by Tee O'Fallon
He and Saxon charged down the hallway. Every beat of his heart made his chest throb, but he couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop. Not until he’d gotten Andi to safety.
Or died trying.
Just as he and Saxon got to the elevator, the doors closed. He shouted his frustration and slammed his fist on the metal door. The pain reverberating in his torso was so fierce he fell to his knees. Nausea engulfed him. His vision swam, teetering on darkness, and this time it took longer to clear. When it did, he noticed splotches of blood on the carpet in front of his knees. Dammit. He was losing blood quickly, and he couldn’t see or hear straight. His senses were royally fucked up. Soon the energy would drain from his body like air from a popped balloon.
“Nick, where are you?” Eric’s voice demanded from the radio.
Sucking in quick breaths through his nose and open mouth, Nick raised his eyes to the glowing succession of numbers over the elevator doors as it ascended. Though it killed him to wait, he did, watching the red numbers change as the car kept going up.
With the building on lockdown, he’d expected the elevator to descend, or at least stop on another floor. But it kept climbing.
Fourth floor.
What the hell was she planning?
Fifth floor.
“Nick? What’s your twenty?”
“Stand by,” he gasped, waiting for the elevator lights to stop changing.
The letter R glowed above the closed elevator doors.
“They’re on the roof.” Why, he didn’t know. There’d be no way off.
Saxon whined and licked the side of Nick’s face. His dog knew every nuance of Nick’s behavior. Seeing him on the floor, unmoving and smelling of fresh blood, wasn’t normal.
Keep moving. Have to get to Andi. She was everything to him, and he cursed himself for screwing up his priorities. Avenging Tanya’s death for his own personal reasons seemed so pointless now.
“Help me up, buddy.” He rested his hand on Saxon’s back, using him for balance as he pushed to his feet. When he was vertical, his vision darkened again, and he leaned one hand on the elevator doors, waiting for the moment to pass.
Frantic, he began pounding on the up button, because there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d have the strength to take the stairs three floors up to the roof. But the other elevator was on the ground floor where it would most likely remain during the evacuation. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
He half walked, half ran down the corridor, all the while pressing his hand on the wall to keep from falling on his face.
After backtracking to the same stairwell he’d come in from, he pushed open the door. By this time, most people from the upper floors were jammed on the lower landing, leaving the stairs above nearly devoid of people.
Again, his vision wavered, and his knees nearly buckled. He couldn’t hold himself upright, couldn’t find his balance. It was as if the entire building were shifting beneath his feet, but it wasn’t. It was his body trying to shut down. “No, dammit. No!”
He shoved his gun back into its holster and grabbed the metal railing with both hands. He let out a harsh breath, surprised that the pain in his chest had dulled to a bearable measure. A bad sign. When he stopped feeling any pain at all, he’d be a dead man.
I’m not going to make it.
You can, and you will. Andi’s depending on you.
Beside him, Saxon walked up the steps, his nails clicking on the painted concrete.
“Almost there, boy,” he said, although he was really trying to reassure himself that he was making headway.
Gripping the railing tighter, he picked up his pace, not stopping until he made it to the roof level. As he flung open the door, a strong gust nearly slammed it back in his face. He held fast to the knob, using it for balance. Men’s angry shouts came to him. Not the Feebs who’d taken point on the roof. They’d long since stood down after Myer was safely ensconced inside.
An angry female voice shrieked. Meera.
He eased open the door and was nearly blinded by sunlight. Squinting, he looked to the edge of the roof, and his heart nearly stopped.
Andi stood on the ledge of the building. Meera’s gun was pointed directly at her head.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Blustery wind whipped Andi’s hair in front of her face. She trembled, and it was all she could do not to lose her balance on the ledge.
Looking down, she swallowed the rising bile in her throat. A six-story fall would crush her bones and probably kill her instantly.
So would the gun pointed at her face.
