“I’m going to get you guys out of here. Where is Halluis?” I asked as I worked on the last shackle holding Jeremy. To my surprise, he leaned into me when he was free, not because he was happy to see me, but because he was having a hard time standing. All I wanted to do was hold him and comfort him, but I had to stay in operative mode.
“If we’re going to make it out of here, I’m going to need your help, Jeremy.” Jeremy shook his arms out as I freed Ace. I tried to give him a determined look as I passed him a couple of lock picks. They’d been tortured and spent hours tied up in that position. I’d been naïve in thinking either of them would be able to help with the escape.
“Halluis is upstairs somewhere,” Ace said, his voice a faint croak, as he sank to the ground once he was free. “We have to find him. I tried, Christy, but I couldn’t save them. I’m sorry.”
So Ace had defied Siron again and had gone to save his team members instead of going for the drive. A lump formed in my throat. “Thank you for trying, Ace, and don’t worry. We will find him.” I immediately wrapped his arm around my shoulder and dragged him toward the stairs while Jeremy followed slowly after us. That’s when I noticed the blood dripping behind us, but I couldn’t worry about it right then. First, I had to bring them to safety.
I prayed Summer would come through and give us another diversion to get out of the basement. As we rounded the pillar where the stairs wrapped around, I heard the door open. I motioned for the agents to lean against the pillar, out of sight of anyone looking down the stairs.
The footfalls were heavy, most likely not Summer’s. She was light on her feet. I glanced back at Jeremy, who was now helping to support Ace. I leaned over and sat him on the step, readying myself with the switchblade and a few safety pins from my go bag. I closed my eyes, not liking my odds.
The hulking guard saw me at the same time I saw him. I chucked my knife, and it embedded itself in his thigh. He grunted but didn’t go down. Instead, he shot a silenced gun at me. I felt the heat of the bullet as it brushed past my hair just above my right ear. After the shot went off, he doubled over. I lunged, overestimating the debilitating effects of his injury. He raised the gun and shot again. This time the bullet hit the stairs and ricocheted off the wall nearby.
I couldn’t stop. He fired again, both hands on the handgrip, steadying it. The shot hit Ace in the foot, and he cried out despite his weakened state.
“Come any closer, and he’s dead.” The guard bit his lip, obviously in a lot of pain.
I didn’t move, but my mind was calculating the many possible actions I could take along with their outcomes. The only chance we had was for Summer to show up and give us our exit. The gun the guard brandished was definitely a Kahr K-9. Seven bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber. He’d shot three. That meant there could be five more bullets in that gun. I had to get it from him.
An explosion rocked the room above us. I held on to the wall for support, but the guard fell to his knees. Apparently, Summer had decided to bring the distraction inside. That was not what I had in mind, but I’d capitalize on it. I jerked forward, pushing the guard’s gun up above his head, another shot digging deep into the ceiling plaster. I wrestled the gun away from him and shot him in the foot, the foot attached to his uninjured leg. He yelled out in pain and fell on the cement steps. I slammed his head into the wall, making him black out. I took everything from his pockets and removed the com in his ear. Then I quickly retied the rainbow scarf around my waist and shoved the gun into the makeshift belt.
I turned back to my friends. “Jeremy, can you carry Ace?” I asked. “I need to be free to take on anyone who tries to stop us.” He nodded, then pulled Ace’s arm up around his shoulder and started up the steps.
I kept one hand on the gun as I climbed the stairs. This rescue was all on me. At the top, I peeked around the corner. Tapestries and fine rugs were on fire, the room filling up with smoke.
“The place is on fire, Jeremy. I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to hurry.”
He did, grunting louder and yanking poor Ace up the steps as fast as he could.
“Where up here is Halluis?”
“Not sure. But they had me in there.” Ace pointed to the opposite side of the large foyer. Huge crowds had gathered in front of the burning building. Just then, the masses of people who had ascended the stairs to the second floor came screeching down. So the civilians hadn’t already escaped. I hoped none were hurt. I flagged several guys down to come help my two injured friends. They came readily, helping each of them out despite how drunk they were.
