.
“Fuck. Billy, get the other door open.” Neutralizing the guard as quickly as possible made sense, but the team held no tactical advantage. “We’re sitting ducks.”
Luc’s heart raced while damp fingers slipped on the metal rungs. The last time someone used him for target practice, he’d been at the cabin and was able to jump into action. The instinctive reaction had negated his imagination’s ability to conjure fatal outcomes. Kicking his feet out, he let gravity aid his descent into the musty tomb. “Megan, give me your dart gun.”
Light flooded the small room when Billy switched on his head lamp to examine their only viable exit. “There’s no visible lock. I don’t see how to get it open.” Cinderblock walls and steel-plated ceiling enclosed the tomb-like area and created a soft echo.
“Here.” Megan shoved the familiar.40 caliber dart gun in Luc’s hand. “If he’s wearing a vest, you’ll have to shoot him in the shoulder.”
“No problem.” And no pressure. “I got this. Help Billy open the door.”
“I’m trying. I don’t see or feel anything resembling a lever.” Billy’s frustration pulsed in the dark confines.
Above him, the dull thud of running steps ended with an ominous silence. After surging up the ladder with tranq gun in hand, Lucas waited for a slight opening before making his move. It takes both hands to open the access hatch, which will leave the guard vulnerable.
As soon as the gap widened several inches, Luc heaved upward to throw his aggressor off balance. Sudden added weight revealed the guard released his grip when knocked off balance.
Rising enough to aim, Luc’s quick survey included his quarry’s windmilling arms to stay vertical with his gun dropping near his feet.
If Luc missed the moving target, they would all pay the price. The dart flew true to his mark, in the scoop of the vest’s neckline. In follow through, Luc heaved the cover open and jumped out to nail the stunned sentry with a right hook.
Confiscating the employee’s gun and using ClickChip’s supplies to advantage, Luc cuffed him and took the radio. Since time was critical and he couldn’t safely lower the unconscious man into the passageway, Luc left him.
It was odd that no alarm had been raised. Any realistic protocol included an alert for backup before pursuit. Hearing no squelching alarm over the commandeered radio seemed out of place. “I’ve got one guard down. Did he call for backup, Lexi, Kilregard?”
The tapped signals over their ear buds indicated no from both teams.
“Lucas, we can’t leave him out there. Lift him down. He’ll be out long enough for us to finish inside.” Billy would realize that getting the unconscious man out of the entranceway would be more difficult.
“Megan, you’re gonna have to help. My leg won’t support the added weight.”
Minutes passed as they finagled the unconscious officer to the bottom of the small space.
“Mind his head, Luc. I’ve got his legs. Giving him a concussion after taking the trouble to knock him unconscious seems a bit off.”
“You worry too much. He’ll suffer no more than fuzziness from the drug. How’re we coming on access, bro?”
“I think this door uses an electronic key.” Billy shoved at the barrier, David against Goliath.
“Lexi? You on the other side? Is this entrance like the bu
ilt-in book cases in the office upstairs?” Megan’s plea contributed another film of distress in the tight confines.
“Yes, we’re downstairs, and I’m working on it. I just don’t see how to open it, yet.”
“Any word from the feds?” Billy asked, crouched by the door, searching the seam with his light while Lucas surveyed their surroundings for any type of lever.
“We haven’t heard otherwise, but they haven’t made it downstairs yet.” Matt’s murmured words indicated distraction. “Give us a minute to get the damn door open.”
Lucas nudged Megan aside. Grasping her hand, he returned her weapon. “Refill your dart gun. We may need it.”
Soft respirations enfolded the quiet with dark promise. They had minutes before the guard missed his check-in.
A low rumbled groan over the mic marked an ominous change. Male in origin, it could’ve been McAllister or federal officer. Gut instinct foreshadowed knowledge, disregarded fact, and channeled Luc’s thoughts into protective mode, regardless of the required path.
Matt and Ethan’s rummaging in the background stopped. The silence created more alarm than the low buzz now sounding their intrusion. Kilregard or Metger have run into trouble.