“Get in,” Meera shouted over the screaming wind, motioning with the muzzle of her gun to the empty window washer’s cage dangling beside the ledge.
Even with the gun aimed at her head, Andi hesitated. The metal cage was about ten feet long and two feet wide, surrounded on all sides by metal railing but open on top. It swung violently back and forth, screeching as it scraped against the concrete wall. An even stronger gust caught the cage, twisting it and slamming it repeatedly against the building.
“Don’t do it,” a window washer warned. The man, along with his partner, stood with their hands in the air. “It’s way too windy. You’ll get thrown over the railing.”
Meera whipped her gun around, aiming at the two men. “Get out of here or die.” Her accent was thicker now, and Andi was amazed at how well she’d concealed it all this time.
Both men threw their hands in the air, backing away a few steps before taking off running.
Meera spun and turned the gun on her again. “I said, get in. And fer fuck’s sake, be quick about it.”
She swallowed, and her heart beat furiously as she took in the shaking contraption that didn’t appear sturdy enough to withstand gusts of this magnitude.
Two heavy metal davit arms bolted to the roof and extending over the top of the parapet seemed strong enough, but it was the light aluminum cage that sent a shaft of terror through her. The only things that kept the cage secured were two twisted steel cables.
Taking a deep breath, she lowered unsteadily to her knees, scraping them on the ledge as she clambered backward. She grabbed one of the metal cables, clinging to it before heading backward down the short ladder.
No sooner did her feet hit the cage’s platform than a blast of wind slammed the entire contraption against the side of the building. With shaking hands, she grabbed the top rail, barely able to keep her balance. The empty handcuff dangled from her wrist, clinking against the metal rail. Any second now she expected the cables to break free, sending her plunging to her death on the courtyard below. She tried unsuccessfully to swallow her fear.
Meera’s crazy, and we’re both going to die.
“Move to the corner.” Meera stood above the ladder and flicked the barrel of the gun to the far corner of the cage.
Without letting go, Andi shuffled her hands along the rail, scooting to the end of the platform, a good six feet from the base of the ladder.
The wind suddenly quieted, as if they were in the eye of a tornado. Meera clambered awkwardly down, somehow managing to hold on to the gun and keep it aimed at her the entire time.
She held her breath. Wait for it, wait for it. The second the wind kicked up again, Meera would have to grab on to the ladder with both hands, or risk falling. That one moment of distraction might be her only chance of disarming the woman.
Her pulse raced as she waited for the wind to kick up again. C’mon c’mon.
The cage started to rock. Every muscle tightened as she readied to launch at Meera.
“Cuff yerself to the railing,” Meera shouted, a sneer twisting her face into a mask of ugliness.
Damn.
“Quit fucking around and do it!”
With a trembling hand, she reached for the open cuff dangling from her wrist and snapped it closed over the top rail, clicking it tightly enough to show Meera she’d done as ordered, but leaving a small amount of space between the cuff and her wrist. Maybe enough that she could squeeze her hand
out when the woman wasn’t looking.
Meera moved to the platform’s control panel. Another savage gust rocked the cage, swinging one end upward with such jarring force Andi was nearly knocked off her feet. Meera struggled to maintain her balance, holding the gun with one hand and the control box with the other. She pushed the green down arrow. The platform lurched and began a slow descent.
Only one thing was certain. As soon as they made it to the ground—if they made it—Meera would turn that gun on her for the last time and pull the trigger.
A shadow darkened the platform, and she looked up. She pressed her lips together, stifling her cry of joy.
Nick and Saxon stood on the ledge by the primary control box, looking down. He aimed his gun at Meera when the platform dipped sharply to one side and seemed to slip out from under Andi’s feet. Meera’s body slammed against hers.
Abruptly, the cage jerked to a stop, forcing both of them to grab the rail. Nick hurtled onto the platform, landing with a heavy thud. The cage shuddered but maintained its position. Above them, Saxon trotted back and forth on the ledge, barking.
