Following the men, they stepped inside and went down a narrow corridor until they reached a side entrance to the auditorium. With her hand on Oliver’s arm, she drank in the architecture. The auditorium looked like an ultramodern opera house with its tiered floors, metal and glass balustrades, and lofty glass dome.
Next to her, Oliver tugged at the collar of his shirt. Though he clearly looked uncomfortable, it didn’t take away from how perfectly the black suit he wore emphasized his broad shoulders and long legs.
“Hors d’oeuvres, madame?” A server held a platter out to them. The little canapés looked delicious, but she was too nervous to get anything down. She shook her head. “Thank you.”
After Oliver also declined, the server moved on to the couple next to them.
She scanned the room as Lewis’s personal assistant weaved through the rows of tables. Now and then, she paused to adjust the placement of flower bouquets or to tug at a cream-colored tablecloth.
Her face lit up as she spotted Oliver and Luna. “I’m so happy you’re here already. I was worried I might not find you in time.” She pointed at the stage to their right. “Mr. Shaw, please be close to the podium in half an hour’s time. Mr. Lewis would like to thank you for saving his life. You don’t have to join him up on stage, but it would be nice if Mr. Lewis could address you personally during his speech.” Her phone beeped, but she swiped at it impatiently. Without looking up, she pointed a finger at the big table right in front of the stage. “After the speech, Mr. Lewis would like you to join him at his table for dinner. You will be among a select group of special guests.”
A muscle along Oliver’s jaw ticked, and he opened his mouth.
Luna could tell he was agitated. She laid a hand on his elbow and addressed the assistant. “We’re very grateful for Mr. Lewis’s generosity.”
“Fantastic.” The assistant’s face relaxed, and she bared her pearly whites for a split second. Then she turned, and her heels clicked a staccato on the gleaming white marble floor as she left to greet an elderly couple.
Oliver was more than cranky. “I swear, if I have to suffer through another speech about the wonderful things GovCorp has done for GVs, I’ll jump that stage and kill him right there in front of everyone.”
As if on cue, a live ensemble in the back of the stage started playing slow, smooth jazz music.
“I know you’d rather punch something, but…” She held out her hand to him. “Dance with me. Please.” She slid her hand in his, and electricity funneled through her as their fingertips brushed.
He didn’t close his hand around hers, but the rigidity in his stance relaxed. “One dance. To keep up appearances.”
“One dance.” She led him onto the dance floor in the middle of the auditorium and slipped a hand around his waist.
Slowly, his gaze wandered to her lips, and he tucked her close, his body humming against hers as they started swaying. She knew slow dancing wouldn’t do much to calm him down. But at least they wouldn’t have to talk to anybody who’d agitate him further. She looked up to him, and her breath hitched. She could lose herself in his magnetic gaze. Memories of moments like these welled up in her. Memories of when their gazes fused and their breaths became one. In those moments, her heart had always melted and her resolve had crumbled. How she'd longed to drop all pretense and come clean to him whenever he'd held her as if her embrace promised him shelter from the never-ending storm that was raging inside of him. But she’d always known, if she faltered, if she revealed the truth, it would be her little sister paying the ultimate price for Luna's sins. And Lexi was still in danger.
After their dance was over, Oliver brushed aside the long strings of glass pearls that hung down from the ceiling of the first tier as they went to greet some of Luna’s colleagues. The annoying decorations reached low enough to touch his forehead. The evening had barely begun, and he was already on edge. Being trapped at Lewis’s table was the last thing he wanted to do tonight. His gaze flicked to Luna’s tight, violet dress. The low-cut back seemed to draw looks from men left and right, and the realization didn’t exactly lift his mood. She had felt so damn right in his arms when they danced. Like she belonged nowhere else. And to nobody else but him.
An elderly colleague he remembered from human resources stopped and commented what a lovely couple they were, and part of him wished he’d never found out they weren’t. Part of him wished so hard he could still live the illusion that it hurt.
He tucked his hands into his dress pants’ pockets to keep from reaching for Luna and tugging her into his body.
After her colleague moved on, Luna took his arm and whispered, “I think I’ll make a run for the hospital wing now.”
That male nurse she’d befriended, Zach, was apparently on desk duty tonight and had promised to let her see her sister, if only for a few minutes. “Okay. Do you want me to come?”
She pressed her lips together. “Do you mind if I go on my own? I think my chances will be better without you.”
He scoffed. He could only imagine too well how that Zach guy would appreciate seeing her in that dress. “No, go ahead.”
Luna gave him a peck on the cheek, and the soft touch of her lips soothed him a little. “I’ll be back before Lewis starts his speech.” Her satiny dress rustled softly as she retraced their steps toward the side exit.
Oliver had barely rounded the auditorium once, scouting for Senator Mercer or scientists he might be able to approach later when Luna reappeared at the opposite side of the room. She seemed unfocused and almost bumped into another woman. Excusing himself to the male couple that had engaged him in meaningless small talk, he snaked his way through the rapidly filling ballroom to meet Luna.
He didn’t like the expression on her face. “What’s wrong?”