“Guys?” Billy and Lucas whispered as one.
Scuffling heard over their open channel didn’t sound like an attempt to open the door. “Matt, Ethan, you okay?” Luc considered the possibility of Morfran having lain in wait.
Seconds passed without a sound.
“Hunky dory, bro. C’mon in.” Matt’s voice. Chipper. “Lexi found the electronic key.”
Lucas and Billy stiffened. Matt and chipper didn’t belong in the same sentence.
Megan patted Luc on the back. “What’s up?” Her soft whisper overrode the shuffle-stumble ending with her taking a step back.
Luc squeezed her hand. Hard. Whatever lay on the door’s other side, it wasn’t good. He didn’t want to speak, thereby giving away her presence if not already known.
A heartbeat later, the click of a latch signaled dubious consent to proceed. Muddy shafts of light seeped through the small gap.
Unseasoned in aspects of breaking and entering, Megan wouldn’t realize the brothers would ensure the lights were off when entering the basement. Luc pushed her backward, conveying without words, the unknown threat.
With the door widened enough to pass, Billy stepped through, glancing to his right before raising his hands.
“If I don’t see the other McAllister in three seconds, this bitch loses her head.” The cold tone carried nothing but malice. Morfran.
Lexi’s low growl of frustration ended with a gasp. Scuffled steps preceded a thud and quick exhalation, as if someone had knocked the wind out of her.
“Not a good idea if you want her to live.” From the abyss of murky light and shadows, Morfran’s caution created utter silence, as if he commanded the universe and all its occupants.
Lucas stepped through the door and gazed left. Open space led to the lab. “You must be the infamous Morfran we’ve heard about.” It was a gamble to assume Megan wasn’t expected.
“Now for Megan.” Morfran’s smile contained arcane knowledge in need of deciphering. “Let’s see your hands empty and above your head.”
Luc swallowed hard as Megan stepped through the opening. To his right, as Billy’s nod had indicated, Ethan, Matt, and Lexi, each stood against the bookshelves. Morfran stood beside Lexi with his gun pressed against her temple.
“Now for your weapons, thank you. Place them on the cement and step back.” Morfran stood a head taller than Lexi, his gaze holding anticipation of death. “You’re the one who threatened this whole operation.” Morfran’s gun waved in Megan’s direction.
Desperate to take the spotlight off Megan, Luc shifted his weight before speaking, “You’ve been here all along. Waiting. How?”
“Not long. I knew roughly what time to expect you, Kilregard, Metger, and his two idiots.”
“And how would you know our numbers?” Luc inched toward Megan to shield her body using his greater size. With both her hands up, she must’ve tucked the dart gun in her back waistband.
“Drop it, Morfran.” The hidden door leading from Reinhardt’s office widened to let Kilregard step out. “I had a suspicion you’d be lurking down here.” Ambient light glinted off the barrel of his gun. Behind him, a younger man appeared at his side.
Instead of shock, Morfran smiled his pleasure at seeing the federal officers. “That would kind of defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?” Morfran lowered his weapon. “I wasn’t expecting you to bring company.”
Matt stepped forward and took Morfran’s gun. With each McAllister armed again, they could proceed as planned.
“And what purpose is that?” Lucas addressed his opponent, thanking providence everyone remained in one piece.
Morfran smiled as if holding the upper hand. “Why—watching you all die, of course. Though I must confess, I learned a little late that in deciding on Portland’s distraction, I should’ve selected you, Lucas, not Detective Millner.”
“Mother fucker. You targeted my partner? Why?”
“A multi-agency diversion. Drug wars should’ve kept everyone occupied while the bigger game took place behind the scenes. You see, we learned from our East Coast experience.”
“Not very well, apparently.” Matt sidestepped to bar Luc’s advance. “We have work to do—focus.” Turning to Morfran, he continued, “You’re awful forthcoming for someone who’s lost the battle.”
“Ah, but not the war.”
Ethan pulled Lexi in his arms, burying his head against her neck. “Jesus. Don’t ever scare me like that again. You hear me?”