Before Nick could regain his balance, Meera turned to him and raised the gun. The platform rocked, sending her closer to where Andi stood.
“Nick!” Andi screamed, clutching the rail tighter. She’d expected him to shoot Meera the second his feet hit the platform, but he didn’t.
He’d fallen to his knees, his head hanging low as his chest heaved. When he lifted his head, a sheen of sweat glistened on his pasty-white face. The entire lower half of his uniform shirt was soaked with blood.
Before Meera could steady herself and take the shot, Andi kicked at Meera’s arm—the one with the gun—knocking it from her hand. The gun flew end over end, tumbling over the railing.
Meera clenched her hands. Venom shot from her eyes. “Fucking bitch!”
Still kneeling, Nick raised his weapon, but before he could come on target, Meera spun and kicked him square in the chest, directly on top of his wound. He let out a deep cry of pain, gritting his teeth and pressing one hand to his chest.
“No!” Andi screamed, knowing it was useless. The woman would normally be no match for Nick’s size and strength, but anyone could see the damage the bullet had inflicted, and Meera meant to take full advantage of it.
Saxon let out a series of barks and snarls.
Meera lunged for Nick’s gun, but he twisted away, protecting the weapon so she couldn’t get to it. As they fought for control, his eyelids flickered. He was on the verge of passing out.
Something went over the side of the railing. His gun. She couldn’t be sure if it had slipped from his hand, or if he’d intentionally tossed it, knowing he didn’t have the strength to hang on to it.
Andi strained at the handcuff, desperately trying to extricate herself, but she’d made it tighter than she’d intended and couldn’t squeeze her hand out. She stretched her body as far as it would go, trying to land a kick to Meera’s head, yet unable to make contact from this far away. Again, she pulled and tugged at the handcuff, wincing as it cut into her skin and drew blood.
A soft whirring came to her ears. The steel cable on the opposite side of the cage was slipping, causing the entire contraption to list.
The cables aren’t holding.
The cage twisted back and forth, slamming again and again against the side of the building, and with each impact, the other end of the platform angled more steeply.
A series of sharp barks sliced the air, and when Andi looked up, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Saxon was in midair.
The dog landed unsteadily, his feet clawing frantically for purchase on the metal surface, reminding her of the balance training Nick had given him on the lake.
For a moment, Saxon looked as if he’d slide to the lower edge of the platform, and Andi’s heart lurched. “Saxon!” At the last second, he regained his footing and clawed his way to where Nick and Meera grappled together.
The big shepherd snarled, then clamped his powerful jaws around Meera’s leg. She screamed and beat at his head with her fists. Ignoring the blows, the dog shook his head back and forth, growling as he drew blood.
Nick grabbed something from one of the many leather pouches on his belt—a baton—and slammed it against the side of Meera’s head, but she turned away in time, and it was only a glancing blow.
Meera shrieked her rage and pain, pressing a hand to her head, but only for a second before reengaging, trying to wrest the baton from Nick’s grip.
His eyes were almost closed. As soon as he completely passed out, none of them would stand a chance against Meera’s sick, twisted thirst to kill them all.
She really is insane. Not even Saxon’s jaws clamped around her calf, or the blood dripping from between the dog’s teeth was enough to cut through her escalating madness.
I have to help Nick.
She clawed at her own flesh but couldn’t squeeze her hand from the cuff. Then an idea struck her with godawful clarity. There was only one way to get loose.
Taking a deep breath, she bit her lower lip. Using her free hand, she clamped down as hard as she could on her thumb joint closest to the handcuff. She screamed as bone snapped and tendons twisted. Through the haze of pain, she glimpsed Meera standing over Nick, ready to kick him full-force in the head.
Then she slipped her hand from the cuff.
In between the throbbing in her broken hand, fury—the likes of which she’d never experienced—fueled her with enough adrenaline to power a locomotive.
“Get off him, you bitch!” she screamed, hurling herself at Meera then slamming both her hands on the woman’s chest. Pain radiated through her hand, and still she kept pounding on Meera.