She wiped under her reddened eyes, a mix of sadness and irritation clouding her features. “They didn’t let me see her. Again.”
Agitation rose in his stomach. “Why? Didn’t Zach promise?” His pulse spiked, and he considered having a little talk with the man.
“It wasn’t his fault. The guards wouldn’t let me enter the hospital even though I showed them my employee ID. Apparently, they upped security measures after yesterday’s Fronter attacks.”
She blinked and dapped her forefinger at the corners of her eyes. “I haven’t seen Lexi in almost seven weeks now. I’m starting to wonder if she’s actually still alive.” Her breathing became labored, and she started to wheeze again.
Concern rivaled with the agitation in his belly.
“Did you bring your inhaler?”
“Yes.” She pulled it from her tiny purse and turned into him.
In an attempt to shield her from prying eyes, he put his arms around her as she held the device to her lips and took a few deep breaths.
After half a minute, her breathing calmed and she let the inhaler disappear into her purse again.
Two of Luna’s colleagues from human resources called her name and waved from five tiers up. Luna pasted on a smile and waved back.
She wiped at her red eyes again and straightened her spine. “We should join them upstairs for a few minutes. It’ll give us a better overview of who’s attending.”
He released her from his arms and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
Leading the way to the elevators, she flicked him a brave smile.
That’s my girl. He put a hand on the small of her back in an unconscious effort to console her.
They stepped into one of the four glass elevator cars, and the part metal, part glass fronts closed behind them. The elevator passed the second tier as the earth suddenly seemed to shake. A series of ear-splitting booms erupted, and the lights went out. The elevator car came to a screeching halt, and all hell broke loose down on the auditorium floor. Gunshots erupted, and people screamed and scattered in all directions.
Stuck between the second and third tier, Oliver put everything he had into prying open the doors, but they wouldn’t budge. Another tremor sho
ok the car hard, and he almost lost his footing.
Wheezing, Luna held on to the elevator’s handrail with one hand while her other hand dove into her purse as she stared down at the ground floor. Shock marred her soft features, and she gasped in horror.
At least eight armed men stormed the auditorium, shooting at anyone who was moving.
Oliver tried to lift the elevator’s hatch as bullets hit the glass front of the car, leaving big cracks.
Luna yelped, and he dove for her, pressing her into the metal corner of the elevator, away from the glass front. In the process, her inhaler went flying and dropped to the ground.
Luna’s wheezing intensified. “Oh, God. Do you think they’re also attacking the hospital wing?”
Oliver crouched on the floor and picked up the inhaler. “I’m sure the gala is their target.”
He held out the gadget to her, and Luna held it to her lips, touching the start icon repeatedly. Nothing happened. “I think it broke.” Her voice sounded weak, and she was gasping for air as bullets kept flying all around them.
For the first time since the shooting started, panic lodged inside Oliver’s chest. He needed to find a way to get Luna out of this elevator. Paling more with every second, she was practically propping herself up against the wall for support while she kept trying to get the inhaler to work.
Another series of bullets hit the glass fronts of the empty elevator car right next to theirs.
He wrapped Luna in his arms and pressed them both tighter in the corner for protection. She shook against his chest, and her wheezing grew even louder. He took the broken inhaler from her hand and dropped it to the floor.
Cupping her face in his hands, he forced her to look him in the eye. “Luna. Listen. I need you to calm down and breathe.”
She nodded, and her gaze flicked to the inhaler again.
Oliver unbuttoned his jacket, barely noticing that his own hands shook. Pulling her back into his embrace, he murmured into her ear. “You don’t need that thing. You’ll breathe with me. Ready?”
Struggling for breath, she nodded against his chest.
“Okay. Breathe in.” He took a deep breath, and as his chest expanded into hers, he could almost feel her lungs rattling against him as she did the same. “Good. That’s it. Now breathe out.”
He slowly released the breath and pulled her even closer to him, careful to never lose body contact.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw the shooters moving to the upper floor. They probably had two or three more minutes until the men would reach them.
Keeping her nestled flush against his chest, he inhaled again and let his arms travel her back to soothe her. Her chest expanded a little more, and with the next exhale, her rigid posture relaxed a fraction. “That’s it. Keep that rhythm.”
Relief rushed through his system as the wheezing slowly abated and she went soft in his arms.
Her hands wrapped around his waist, and she whispered against his chest, “Thank you.”
Ignoring the turmoil around them, he cupped her chin with his hand and touched his forehead to hers.
Tears of exhaustion streamed down Luna’s cheeks as she tried to regain her composure. Before he could stop himself, he kissed the tears away. The salt mixed with the sweetness of her skin triggered a fierce protectiveness. He’d never let anyone harm her. “We need to get out of this elevator now.”
Wiping at her cheeks, she nodded. “Yes.” She still felt fragile in his arms, but they were running out of time.
Reluctantly, he let go of her and edged to the glass front. He couldn’t see any more shooters down at the ground floor; they seemed to all have moved up to the fourth tier and were shooting at the crowd from up there now.
A loud whirring sound echoed through the building, a few lights flashed back on, and the elevator shook.
Oliver sighed in relief. GovCorp’s building management system was finally rebooting, and the emergency power went back up.