I darted over to the door Ace had pointed out, picked the lock and pushed through it. Halluis sat tied to a chair and was choking on the thickening smoke. I rushed over and untied him, then yanked him toward the door, crawling.
“Hey now, no call for that sort of behavior.” Halluis smiled wryly, though each word was strained and hoarse. “Just point me to the exit, and I’ll find my own way.” He started crawling forward, just to prove he could.
“Oh, thank goodness,” I sighed. He’d be able to get out on his own. I pushed him toward the door. “Go—I’m right behind you!”
I searched for Summer, but she was nowhere to be seen. She’d come inside to set off that explosion—had she made it out? Something told me she was still in the building, a feeling I couldn’t deny. I heard voices above, yelling. The yelling got quieter as time passed. They were going up. Was Summer with them? I had to work on the premise that she was. I could not leave anyone behind.
Chapter 18
I pulled the Kahr K-9 out of my scarf-belt and held it at the ready as I began to ascend the stairs. I paused for a second and hastily tied the scarf around my nose and mouth—it would help at least a little. I heard a noise just behind me, and whirled around to find one of the tall, crazy-outfitted partygoers crashing back through the entryway.
“Get out!” he cried, shielding his face from the smoke. I took the opportunity to hide the gun behind my back. “You have to get out, now!”
“I’ve got to help my friend. She’s upstairs.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No. It’s too dangerous. Make sure everyone outside gets the help they need. Don’t let anyone back in.”
He didn’t seem happy about letting me stay in the building alone, but he nodded anyway. “I will.”
“Wait! Did you happen to see a tall blond girl, gorgeous beyond compare, out there?” I hollered down at him.
“Only about a dozen.” He disappeared out the door.
I raised my gun. This time no one would be following me, I would be following them. I carefully made my way up the inside of the steps, my gun pointing up and ready to fire at anyone who dared to look over the rail. The fire seemed to be losing its power, but it released smoke with a vengeance. I was grateful for the scarf.
That’s when I heard Jeremy calling my name. I turned, trying to make him out through the smoke.
“Get out here, Hadden. That’s a direct order,” he sputtered. The guy who’d called to me to get out earlier was holding him up.
I was halfway up the stairs already. I couldn’t respond or the bad guys would be able to pinpoint my position. Instead, I leaned down to see if I could find a visual pathway to the door to alert Jeremy to my precarious position. As I did, I caught sight of Summer up the stairs by way of a mirror. Our eyes locked in the reflection. A man had a gun pointing at her temple, her upper arm held tightly in his hand. At the same time, I noticed a guard with a gun in his hand coming up behind Jeremy. I had enough time to save one. But only one.
I made a quick assessment. It had to be Jeremy. I didn’t have a direct line on Summer and even if I did, she was too entangled with her captor—if I shot I would risk missing my target and hitting Summer. Instead, I spun and shot the man coming up behind Jeremy in the only place I had a direct shot, his head. The guard fell back, and the man holding Jeremy up gave a shriek, throwing his hands in the air and letting go of Jeremy, who immed
iately slid to the floor without the extra support.
I turned quickly and aimed opposite the mirror, but the people from the reflection were gone. I moved like a cat up the stairs, almost silent and with a speed I didn’t know I had in me. I wasn’t sure anyone but Summer knew that I was there. I’d seen her in the mirror, and the man holding her captive had been looking in a different direction. At the top of the steps, I found an empty landing area.
I carefully made my way through the floor, clearing each room. They were not there. I heard hard steps on the ceiling. The roof. There must be a secret passageway up there. I didn’t have the time to waste to look for it. I climbed out the same bedroom window I’d climbed in earlier, and made it to the edge of the roof and carefully peered over. Three guards stood on the roof. One talked into his com. The other two talked to each other, one with his hand tightly on Summer’s upper arm and a gun pressed against her temple. All three were within six feet of Summer.