Similar commands reverberated through Luc’s mind. No amount of close contact would remove the sight of Morfran aiming his weapon at Megan’s chest.
A metallic ding signaled the elevator doors’ opening on the opposite side of the room. A soft swish introduced Metger and two other agents who stepped out with guns raised.
“Ah, I see I’m a little late. Sorry. Had some details to manage.” Metger chuckled as he glanced across the room at Kilregard. “And what uninvited guest did you bring to our welcome party, Charles? I wasn’t aware you added anyone. Looks like you robbed the cradle for this job.”
“Just followed my instincts—I wasn’t comfortable with the numbers.” Like his mannerism, Kilregard’s expression held no remorse.
“One more body for the incinerator.” Metger’s sneer revealed a new vein of superiority as his gun waved in Kilregard’s direction.
You?” Kilregard’s words barely made it to the room as he sidestepped and raised his gun.
The single shot rang in chaos, with Kilregard’s body slumping against the wall. A slow-motion slide to the floor left a blood smear contrasting the whitewashed block.
Three feds faced off, with Kilregard’s partner firing at Metger. The older agent cursed before staggering back against the closed elevator door. Crimson gushed around the fingers held against his neck. The two agents at his side stepped apart, each taking cover behind file cabinets. A curse from Kilregard’s partner suggested he’d been hit.
“Megan, Lexi, get down!” Luc shoved Megan to the floor then took aim at the remaining agents-turned-traitor.
The exchange of rounds between the factions created a split-second’s hesitation where Morfran shoved Matt’s gun aside. The ominous clink of it hitting cement signaled the assassin taking the offensive.
Matt lunged at Morfran, preventing him from retrieving his gun.
Lexi bounded for her weapon of choice, her computer that had been deposited on the floor.
Against greater odds and with Metger down, the agent closest to the elevator pushed the control panel button. The door slid open after a quiet ding. Without hesitation, he charged through the opening and took refuge to its side. A heartbeat later, the doors slid closed.
“Fuck you!” The remaining conspirator popped up to shoot from a Weaver’s stance before ducking a
gain. Despite body armor, his exposed left armpit left a gateway to the heart. Though pinned and outnumbered, he continued to fight against overwhelming odds. Whether hoping his partner sent reinforcements or that his ego shielded him from death, he paused to swap out magazines after his slide locked open.
Ethan and Billy returned fire while Luc plunged forward to help subdue Morfran. From his periphery, he saw Megan retrieve her dart gun and aim at an entangled Morfran and Matt.
Each shot echoed in the confines, reflecting its kinetic energy after collision with gritty block walls. The sound reverberated and multiplied until mirror sounds merged to form a continuous and deafening cannonade.
Déjà vu. Luc had survived a similar scenario when hearing his partner gasp his last breath. Death exhaled an icy chill down his spine, reminding him of what he stood to lose. The voiceless rumble of mortality thundered in the repercussion of his roar. Morfran’s declaration of targeting Millner for death didn’t absolve Luc’s guilt but did yield a focus for retribution. He joined the fray between the evenly matched Morfran and Matt.
“Move to the side, Luc. Is he wearing a vest?” Three feet away and kneeling in a modified shooter’s stance, Megan waited for an opening.
“No.” Luc yelled.
Megan shot Morfran in the back. “Good night, asshole.” A wide smile depicted bloodlust in its rawest form even as the chuckle of contempt held a caustic edge. “This is a special concoction whipped up just for you when I took the bullet out of my dog.”
Struggle for the gun ended when Matt wrestled it away, Morfran’s strength waning. Shock on the assassin’s face gradually slipped into a frown before his eyelids closed on a groan. He dropped unconscious to the floor.
Luc took a step back. Something feral rose from within. “Never again, prick.” The assassin had intended to kill Megan and his brothers. For that alone, death was the only solution.
“The last agent’s down.” Billy heaved a sigh, surveying the carnage.
McAllister Justice Series Box Set Volume Two Page 25