She flashed him a look of her own. “Excuse me, Lieutenant, but don’t call me sweetheart.”
Bronco laughed. “Yeah. Whatever.”
“No, not whatever.”
Milner interjected. “Okay, let’s just get the job done.” He looked at Bronco. “You sure this is what you want? Don’t you think we should ask Chief Esteves?”
Bronco felt his face flush with rage. He whipped around and got in Milner’s face. “Esteves isn’t in charge here. And neither are you. So one more suggestion like that, I’ll kick you out of this crime scene. Go take that back to your boss, whoever that loser is.”
Denise raised an eyebrow. “Uh… the President?”
Bronco nodded. He heard her. But barely wanted to acknowledge it. Freeze her out and she’d disappear. But just in case she didn’t.
“Oh, and Milner” Bronco said. He turned and pointed at Denise and then walked away. “I want that bitch gone now. Do it or it’s you too.”
Bronco Bennett strode back across Hollywood Boulevard to the police van. He wanted to punch something right now. But the thought that he was going to end this in his own way when that helicopter filled with SWAT and Seals arrived, made him feel a lot better. He’d come out of this with Esteves’s job somehow. No matter what it took. He was going to be seen for the hero that he was.
Damn right.
72
As the door opened to the third floor offices, Devin Jones was ready. She saw a flash of a man in a security guard uniform and that’s all she needed to see. She squeezed the trigger on her Glock twice, the shots ringing out through the third floor. One in the head, one in the heart. He went down. A second later, she skillfully fired on the second guy through the door. This time just in the stomach and in the leg. He fell to the ground as the gun flew out of his hand.
Devin made her way down the hall towards him, gun poised and ready. When she got there, she stood over him.
“What’s the plan? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know.”
She kicked him in the injured leg.“ Who’s next? Who’s in charge? And who’s Richard?”
The guy winced, grabbed his leg. “I don’t know. Gunnar Leise and some lady. And I’ve never heard of Richard.”
“How are you getting out?”
He didn’t answer.
Devin moved closer, aiming her gun at him.
“How are you getting out?”
“We’re supposed to kill all the hostages, then we’re leaving through the roof at 9:15.”
Suddenly this plan was getting even more chilling than the terrifying it already was. Devin steadied herself.
“How do you get to the roof?”
“The stairway at the end of the hall… It has the only access.”
Devin lowered her gun for a moment.
“Okay… Now let’s just-”
At that moment, the guy whipped another gun out from a holster on his leg. “You ask too many questions, bitch.”
Before he could even think of getting a shot off, while his finger was still forming around the trigger, Devin shot him twice – once in the head and once in the heart. He slumped over dead. His gun fell to the floor.
Devin shook her head. “Oh my god, again with the bitch thing…really…”
She grabbed the extra magazine on his belt. Released the magazine on her own gun and slammed in the new one.
She turned and headed back into the security office. Against her better judgment, she wanted to check on Everett. Everett was messing up her strategy here. Devin was thinking of Everett when she should have been thinking of getting everyone out.
There on the screen she saw Everett and Kaden in the lobby, they found the coat check room that Devin had hidden in earlier. Devin watched them on the camera as they slipped inside.
On another camera, she saw three security guards heading up the aisle of the theater and checking seats as they went along. It wouldn’t be long till they got to the lobby. And once they were there it was a matter of time till they found them hiding in the coat check.
“Everett, what are you doing?” Devin whispered
Devin headed into the hallway. She picked up the extra Glock that she had shot out of the security guard’s hand. She slipped it into the waistband of her dress in the back and headed quickly down the hall.
Devin flung open the door to the stairwell and went in gun first. She looked up the stairs and then leaned over and looked down. The coast was clear. Then she headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, up to the roof.
When she got to the fire exit to the roof, she saw the same C4 she had seen on the other doors. This was puzzling.
“How are they supposed to get out if the doors are rigged?”
Then Devin saw in the corner at the top of the door, the detonator. It was set for 9pm, not 9:15.”
“Oh my God…”
That was the first time Devin realized that Sis and Richard, whoever he was, had no intention of anyone leaving this building alive except for them.
Devin suddenly knew she had to get these people out as soon as possible.
She pulled her phone out. Dialed Bronco Bennett’s number.
Then she suddenly remembered Everett. And Kaden. And the cloakroom. She bounded down the stairs praying she could get to them first.
73
Bronco Bennett’s phone rang. He looked at it. Jones.
He pressed accept call.
“Jones, I only picked up the phone to tell you how much I’m going to enjoy getting you stripped of your badge.”
“Bennett, listen to me. You can’t get in through the roof. Don’t do it.”
Bronco could feel his face start to flush with anger.
“Look, you can act like the big hero in there. The big celebrity. Make me look like a chump out here. But don’t tell me what to do.”
“Listen to me – you can’t get in there. It’s going to blow if you-”
Bronco pressed end call. He wanted to throw his phone across the street. Instead he just put it in his pocket.
