by Alexis Gold
Lance shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to ponder these things. Right now, amidst all this chaos, he needed to find his way in. He needed to take out each obstacle one at a time, like he had been trained to do during those years at college, when he was under the guise of a man studying business. He smiled as he thought of his own joke: He was a man of RISKY business. He frowned and wished Jenna was beside him now so she could share his horrible pun.
Lance released the gas a bit. He was quickly approaching the docks, but he knew he couldn’t park there. He’d have to go around to the stretch of land that was away from the warehouse, a small beach probably a mile behind it. It would be more time-consuming, but pulling up at the dock would risk him being seen by the entire crew, and he couldn’t have that. He needed his element of surprise.
He cruised along the beach until he saw a small inlet where the waves didn’t lap and the water was shallow and still, the perfect spot to anchor his boat. He pulled in with ease, quickly killed the engine, and stood in silence for a moment, listening carefully to the wind as the waves rolled around him.
The only faint sound he heard in the distance was another boat that must have been miles out, possibly Franco coming to pick up a load, or possibly the Feds showing up to stop this operation.
Lance grabbed his duffel bag, swung it around, and strapped his gear to his back. He began to walk along the beach, noting that he could cut over a small patch of tropical forest ahead, and that would put him directly behind the building. When he had been flying earlier that afternoon, he had seen a ladder drop from the roof to a door in the back. He planned to go use that, look in the skylights, and survey the place. Once he had a visual, he could form a plan.
He began to trek across the sand, his long, muscular legs carrying him at an easy, quick pace. He approached the greenery, with tropical leaves as large as he, flapping in the breeze. Bright orchids and wildflowers popped up from the fertile soil, and vines hung down in twisted shadows. His goggles tinged everything a staticky green, grey, and white, but the beauty was visible nonetheless. He carefully made his way to the forest, the tall, wavering palm trees swaying ever so slightly against the push of the wind.
He moved through the woods quickly, and the soft soil covered the sound of his footsteps. He crossed a small stream that ran through the island and caught glimpses of small tropical fish dashing to and fro beneath the gurgling surface. He desperately wished this wasn’t a rescue mission for whom he thought could be the woman of his life; he wished it were day, and they were exploring this exotic island together. But that thought pushed him forward even more quickly. He was going to make sure they explored these lands together; he was going to make sure she was safe.
The forest began to clear, opening up to the back of the warehouse. It stood two stories tall, and the white metal walls screeched against the night, their rust and corrosion looking like a cancerous growth on the otherwise pristine island. Lance sneered as he stared at this building that had become his opponent; it held people who needed him. He knew if he could overcome this, strategize and take it piece by piece, he would have them out.
He looked around the back, finding that a single light lit the area. He didn’t see any fencing, and his eyes scanned the ground for a possible trip wire. He kept low in the shadows, every step carefully placed as he scanned his surroundings again and again. The brush was high; it came up to about his waist and went all the way to the back wall. He looked through the brush, saw a small path just ahead of him, and stopped to study it.
The path seemed to loop around the building, following closely along the wall. This, he thought, could be the path a guard traveled to keep watch. He crouched, knowing it would better to wait and surprise someone than rush and be surprised. He reached back into his bag, pulling out a handheld Taser he had neatly tucked into the side pocket; he turned it on and allowed it to charge up.
Only a few minutes passed before Lance heard the brush switching beneath footsteps. He sank lower to be sure that he was completely hidden in the tall grass that swayed in the breeze. He held his breath, his blood rushing in his ears, feeling the energy coil in each muscle as he readied himself for the pounce.
The man came up only mere feet away, and as he went to take another step, Lance launched at him with the Taser in one hand. His other hand reached up and grabbed the man’s mouth to keep him silent as Lance blasted him with enough force to render him unconscious. He dropped the unconscious man, his gaze traveling around to make sure another guard hadn’t followed or seen him. But the place was eerily silent and empty.
Lance proceeded forward. He saw the ladder up ahead and moved quickly toward it. As he neared the building, he heard another set of footsteps. He quickly dodged down into the grass and heard the person now running toward him; he had been spotted.
The man yelled and a light flashed up, missing Lance by only a few feet. He stayed in the crouched position, once again waiting for his opponent to come to him. The man yelled again, his cry echoing loudly against the metal and washing away with the waves. He came up beside Lance, turned around, and scanned his flash light, trying to find the shadow he had seen only moments ago. As his light landed on his fallen comrade nearby, Lance took the moment of distraction and in two smooth strides was behind the man, Taser in hand. He laid into him, and the man dropped down with a twitch and a yelp.
Lance gazed around once again, and with more urgency, he ran toward the ladder. He feared the man had been heard and more would be on their way. Hoisting himself up onto the ladder, he began his climb toward the roof. The cold textured steel left rusty residue on his hands as he climbed two bars at a time. He felt the wind grow stronger as he reached the second floor, and the ladder wobbled precariously beneath his weight. He felt the sway and noted that this wasn’t an ideal escape route. There was the risk of it collapsing beneath the weight of more than just him.