The woman swayed but remained standing, windmilling her arms for balance. Only Saxon’s grip on her calf kept her upright.
Forward momentum nearly had Andi following Meera. Her feet slipped out from under her, and she fell to the deck so hard it knocked the breath from her lungs. Gasping for air, she shot out her good hand and grabbed on to a lower rail.
“Aus!” Nick shouted raggedly.
Saxon released his jaws from Meera’s leg just as the cable slipped again and the cage dipped a few more degrees. Meera staggered backward, flailing her arms.
An even stronger gust caught the platform, slamming it against the wall. Meera’s lower back hit the end of the cage railing. The last thing Andi saw was the fear and panic in the other woman’s eyes. Then she was gone—over the edge with a throaty scream.
Nick grabbed one of the lower rails. The cable slipped again, and the end of the platform dipped lower. Saxon’s rear end slipped out from under him. He clawed frantically with his front paws as the end of the cage dipped lower. Another second and he’d slip off the edge.
“Nick, he’s falling!” Andi screamed.
“Saxon!” Releasing the baton, he shot out his arm, grabbing one of the dog’s front legs.
Stretching as far as she could, she reached out and closed her broken hand around Saxon’s other leg, crying out as more pain radiated through her hand then up her entire arm. For a split second her vision flooded with white stars, but she held fast and sucked in quick, deep breaths until the stars faded.
The dog whimpered, his hind legs scrabbling uselessly as he tried to get them beneath him.
“Nick!” Andi shouted. Her heart pounded crazily. Nick was dying, and Saxon was in jeopardy of falling over the side like Meera had, and there wasn’t a thing she could do. “Help! Help us!” she screamed, looking up to the ledge, but no one was there.
Another second and Nick would black out—she could see it in his flickering eyelids. Andi didn’t know if she had the strength to hold Saxon alone, and she certainly wouldn’t be capable of holding on to Nick if he let go of the rail.
If Nick passed out, then he and Saxon would likely both tumble over the edge and fall six stories down. To their deaths.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t
believe it was going to end this way. “Nick, don’t let go. Don’t let go.” Of the railing or Saxon.
The dog managed to get his haunches beneath him, but the angle of the platform was still too steep for him to stand. She didn’t know how, but even in his semiconscious state, Nick didn’t let go of Saxon or the railing.
“Get ’em up!” a voice shouted from above. Eric.
“Oh, thank God.” Andi no longer felt any pain. All she could think about was Nick.
He lay on his side, his large body shivering.
“Faster!” she cried.
Above her, Eric, Matt, and Kade looked over the ledge. Special Agent Cox and the two window washers stood at the roof’s control box.
“Go faster. He’s—he’s dying.” Her last words came out on a croak as she realized it was true.
“Goddammit, hurry!” another voice boomed. Matt.
Slowly, the platform rose until it was level with the top of the parapet.
“Swing it over,” Eric shouted. “Easy does it.”
When Andi’s head was finally level with the roof’s edge, she could not only see Nick’s friends had arrived, but a large crowd of building security had gathered to assist. Matt’s, Eric’s, and Kade’s dogs stood off to the side.
The entire cage swung up and over the ledge, lowering slowly to the roof. A swarm of officers grabbed on to the cage, leveling it enough that Saxon could now stand.
Andi scrambled to Nick’s side, clasping his face in her hands. The second her fingers touched his cheeks her heart sank, and she let out a cry. He was cold. So cold.
“Get the medics up here!” Matt shouted, then he and Eric swung up and over the top rail and crouched at Nick’s side. He touched two fingers to Nick’s carotid. His dark brows bunched, and she feared the worst. They were too late.
He’s dead.
Saxon whimpered, lowering beside Nick and nuzzling his hand. That’s when she noticed Nick was still holding tightly to the dog’s front leg, his knuckles white.
“Is he…” She stared at Matt, unable to say the word. Dead.