A couple hours, this’d be over. He’d have gotten it handled. And tomorrow everyone would be talking about him and no one would remember Devin fucking Jones.
He’d make sure of it.
74
Richard spoke into the camera while standing next to Ray Kitson who, pants on now, was propped on a bar stool slipping in and out of consciousness.
“Well, good people of the world. You’ve done it. You’ve saved your action hero.”
He flung his arm around Ray’s shoulders.
“See, Ray? They really do love you.”
Ray made a moaning sound. Nothing resembling real words.
Richard nodded his head towards the security guys who lifted Ray up and carried him away from the bar.
Richard looked into the camera.
“Now…time is ticking down people.” He looked at his watch. “It is 8pm. This show will be over at 9. And I want a billion dollars by then. But stay tuned to see who we’re going to kill next.”
He signalled the cameraman who turned the camera off.
75
Inside the cloakroom, Kaden watched as Everett Cale started going through the coats.
“What’re you looking for?”
“A cell phone. Maybe we can tell them we’re here. They can come and get us somehow.”
Kaden squinted. “Really? You think that’s going to happen?”
“I don’t know what else to do… We’ve got to do something.”
Everett reached into a coat. “Oh my God…Bingo.”
She pulled out a cell phone. She pressed it on. She called 911.
Kaden watched her talk. She was totally scared shitless like him, but she was like weirdly together as she spoke. “Yes, my name is Everett Cale. I’m inside at the Hollywood Screen Awards. We need to get out.”
Kaden watched her as she said, “Yes. Yes, that’s right…” words like that.
Kaden was so intent on watching her
he didn’t even hear the door open. Or the guy with the gun come in, who was now standing right behind him with a pistol pointed right at his head. The only way he knew it was happening was the look on Everett Cale’s face when she turned around.
He heard a voice. “Let’s go…”
Kaden felt a lump in his throat. He had been safe. He had been saved. And now they were going to die.
He watched as Everett lowered the phone. She looked at him like, “I’m sorry I didn’t save you.”
The security guy spoke into his radio. “I’ve got that Everett lady and Kaden Conroy in the coat check room.”
76
Devin heard the message through the radio just as she had slipped into the theater. She held her gun out looking for guards. Saw none and bolted up the aisle at a full sprint. No, this can’t be happening. If they get them, they’ll definitely be next.
She got to the door to the lobby and pushed it open cautiously, her heart pounding.
She stepped into the lobby and looked around. No one. She saw the door open to the coat check. She ran across the lobby. She didn’t care if she got shot. She didn’t care if she died. She didn’t care about anything but saving Everett. She knew there was no time for clever. There was just get in. And get in before this guy’s backup came.
Devin slammed herself up against the wall outside the coat check room. She had one chance to do this. She had one moment and that would be it. No nuance. No tricks. Just her. She could hear Everett talking inside. “Just let him go,” she was saying. “Do the right thing…Keep me.”
Devin tiptoed over to the entrance of the door. She saw the security guy standing over Everett and Kaden, his gun on them.
77
Kaden was shaking this time. He knew they were going to die once they got turned in. It was obvious. He looked at the security guard thinking, “This guy is the thing standing in between me and my life going on.”
Then he noticed something weird. Through the guy’s legs…in the background. He kind of couldn’t believe his eyes… it looked like an awesome pair of women’s legs with high heels on. Had he already died and this is what heaven was going to look like?
The next moment he jumped out of his skin with the huge bang of a gun blast. Half the security guy’s head flew off. Kaden thought he should have been grossed out or something but he was so busy being grateful, he didn’t give a shit. The guy slumped to the ground. Revealing behind the guy probably the most gorgeous woman Kaden had seen since Everett Cale. MILF wouldn’t even do it justice. He was in love again – she was standing there holding a gun – she was like everything Everett Cale had played in that spy movie but in real life, long, wavy brown hair, amazing blue eyes, strong and sexy - and an awesome body in this really hot black dress and high heels. Holy shit.
Kaden stared at her mouth in slo mo as she said the words, “Come on, let’s get you out of here…”
Then the next thing he saw shocked him even more. Everett Cale got out of her chair, walked confidently and calmly over to the hot woman, like she almost knew she was coming, like they were in a scene in the movie. She slipped her arms around her waist and gave her the hottest kiss he’d ever seen. Holy shit, the worst night of his life was sure having some bright spots.
78
Devin felt Everett’s warm, soft, wet mouth on hers and it made everything that already felt so alive on her feel even more alive. She snapped back to reality quickly.
She pulled away. “Everett, we have to go.”
“What’re you still doing here?”
Devin looked at Kaden Conroy. “You okay, Kaden?”
Kaden just nodded. Looking dumbstruck.
“Let’s go.” She motioned for Kaden who leaped up out of his chair.
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Devin led them through the lobby to a side door to the auditorium. The same one she used when she was sitting with Lori.
Once inside the theater, they scrambled behind some seats.