He reached the roof and, with an effortless swing of his legs, landed gently atop the building. He pulled off his goggles and tucked them back in his bag. Light poured out of the windows, and a greenish, brown hue from the paint and packages inside leaked out into the night. He had to tread lightly, as his footsteps would be heard on the incredibly noisy, metal roof.
Each step was amplified, and he slowly and carefully began moving toward the first skylight. He swallowed nervously as he reached it and peered over; he did not want to be seen by some passerby who chose to look up at that very moment.
Lance studied the scene below. The entire building was packed full of large pallets. Each one was stacked two stories high, and he realized just the sheer volume of this ring as it played out below him. About thirty or so men and women were moving smaller bags into boxes and then packing the boxes onto pallets. He knew he couldn’t take out all of them, and doing so was not necessary. What was necessary was finding Jenna and Lia and figuring out how to get to them using a path of least resistance.
He looked past where all of the workers were and saw a wall to what appeared to be an office. The wall went all the way up, and he realized that part of the building had to contain a second floor. A skylight was above the office side, and he slowly began to creep toward it. Each step was met with creaking metal, and he worried that the sound was echoing through the building below. He passed a second skylight and peeked in, but it appeared that no one was suspicious or looking up at the roof. Relieved, he picked up his gait and moved toward the third opening on the rooftop.
He got to his destination and peered down; sure enough, this skylight overlooked a second floor, and the room was much closer to him. Inside was just an office: a dark desk covered in messy papers and a laptop that was propped open. Two old, worn leather chairs sat across from the desk and a couple of old paintings hung crookedly on the wall. He saw a door to another office, looked up, and located another skylight further down, seemingly above that room.
Lance crept yet again, feeling beads of sweat against his forehead. The slick, salty substance cooled the met
al pistol tucked against his lower back, and the bag he carried now seemed heavier, as he tensed every muscle to quiet his movements. Like a panther stalking his prey, he eyed the skylight and moved steadily towards it, not making a sound. He gazed down once again, but this time, he felt his heart drop in his chest.
Jenna sat in the middle of the room, cuffed and tied to a chair. He looked around, but no one else was in the room with her.
He studied the skylight, and the drop down to the room was well over twenty feet. While he could break the glass and drop a rope down to get to her, climbing back up with both of them would be incredibly tough. And he still needed to find Lia and get her out as well. He knew he could pick any locked cuffs and cut the ropes that bound Jenna and possibly Lia, but he needed a way in and a way out.
Lance bit his lip nervously as he considered his options. He looked up and saw that four more skylights went down the line, which meant there were probably four more rooms. A hallway had to connect them. If he could get inside any of those rooms, he could at least get to Jenna, and he guessed that one had to be hiding Lia.
He made his way to the next skylight and peeked down into that room. Two men stood guarding the door with guns in hand. Lance looked around the room and saw a desk to the right; he noted the position and continued to the next skylight.
Franco sat at a large desk, more papers and packages laid out on the table, his laptop open as he typed away. Lance felt fiery rage burn in his skull and knew he would take great pleasure in rendering this man unconscious. He moved very quietly down to the next skylight; Gavin and a few other men his age were in the room packaging what looked like a large amount of cocaine. The room was filled with boxes that stood taller than Lance. He mapped their locations in his mind and moved on to the final skylight.
Down below wasn’t a room, but the stairwell that led to the offices. Two guards stood at the top, watching the steps, but a wall on the other side had a workspace. He saw a window at the top of the stairwell and, though the guards were only mere feet from it, Lance believed this would still be his best bet at getting inside. While it meant fighting off these guards and all the others, the last office that held no one, also had no way in, and he risked being seen by the workers by going in the front door of that room.
He took a deep breath and made his decision. He would need to get through this, these eight obstacles, and he was there. Once he had Jenna, the two of them could find Lia and all of them could head back to the boat, back to the beach house, back to safety and normality.
He reached back into his bag and grabbed his rope, tying it to the frame of the skylight; the steel jutted out and allowed him to knot the rope securely so he could climb down the wall and position himself next to the window. He also reached in and grabbed his other Taser gun, a distance weapon, which would allow him to take out the first guard easily.
He grabbed the rope, gave it a strong tug, and tied it to his harness. Then he stepped back off the roof and inched down the wall, his strong arms holding him securely as he reached the side of the window. He was careful as he looked in. Neither guard seemed to notice him, as their eyes looked down toward the stairs. With a quick motion, he lifted his boot and kicked the window full force. The glass broke the silence of the night as it shattered beneath the force. If they hadn’t noticed him before, they did now.
Chapter9
Jenna heard the smash of a window, and her eyes went wide as she realized either the Feds had shown up, or Lance was here. She had diligently been working at her cuffs; her hands were bleeding, but she had them half off. An extra kick of adrenaline hit her, and growling in frustration, she pulled at her cuffs with a heave and finally managed to slip her hands free.