I thought about the shots I’d taken with this Kahr K-9 and the shots the previous owner had taken. Added up, it was a total of six. That left two, maybe three, if he hadn’t taken any shots before he came into the dungeon, and still had one left in the chamber. I prayed for more ability than I had so that Summer could be saved and the bad guys would pay for their crimes. I dug the tips of my toes into the grooves of the bricks and threw myself up into the air. Like my whole body somehow slowed down, I was able to steady my hands as though I were standing on solid ground. I pulled the trigger twice in quick succession and landed on the edge of the rooftop.
The first shot whizzed through the small opening between the guard and Summer, hitting the guard’s gun startling him into dropping the gun over the edge of the building. His hand released Summer’s arm, and he spun in the direction the gun flew.
The second bullet whizzed toward the guard on the com. The bullet hit his shoulder, and he bent over in pain. I shifted to aim at the third guard. Click. “No!” I yelled, pulling the trigger again and being rewarded with more clicks instead of the bang of a bullet leaving the barrel. The guard leveled his gun at me. I flew to the side to avoid the bullet. It hit something behind me with a loud zing.
Summer took advantage of her freedom and flew through the air, kicking her legs up and smacking that third guard in the face. The hit forced him to his knees and he pulled the second guard down with him, sending his gun skittering across the roof. She put her hands together and slammed the second guard in the face. He lay still. I stood, using the ledge of the roof to help me up.
The guard who had been holding Summer’s arm regrouped, snagging the skittering gun and sent another shot my way. It grazed my shoulder, and the surprise of the shot and the searing heat twisted me, making me lose my balance. As I shifted, my foot caught on a piece of metal sticking up from the roof and sent me careening over the edge. I reached out with my hands, grappling for a handhold. I cried out as pain shot through my injured arm as it scraped along the ledge. There was only the asphalt below me. With a final burst of energy, my fingers snagged the edge of the building. I pulled hard, trying to get my injured arm to allow my hand to grab the roof, too.
It took more strength than I thought I had, but I managed to keep hold of the lip of the roof, first with the tips of my fingers and then to my second joint. I hung there, feeling spent, but dug deep, reaching inside me for strength. Not for myself, but for Summer. I had to help her. One guard was out, but there were still two others who could overpower her. I pulled hard, sucking breath and crying out, trying to use my screams and grunts to give me more power, more ability.
As my eyes crested the lip of the roof, I could see a body coming toward me. Summer. She must have overpowered the two guards. Good for her. She walked, slowly, carefully. Her eyes met mine, and they narrowed. I grunted with the effort of keeping my fingers rounded over the edge. She reached me and I lengthened my arms, knowing I was about to find relief. It didn’t come. She looked over the edge at me, her ponytail hanging nearer me than her face. I tried to find purchase with my toes, but could not.
“Summer. Please.”
She sat on the edge. “You know, I could let you fall, and no one would be the wiser.” Her voice was soft, silky, evil.
My heart sank. She did want me dead.
“It wouldn’t reflect poorly on me, and you’d have a hero’s funeral.” She closed her mouth and took a deep breath through her nose. “It’s a win-win.”
I kicked at the wall, my fatigue and panic preventing me from getting what I wanted. What I needed.
“You let him take me,” Summer said, looking off at nothing. “You had the shot, and you chose to let him take me.”
“I didn’t have a clear shot. I saw your reflection in the mirror and you were blocking most of the guard.” I grunted against the pain. “I could have killed you. I had the shot to save Jeremy. I took it. I turned to you second, but you were gone. I didn’t abandon you.”
“I felt abandoned. I think Josh felt abandoned. Do you feel abandoned? Do you?”
“I do.” I knew it was what she wanted to hear. Sweat dripped from my chin, and my fingers started to feel slick. If my feet did not grab something soon, I would fall with certainty.
“You’re not a murderer, Summer. Help me.”
“You don’t know what I am.”
“I do.”
She stood up and screamed. “No! You don’t. You are not the star child. You don’t know everything. You are not special. Life is uncertain, but death is not. We all face it. Perhaps this is your time.”