Everett touched Devin’s arm again. “Devin, seriously… how are you still inside? Didn’t you get out with everyone else?”
“It’s a long story… But it involves a bad blind date.”
Devin looked at Kaden. “Okay, we have to get backstage. And once we do, just follow me.”
Kaden shifted nervously. “Seriously? Backstage? There’s bad men with guns back there.”
“Oh, there’s more than that,” Devin said.
She glanced at Everett and squeezed her hand quickly. Trying to tell her everything she felt for her in a squeeze.
Just one squeeze. One look in the eyes.
“Yeah?” Kaden said. “Something other than bad men with guns who want to kill us? Like what?”
“Like what?” Devin gave him a little smile. “Like a way out of here.”
Everett’s eyes widened. “Oh my God…”
“Okay, let’s go,” Devin said.
As Devin led them towards the under stage corridor she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She had to get to that hole in the floor and get them out before Richard’s men found them. All she could do was her best. She fucking prayed to God it would be enough.
79
Richard walked into the director’s booth.
Sis did not look happy. “You find Tannis Overholt?”
“Not yet.”
“Uh huh… The cop?”
Richard looked at her. “Sis, I’m on it.”
Sis shook her head. “Maybe we should speed this up… Get out now.”
Richard sat down on the couch; he leaned back and put his hands behind his head like a man without a care in the world.
“It’ll be fine…”
“Richard – how will it be fine? We’ve got a cop here somewhere we can’t find… we’ve got a missing actress… How will it be fine?”
“We’ve also got 300 million bucks.”
Sis brightened. “We do?”
Richard smiled and nodded.
“Wow… I didn’t think we’d get that much.”
“I did. People will pay a good premium for those losers out there… Speaking of which… Who would you like to see go next?”
At that moment Richard heard a voice through his radio. It was one of his guys.
“Uh, boss?”
Richard pressed the talk button. “Yeah, go. What?”
“I think Tommy might’ve found an actress… but it’s not the one we were looking for.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Meet me in the lobby…”
Richard walked into the lobby a few minutes later; he was met by one of his guys, Len.
“Len, what’s up?”
Len started walking with Richard. “Tommy was checking one of the rooms off the lobby and he radioed he found Everett Cale.”
“What? Everett Cale? How the hell did she get in there?”
Len shrugged. “Beats me.”
Len pushed open the door of the cloakroom and he and Richard didn’t even need to go in. There on the floor in a pool of blood was Tommy.
Richard shook his head. “Jesus Fucking Christ.”
“What the fuck? How’d she do that?”
Richard shot him a look. “She didn’t.”
80
Devin whipped around a corner backstage, her gun drawn. Coast was clear, she had to make it one more corridor to the utility closet with the escape route.
She looked at Everett and Kaden. “Okay, when we get in there… there’s a carpet, under the carpet there’s a hole in the floor. It leads down to the subway. One of you go first… climb down into the tunnel, it leads out to the subway tracks. Be really careful no trains are coming.”
“Please,” Kaden said, “The L.A. subway? That thing comes like once every hour and a half.”
“Still… be careful. About twenty feet along the track you get to the station. Climb up to the platform. Go up to the attendant in the booth upstairs. Hide yourself. Get them to call a patrol officer. When the o
fficer comes to escort you out tell him I sent you out and no one can know you’re out.”
“Got it,” Kaden said.
They made their way along the hallway. Devin waved them along. “Everett you get that too?”
“Got it…”
They rounded the corner. Devin went first, gun drawn.
“There…” Devin said. “There’s the door. Go… Go go go.”
They all three ran for the door, Devin leading. Her heart was pounding.
She flung the door open, hustled them inside and closed the door behind them.
“The table… Help me move it.”
She and Kaden grabbed the table and moved it aside. Then Devin swung the carpet to the side revealing the hole in the floor. Leading to freedom.
“Okay,” Devin said, “Who’s first?”
Kaden looked at Everett. “You go first.”
Everett smiled. “No. You go.”
Kaden started to protest. But Devin interrupted him.
“Kaden, go. We don’t have time.”
He lowered himself into the hole. Looking back quickly. “Thanks…”
He headed down the hole and disappeared.
Devin gently touched Everett’s arm. She could barely look at her. “Okay, you’re next.”
Everett looked at Devin. “Devin, leave with me.”
“Everett, I can’t… I have to stay.”
“No… you don’t.”
“I do.”
Everett looked unsure. She took Devin’s hand.
Devin let her guard down a moment.
Everett whispered right in Devin’s ear. “I can’t go without you, Devin.”
At that moment, the door flung open and before Devin could draw her gun, three security guards had theirs trained on her and Everett.
“Drop the gun!” one yelled.
Devin hesitated. Once she did that it was all over. She assessed the situation in a microsecond. Three guys, guns aimed. Her with one. Them aiming at Everett. It couldn’t be done. Her heart sank. She couldn’t get them out of this.
This is Devin Jones Page 17