With hurried, shaking hands she reached down and untied the ropes as glass smashed and gunshots rang out a few rooms over. Her heart dropped. She knew there was a real chance that Lance was just a few feet away, fighting off these guys.
The door behind her suddenly slammed open, and Jenna whirled around to see Lia barge in, her hair wild and her eyes blazing in anger.
“Sounds like big brother’s here.” Lia grinned and reached behind her, pulling out a pistol and cocking it.
Before she could even aim it at Jenna, the detective swooped down and knocked the blonde off her heels. It felt so good that Jenna smiled as soon as her foot made contact with the woman’s lean legs. She seized her moment and leaped at Lia. With her hand pulled back, she delivered an uppercut and then swung around and made contact with her jaw as she swung her leg in a roundhouse kick.
Lia fell back. She grabbed at her bleeding lips and sneered at Jenna.
“You little bitch,” she hissed as she pushed herself up. Her hands clenched into fists, she squared off with her opponent.
“That’s what happens when you slap other people around, Lia. You should really work on your manners.” Jenna mocked, as she wiped the blood from her own lip. She danced around with Lia, bouncing on the balls of her bare feet as she did so. She had been waiting for this fight since Lia had walked into the room and revealed her dark secrets and nefarious plans to her. She wasn’t going to let this bitch kill Lance, or get anyone else killed for her own selfish greed.
Lia swung her own punch at Jenna. She swerved and it missed, but Lia was ready and waiting with the other fist, catching Jenna on the chin and sending her spiraling backwards. Jenna caught herself, but before she could re-engage, Lia gave a strong kick up. As Jenna tried to gain her balance, Lia’s sharp-toed heel caught her in the ribs and forced the air out of her lungs.
She collected herself quickly and stepped back, dodging the next punch Lia aimed at her. The momentum carried Lia towards her. Jenna used this to her advantage and spun another kick of her own at her opponent's chest, sending her reeling. Lia tripped on her heels and landed hard on her ass.
Jenna stepped forward. The commotion from several rooms over had moved closer, and she heard the sound of Franco shouting, followed by more gunshots. A pained yell ripped through the air, and Jenna’s eyes went wide.
“Lance!” she screamed.
But Lia was back on her feet, lunging for her throat and grasping Jenna’s neck in her hands. They tumbled to the floor, landing on their sides, and Lia began to squeeze as hard as she could. Jenna clawed at Lia’s arms, but the woman’s grasp was like a vice. Jenna reached back, clenched a fist, and swung with all her might. She made contact just as the door burst open, and Lance soared through the air, then landed unconscious with a thud beside her.
Jenna screamed, but then her world suddenly went black.
*
Lance leaned in the window before the guards could get there bearings, lifted the Taser, lined it up with the man closest to him, and pulled the trigger. The wire whistled through the air and shot right into the man's shoulder; the current swept through him with a jolt, and he fell unconscious to the ground.
Lance swung in just as the second guard raised his gun and pointed it at the window. He swept his boot up and kicked the guard square in the chest. The impact sent him reeling back, and his shot went wild. Lance landed with a loud clunk on the metal stairs, then ran forward toward the guard and used his momentum to blast through the next door.
He grabbed the guard by the shoulders as they broke through the door and slammed him into a man who had been standing with his back to the entrance. The two went tumbling and Lance pivoted as the commotion caught Gavin and his fellow workers’ attention. He hid behind some boxes as the room burst into loud yells and shots.
Lance reached back and grabbed the bat he had strapped to the outside of the bag. He heard footsteps thud beside him and he whirled around, the bat making contact with the man’s chest; the force snapped ribs and the man cried out in agony.
Gavin rounded the corner, and his two goons stepped behind Lance. His eyes quickly surveyed the three. All were still for a moment when suddenly Lance made the first move. He swiped a powerful kick at Gavin, his foot meeting the man’s abdomen and sending him flyin
g back. The other two moved quickly though, and one stepped forward and caught Lance’s foot on the way down, pulling it suddenly out from beneath him. He let out an “oof!” as he landed flat on his back.
The other man leaped on top of him, but Lance’s strong legs coiled back toward his chest, and he launched a powerful kick with both his legs right at the man’s groin. The man screamed in wrenching pain as he was thrown in the air, grasping his balls that were already swelling from the impact.
Gavin had gotten up and stood with the other man, and they circled Lance more carefully as they tried to plot their next move.
“Come on, boys. This is all you’ve got?” Lance gave them a cocky smile as he bounced on the balls of his feet. A slash had been made across his face during the impact, and blood dripped down his chin.
He saw the other man’s eyes twitch toward the table in the room and noted a pistol sitting there.
“Sorry, can’t let ya have that,” Lance said, stepping between the men and the weapon.
Gavin let out a war cry and came at his opponent with a right hook, but Lance dodged and fired his own punch at Gavin’s temple. The young man dove down and grabbed Lance by the waist, knocking him back into the pile of boxes. The two went rolling, knocking everything down and giving the other man an opportunity to go for the gun. Lance scrambled to get to cover, and a shot rang out just as he dove behind the pallets.
