Danger's Halo: (Holly Danger Book 1)

by Amanda Carlson

  Easing out of my position, I backtracked half a block, sticking to the shadows. Then I crossed another street, stopping in front of a broken doorway, giving the front entrance a once-over. This building wasn’t one I was familiar with, which made things a little trickier. But if I could get up to the fifteenth floor, it would give me the view I needed to check things out. Our safe house was on the fifteenth of the neighboring building, one that sat diagonal to this one out the back.

  If I’d come in from our protected route, like Lockland told them, I would’ve come from the building behind it, not this one. So, technically, they shouldn’t be monitoring it.

  I wouldn’t know until I entered.

  Taking a deep breath, I stepped over the broken threshold.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  The first few floors were quiet. I’d slowly and laboriously sidestepped my way through the junk and litter, moving as stealthily as I could. Judging by the amount of heaped wreckage, scattered every which way, this building wasn’t in use.

  Chalk one up for the good guys.

  With trepidation, I’d switched off all my tech phones. Lockland had specified one hour for rendezvous, which would be coming up in about five to ten minutes, going by my internal clock. When I didn’t show up at the agreed-upon time, he would be forced to reach out again. I couldn’t risk any of Tandor’s goons hearing my phones go off. Once I was sure I was alone, I’d turn them on again.

  As I rounded the thirteenth story, something rattled from above.

  Luckily for me, there was no door standing between the stairwell and the story I was on. Ducking into the hallway, I rested my back against the wall to listen. Distinct movements came from overhead.

  Someone was up there.

  Damn. That wasn’t the scenario I’d hoped for.

  This floor was only two stories from my destination. There was a possibility I could see enough to scout the building next door from here. I turned and made my way down a long hallway, stepping over a bunch of broken hologram cameras, marked by their distinct logo, which were two hands joined inside the shadow of a projection light.

  Before the dark days, hologram technology had been advanced. If both parties owned the basic elements, a trio of triangulated cameras, and an ultrafast com-connection, you could project your image cleanly and interact with the other person. From what I’d read, the experience had been pretty lifelike. Very few hologram cameras survived the catastrophic events, and the technology to build them had died with the meteor. I’d heard rumblings that the government had access to a few, but nothing had been circumstantiated.

  I was surprised to see some of the garbage strewn around intact. Meaning it was broken, but pieces were salvageable. By all rights, this building should’ve been picked over a long time ago. I made a mental note to check back here after life went back to normal.

  Because, you know, thinking life wouldn’t go back to normal was not an option.

  At the end of the hallway, rain and wind met me head on. I entered the office on the left, which would give me the best view of the building I was supposed to be entering soon. With luck, I might be able to spot something. Two strides before the exposed wall, I dropped to my knees, using my gloves to clear a path, crawling toward the opening, moving as quietly as I could.

  The sky hadn’t lightened much, even though morning was creeping in. Anyone scouring the area from above with infrared goggles or a decent visor could potentially pick up my heat signature. If Tandor was smart, he’d have lookouts arrayed at varying intervals inside the building to monitor the surrounding areas. But it was hard to actually know how smart this zealot was, as he’d already made a bunch of stumbles. If he was confident that Lockland had been telling the truth, and I was going to come through a known path, he may have let his guard down.

  I stopped a few paces from the edge, ducking behind a pile of debris consisting of a broken chair, disintegrated ceiling tiles, and part of a metal cabinet of some kind, doing my best to keep my body mass to a bare minimum.

  My gaze swept left to right, starting at the lowest floor, swiveling in a grid formation, like it did when I was scouting. As I tilted my head up, something caught my eye.

  Two red heat spots around the location of our safe room. The question was, was Lockland in there, or was he at another location? It would’ve been too coincidental for Tandor to have his operations in that building all along.

  I swore under my breath as I backed away. In the hallway, I weighed my options, leaning against the wall out of the rain. I could try to infiltrate the building next door, do some damage, free Lockland, and in the process take out some of Tandor’s followers. Or I could lie low and wait for them to give up on me and then follow them out.

  Both had their merits.

  If I attacked, I put Tandor on the defense and made him careless. If I followed, I could end this once and for all.

  Follow, it was.

  Resigned to my decision, I picked my way back toward the stairwell, trying to avoid making any sound. At the doorway, I leaned my shoulder against the wall, listening. A quiet pattering of noise echoed downward.

  Footfalls on the stairs.

  One person.

  It wasn’t a seeker, because the steps were too even and measured. And judging from the quick pace, whoever it was had no idea I was here. If they’d suspected anyone was in the building, they wouldn’t be stepping half that fast.

  I inched closer, easing off my pack and setting it to the side.

  When the footfalls hit the landing beside me, I grabbed on to the doorjamb with both hands and swung my body, leading with my legs, an elbow firmly cocked into my ribs to keep me rotating cleanly.

  My boots connected squarely with a sturdy chest.

  A loud oof followed as what appeared to be a male of average height and build flew backward. The momentum spun me around once as I hit the ground, but I recovered quickly, coming back to jam a knee into his trachea. The force of my kick had sent him crashing back into the stairs. His un-helmeted head had hit first. One of his arms was at an odd angle.

