She thought about threatening to call the police, but knew it wasn’t the best option. How would she explain being in her underwear and a man’s coat in a park in the middle of the night?
The man remained silent. Orla looked behind her then back at the stranger, taking one first step in his direction, and then another, her hand tight on the briefcase, ready it to use as a weapon if necessary.
It wasn’t until she was almost out of the tunnel that she realized the tall, broad man blocking her way was a dense bush just beside the pathway. Her body coiled so tight she thought it would break in two, she started to shake as she walked past it. She felt like a boiling pot about to bubble over, another sign she knew was related to her remnants of PTSD. That and imagining things that weren’t there.
When she spotted a cab at a corner, a sensation close to tears seized her throat, but it wasn’t a sob that poured out of her, but unstoppable laughter. All the fear, panic, exhaustion that made her legs shake turned into a fit of giggles as she got into the warm vehicle and with difficulty told the driver where to go. The driver didn’t say anything but watched her with weary eyes. It was obvious it wasn’t the first time he’d seen strange behaviors like hers in the middle of the night.
Holding the briefcase against her chest, Orla let the giggles turn into silent tears, praying she didn’t lose her mind, at least not quite yet. Please, not yet. Not until she could stop this impending madness.
Chapter Eleven
Sam fought backhis rage when he lost sight of Orla during the gunfight. His instinct was to sprint after her. The attack had been unexpected, and there was no way of knowing how many of them there were, and if any remained outside taking care of the runners like Orla.
It was the last thing he wanted to think about as there was nothing he could do about it in the middle of a fight. He and Sloane were outnumbered and outgunned even though they’d made headway against the masked men wearing head-to-toe black body armor, similar to what SWAT teams wore. The bodyguards, more concerned with protecting their clients than the civilians and employees being showered with bullets, had escaped, ushering their charges out of the line of fire.
Support was needed. Ducking to avoid being hit, Sam slid behind a half-wall and fished his earpiece from his pocket, inserting it in his ear. “Devin!”
God bless him; the hacker responded immediately.“Here and ready. Got hold of the cameras. Cops are on the way. ETA 7 minutes. From what I could see, there are five baddies inside, and an additional four outside standing between two catering vans. Running the plates, but no result so far. This is organized and fucking dangerous.”
“Sloane, report.”
A vile curse reassured him the former cop was still alive.“They’re mercenaries for sure. And they’re wearing fucking body armor. We need to regroup and assess. If we move, we’ll be killed.”
“We need a way out. And I need eyes on Orla.” At Sam’s command, there was a pause, and Sam hoped it was because Devin was busy and not because there was a technical problem. Or worse.
“I have a view of her exiting the building and running away. No baddies in the direction she took as far as I know. You and Sloane are my priority now.”
Sam thought about staying and getting his hands on one of the men in black so he could get answers, but the risk of injury or exposure was too high. He took another quick look and saw a man he had met briefly as he worked the room earlier. Mr. White was being pulled away by his protection squad. His partner, the burly man who introduced himself as Mr. Black, was neutralized and taken away by the masked invaders. Questions about the quality of both men’s protection would have to be staved off for now, but it was greatly lacking.
From a distance, sirens could be heard, meaning their location would soon be flooded with blue.
“Devin! Now would be a good time.”
As he spoke, Sam saw the swarm split into two entities trying to escape, but still shooting at each other like it was high noon at the O.K. Corral. He felt more than saw Sloane rush to his side. He aimed at the kidnappers and fired. Thankfully they didn’t have the same technology as Noctem did and he knew the best place to hit was the underside of the jaw. From his angle though it was an impossible shot unless the victim looked up. Sam smiled when he saw another way. “Sloane, get that big chandelier down. Now.”
Blowing a strand of pink hair from her face, the ex-cop aimed. If anybody could hit the thin chain, it was Sloane. She was a crack shot and had been the top of her class at the academy.
Sam didn’t watch her, and aimed at the closest commando and prayed his accuracy was still up to par.
It was a matter of half a second. As he knew she would, Sloane hit the chain, and the chandelier emitted a groan as it swung, drowning out the gunfire for an instant, just enough to draw the attention of his intended target. And Sam fired. A spray of blood appeared, and the man crumpled.
“Okay, guys. I have an escape route. Move, now.”Devin’s voice was almost deafening in his ear.
Sloane was on her feet in less than a second, but Sam continued to shoot, keeping the rest of the invading crew from recovering their dead colleague.
Sam made his way through the bodies and broken furniture, keeping his attention on the retreating group, gun ready until he reached the fallen man and crouched beside him. The body spasmed, and blood gurgled from the wound, but Sam wasn’t paying much attention. Careful not to leave any prints, he removed the hood as Sloane moved to his side.
“We’d better leave as Devin said. I don’t feel like explaining this little party to the cops.”
Sam took out his phone and took pictures of the dying man. With a sigh, Sloane examined his pockets. “No ID, and I’m not surprised. He’s a hired contractor.” She removed one of his gloves and held his hand up. “Get his prints for Devin.”
“Devin doesn’t want pictures. He wants both your asses out of there. ETA two minutes. But if you want to relax and welcome the cops instead, please stay where you are.”
Sam heard every word and ignored the usual sarcasm from the hacker. “Shit. We need more time.”
“Well, sorry guys, but the window is closing. We’ll find another opportunity, but I need you out. Now!”
This time they didn’t hesitate. Devin’s instructions were clear and to the point as always and led them to a flashy silver car at the end of the parking lot. Red and blue lights were arriving at great speed via the road on the other side of the building, and the invaders were nowhere to be seen.