But the elevator slowly moved upward toward the fourth tier, where they’d run directly into their armed attackers. Oliver barely managed to hit the stop button before it reached full speed. Now, they were stuck between the third and the fourth tier. His knuckles went white as he tried the doors again, but this time he managed to pry them open. He wrenched his shoulders between the doors to keep them from sliding shut again. “Luna. Quick.”
She didn’t hesitate; pulling up her dress, she crouched at the edge of the car and slipped about three feet down to the third tier. He followed her, and behind him, the elevator door clanked shut again.
Luna held on to the tier’s railing and started gasping again at the sight of broken, bloody bodies on the ground floor. People were still screaming and clamoring for the exits in futile attempts to dodge the bullets that kept raining down on them from above.
Oliver urged Luna away from the railing. “Keep breathing. We need to get downstairs.”
GovCorp security had meanwhile reached the building, but the killing didn’t abate, and he could make out several black-clad, masked shooters downstairs. He pointed toward the emergency exit sign across from the elevator bank. Ducking low, they rushed toward the door to the stairway. As he pulled it open, a security guard fell against him and dropped to the stone steps. Dead.
Bullets whizzed by Oliver’s head, and he pushed Luna to the side and closed the door again. “Too late.” He motioned for Luna to hide behind a table, and she quickly ducked away. Then he positioned himself to stand behind the door when it would open again. A mere second later, the door flew open, and one of their attackers stormed out, not noticing Oliver behind the door. Oliver grabbed the man’s head with both hands and twisted hard as he’d done hundreds of times before during his kill-squad years. The man’s neck crunched immediately, and his lifeless body thumped to the ground.
“Luna.” Oliver motioned her to his side and grabbed the man’s assault rifle. He checked the magazine. “Damn. Only three bullets left.”
Although Luna’s eyes were wide as she stared down at the lifeless body, she dropped to her knees and started searching the man.
Oliver carefully opened the door to the stairway again. Everything seemed quiet looking down.
Luna whispered behind him, “Sorry. No more magazines.”
He pressed his lips together. Three bullets would have to do then.
Luna took off her strappy high heels and held them in her hand. “I’ll be faster without them.”
After he looked down the narrow, winding stairway one last time, they hurried down the steps as fast and quiet as they could, and they reached the ground floor without further resistance.
Luna quickly slipped into her heels again, and before they stepped out into the auditorium, he took her hand and placed it between his shoulder blades. Her fingers were trembling, but luckily, she seemed to have her breathing under control now. “I want you to stay behind me and keep your hand on my back when we move. I need to know where you are at all times.”
Luna’s eyes briefly jumped to the direction of a middle-aged woman in a white, blood-streaked cocktail dress that hurried toward the main exit. “I will.”
One second later, a salve of gunshots rang off and the woman keeled over, thumping down on the floor.
Luna flinched but kept her hands on his back.
Keeping his eyes on the movements of the masked men in the main entrance area, he put a hand on her hip. “We’ll go for the side entrance we used to enter. All right?”
“All right.” Her voice was firm but toneless.
Staying low, they slowly weaved through upturned tables and broken china toward the side exit.
Halfway through the room, an armed security guard rushed in their direction, pointing his SIG at them.
“We’re guests.” Oliver held up his free hand and lowered his weapon, hoping the guard wouldn’t mistake him for one of the shooters. The guard quickly scanned Oliver and Luna from head to toe; then he chin nodded toward the side exit. “Get out.”
Oliver aimed his weapon toward the third tier from where the shots had been fired. He hit the shooter straight in the forehead. Two bullets left now.
He reached for Luna behind him and put his hand on her hip while scanning the tiers for more shooters.
She swallowed hard behind him but whispered, “I’m okay.”
“Good. Stay down and wait here.” He passed the distance to the fallen guard in a few long strides, crouched down next to him, and grabbed his SIG and carbine.
Rushing back to Luna’s side, he checked the SIG and held it out to her. “Full magazine. Do you remember how to use it?”
She took the weapon from him and nodded slowly.
“You’ll have to shoot to kill. No hesitation.” Movement on the far end of the auditorium caught his attention. More masked men came running.
“Let’s move.” Just as they started toward the auditorium’s side exit, two more shooters came for them from that direction, leaving them boxed in.
Luna tugged at his shirt, and as he turned, she nodded to a narrow door labeled Employees Only at their right.
Though it was crucial to leave the building as fast as possible, that door seemed to be their only choice right now. He whispered, “Do you have access?”
Luna pressed her thumb to the print scanner next to it, and the opaque glass wall slid open with a swoosh. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as they slipped inside.
She pressed her thumb to the scanner again, and the door slid closed.
Leaning against the whitewashed wall, Luna closed her eyes for a second and murmured. “Thank God.”
Oliver wished he could give her a breather, but they needed to find an exit. “Keep moving.”
Rushing down the small, scarcely lit corridor, they opened all three doors one by one, but there were only storage rooms. Shelves with napkins, chandeliers, and vases. But no other exit, not even windows.
Adrenaline Heat (The Deadly DNA Series Book 2) Page 14