  He was out cold.

  I whipped out my Gem and my taser, aiming them at his lifeless body, just to be on the safe side. After all, he could wake up.

  The man was unfamiliar to me, but I had no idea if he was one of Tandor’s or someone else minding his own business. All I knew was that he was down, he had short black hair, his chromes were askew, one covering the top of one cheekbone, the other haphazardly settled over one eye, and he was going to have a roaring headache when he woke.

  A noise sounded from above. My hips shifted as my head came up, both my weapons extending out in front of me, aimed at the new threat, my knee still pinning the guy beneath me.

  The figure at the top of the landing raised his hands in the face of the firepower leveled on him. He had on a dark helmet, the visor down.

  But I’d know that trench anywhere.

  I lowered my taser, but not my Gem. “What the fuck, Case? What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “Who’s this guy?” I asked.

  “My source,” he said. “If he’s still alive.”

  I stepped off the man, keeping my Gem trained in front of me. “He’s alive, but he’s not going to feel so hot when he wakes up. Should’ve had a helmet on.”

  Case crossed his arms, staying where he was on the landing. “He just relayed that they’re planning your demise next door.”

  “I figured as much. Is Tandor over there?” I asked, my voice hopeful.

  “Nope.”

  I backed away from the crumpled man. “Do you know where he is?”

  Case came forward. When I didn’t rebuff his movements, he walked down a few steps. “Not at the moment.” He stopped next to the man, squatting as he laid two fingers over his throat. When he was satisfied the guy still had a pulse, he stood.

  “They’re holding at least one of my friends.”

  Grunting a noncommittal respons
e, Case stepped onto the landing, coming even with me. I appraised him. Going by only what I could see, which wasn’t much, I’d say he still looked tired. “What’s your plan?” he asked.

  “That depends. If my friend’s next door, I’ll break him out and kill everyone in my way. If not, I wait until they know I’m not showing and follow them. They’ll eventually lead me to Tandor.”

  “Your friend is not next door.”

  I narrowed my gaze. “Then where the hell is he?”

  “I don’t know, but I was about to find out.” He gestured to the man on the stairs. “He was going to report back in ten minutes.”

  I shrugged, my gun unwavering. “Not my issue. How’d you know they would be in the building next door?”

  Again, Case gestured to the unconscious man.

  “What did he say about me?”

  “Not much. Your reputation is serving you well. They’re being cautious.”

  I snorted. “Cautious? They had guys milling around on the street and multiple bodies in the building. This is a rookie operation.”

  Case flipped his visor up, his gray eyes boring into mine. “They don’t have just one of your guys, they have two, and the big guy is pissed as hell. It’s not so amateur when they manage to take them both down without causing a commotion. They knew where to find them, and they picked them up easily.”

  I wasn’t going to give Case the satisfaction of showing even the smallest hint of a reaction that they had Bender. And he was right, that meant the operation wasn’t so rookie after all. My brain was already processing the next plan. “This is where we part ways,” I said, my voice even.

  “No. This is where we help each other,” Case corrected. “I’m guessing you have ammunition with you. You have the means, and I have locations.”

  I shook my head. “Helping is not my style.”

  Case tapped on a shoulder light and tugged off his helmet, his hair sticking up in a mess around his face. “Your friends aren’t next door. They’re north with Tandor and the rest of his guys. How are you going to get there without a craft? And how are you planning on penetrating a heavily guarded compound without help? Tandor is intelligent and persistent, even though he’s made mistakes, and your crew is tied up at the moment. I’m all you’ve got.”

  He was right.

  If Tandor’s crew next door jumped into a craft, I’d be back to square one, unable to help my friends. Not having access to Luce was a problem. With my Gem still aimed at Case’s chest, my eyes on his, I fished out my tech phone. They’d be expecting me to check in, assuming I hadn’t found out they had Lockland. I could play along for a little longer. “It’s Grace,” I said into the speaker. “Change of plans. Can’t meet at eight. Need a new location.”

  Static came over the line. Then, finally, “Twenty-se—” Lockland’s voice was cut off abruptly.

  Twenty-seven was our phrase for north.

  Dammit. Case was telling the truth. He knew where they were. I had to make a choice. I lowered my Gem and ducked into the hallway, plucking up my pack and shouldering it on my way toward the office I’d just occupied. I positioned myself behind the pile once again, scanning for movement.

  The heat signatures were already gone.

  A moment later, dronecraft props sounded from above. I tilted my head up and watched four of them take off from the top floor.

  Once they’d vanished, I turned to Case, who was silhouetted in the doorway. “Where’s Seven parked?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Case had parked his craft a few blocks away, hidden underneath a bunch of broken rafters, undetectable from above.

  “Head two blocks south, one block west,” I directed once we were in the air.

  “South is not north.”

  “No shit. But we need more supplies. The stuff in my pack will do damage, but if we want to bring down the house, we’re going to need more.” Swinging by my residence in the canal was risky, as I had no idea if Tandor and his crew knew about it via Darby and would be keeping tabs on it. But I’d know instantly if my security had been breached, even from a distance.