A shadow grew over us. Someone was there. “Summer!” I yelled. “Behind you!” My toes finally found purchase as a rush of adrenaline coursed through me and catapulted me over the ledge of the roof. I lunged directly into the knees of one of the guards. We toppled to the roof, his head slamming into the rocky base. Still brimming with power, I bludgeoned his head until his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness. I twisted and looked back toward the other two guards. They did not move. Summer had completely disabled them.
I looked up at Summer, who remained still on the ledge of the roof. Fierce anger boiled inside of me until I saw the tear drip from her chin followed by more, and then her whole body shook with sobs. I would have moved to her and consoled her had I been able to, but it seemed the adrenaline rush had passed and left me near-dead. Instead, I joined her, tears trailing down the sides of my face too.
Chapter 19
I’m not sure how long we stayed like that, frozen, mourning together, but separate. After what seemed forever, an extraction team took us from the roof into a helicopter and to a hospital where we joined the rest of the team, injured, frazzled, and completely drained.
At some point, I startled awake. I was dying of thirst. I looked around the room. Definitely a hospital room. It was only me. The visitor’s chair was empty, and no one stood around my bed gawking at me. It was dark; only a thin light came from the moon outside and the crack under the door. An IV dripped something into my veins from my scraped up hand, and something was clipped to my index finger—a pulse monitor. I went through my own little health check, starting at my head and moving to my toes, wiggling and moving all my body parts. While I was sore, certainly not pain free, I felt surprisingly good.
“Agent Hadden?” A voice came from the door.
“Director.” My body tensed as she entered. I wasn’t sure what Siron was about to say, but I wanted keep my temper in check so I could ask some questions.
“I’m so glad you are safe. And, I owe you an apology. I’m sorry. I was wrong about Jeremy and the others on your team. They were alive and you were right to go after them. I misread the evidence.”
That little speech was an utter surprise. “It happens to the best of us.”
“Yes, it does. You did an amazing job.”
“Thank you.” She was being so nice, I thought I finally dared ask the question I had to get an answer to. “Director, have you been able to see what was on the drive yet?”
She sighed. Well, the sound was something between a sigh and a huff really. She licked her lips. What she was about to say was very uncomfortable for her. “With all the commotion, with the kidnapping and the aftermath, we weren’t able to keep up with Kamal. We don’t have the drive.”
“Seriously?” My heart dropped and a sick feeling tore through my gut. Immediately, I thought of the Prime Minister.
“No.”
“Well, if you’re up for one of my crazy ideas…”
“I don’t know that I’m up for that, but you can pitch me.”
“I think the Prime Minister is involved in all of this.” Siron was already shaking her head in dissent. “Listen. We’ve known all along that it was someone powerful who was involved with this. I thought it had to be some rich guy or a big corporation that could throw money at people, but it isn’t. I’m certain of it. One of the men who kidnapped Summer and me was at Marias Art Festival and he was protecting the Prime Minister as he spoke.”
“Private security firms are hired for that type of thing all the time. Just because they were together at that one event, doesn’t mean they are always. It’s too flimsy. There’s no proof. It’s all conjecture. We can’t follow up on assumptions when it comes to the Prime Minister and the President. We need concrete proof for that. But, I don’t want you to worry about it. I’ve got men on it. You need to rest. You’ve done an amazing job. I’ll have you know, I plan to put it in your file. Your loyalty is to be commended.”
“Wait. What about the tracked drives?”
“They didn’t work as we’d planned. Someone discovered them and disabled them. We followed them until they went dark.”
“Let me tell you one more thing to try to convince you the Prime Minister is involved. I promise to drop it after you hear this.”
She nodded, but rolled her eyes.
“I know he’s involved in this whole thing. Dufor’s doodling told us everything. His nephew was killed, executed, because he picked somewhere he shouldn’t have. Dufor must have connected information Sécurité Un was storing with his nephew. That’s why he thought it was worth it to go against his company’s mission statement of protecting all information.”
Fatal Exchange Page 18