  Case did as I asked.

  I fished my chromes out of my pocket and flipped my visor, donning them, clicking the dial to ultraviolet. “Land on the building up ahead.” I gestured out the windshield. “The one with the forked antenna and four rafters that look like fingers. If you can do it without lights, all the better. The roof is clean, plenty of places to land.” Case clicked off his running lights five meters away and expertly landed with no issues. “Stay here,” I ordered, popping the door.

  We were on top of the building next to mine. I’d set up a small lookout enclosure, made out of sheet metal, on this roof for times like these. Emergency times. Times when my residence might be under attack. Once there, I moved the necessary pieces of sheeting away and crouched at the edge, scanning my tarps and panels, clicking through my chromes. “Fuck.”

  “What?”

  Without taking my eyes off the scene, I said, “I thought I told you to stay in the craft.”

  “I was bored.”

  I snorted. On my roof next door, two of my devices had gone off, doing minimal damage to the surroundings, but it looked as though nobody had tried to open the hatch. If they had, things would’ve blown sky high. Some of my tarps had been adjusted, so that wasn’t good news. From this angle, I could also see onto my garden balcony. Nothing looked amiss. “Stay here. I have to go check something.” I made a move to push past him, but Case’s hands stilled me, gripping the tops of my forearms. I whipped my arms away, giving him a look like I’d make him hurt if he didn’t let me go. He backed off as I moved away.

  He followed. “I can help.”

  “I don’t need your help.”

  “That may be true, but we’re running out of time. Once those guys return to the compound, Tandor’s going to have to make some decisions, and my guess is it will involve bodily harm to your friends.” I walked briskly toward the stairwell that would take me down four stories. Case kept dogging me. “They’ll make contact via your phone, which they already know you’re listening to. They’ll give you a time and location. If you fail to meet it, they will kill one and then the other. We need to make it north before they do. They won’t be expecting us to arrive ahead of them.”

  Case was right. On all counts.

  Tandor would most certainly use my friends to get to me. If he threatened their lives, I’d have no choice but to acquiesce to his terms. But what Tandor didn’t know was that I had enough bombs and precision equipment to take him out at a hefty distance. “Fine,” I said, not bothering to turn around, “but keep up.”

  I removed my chromes, stuffing them into my vest as I entered the stairwell. This building had more stories intact than mine, but its internal structure was near breaking point. All one had to do was listen to the noises it made in the wind to know it was unstable. It creaked and groaned like an ornery grandfather.

  I hadn’t needed to use this surveillance point in years, which was a good thing.

  Case trailed after me. “This building sounds like it’s going to collapse any moment.”

  “It very well might, but it’s hung on this long.”

  “So, why are we here?”

  Down four flights, I stopped at a closed door, glancing over my shoulder. “Because we need to be.” Placing my hand on the knob, I jiggled it. The locking mechanism rattled. I took a stiff carbon wire out of a pocket and jammed it into the hole I’d drilled above the knob. The lock sprang effortlessly. This kind of barrier wouldn’t keep anyone but a seeker out.

  Opening the door, I stuck my head out to listen, because it was second nature. Other than all the menacing creaking, it was clear.

  Once upon a time, this building had been apartments, just like mine next door, but not as nice. I headed down to the end of the hall and shouldered open another door. This unit had most of its walls covered in viewing screens, which were all broken or cracked, with pieces littering the floo
r. We crunched over the shards, making our way toward the integrated balcony. Each apartment here had its own balcony, unlike my building, which had one per floor.

  I stuck my hand out to keep Case back. “We look first, then enter.”

  He inclined his head. The wind breezed through the broken glass that used to separate the unit from the garden, making the metal cable swing bounce around.

  I scanned the balcony, detecting no movement or heat signature out there or across the way. Edging out, I took hold of the cable. “We’re riding this over”—I jutted my shoulder toward my building—“to there.” Case didn’t reply, which was smart. This particular swing was attached to the roof of the unit two balconies up, hooked here to provide a ride straight across to my residence. There was very little room to get momentum in this small space, so if you sucked at riding one, you’d be stuck thumping back against the building. “If you’re not game, I’ll go by myself.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t game.”

  “You didn’t need to,” I responded wryly. “Your voice said it all when it broke there at the end. I’m not sure why everyone hates swings. They’re a great way to get around. Quiet and efficient.”

  “And deadly.”

  “Only if you do it wrong.”

  “Or if they’re not secured properly.”

  I turned around to peer at him through my lowered visor. Lots of body heat reflected back. “Are you questioning my engineering skills?”

  “We met two days ago.”

  “You had no problem letting me fly your craft, and you’ve been following me around and taking my orders thus far. Why doubt me now?” I jumped up on the railing. This swing was fitted with a foot loop.

  “Where exactly are we headed?” Case asked.

  “None of your business, and if you’re smart, you’ll erase this location from your memory completely. The next time you come back, if you’re brave enough to try, there’ll be a number of security measures in place from the roof to here that will blow you up.”