by Brenda Novak
“I know, but you’re brave. You’re safe now. I promise. They’ll take care of you.” Pulling away slightly, he looked in her eyes again. “Trust me.”
She studied his eyes and Blane waited patiently as the elevator doors slid open. The men seemed to understand what was going on because they were quiet, waiting. At last, she nodded.
“Okay,” Blane said, handing her carefully over to Bill. “Bill and Tom are going to help you. Guys, this is Brandy. She’s pretty awesome.”
Tom smiled at her. “As if we didn’t know that already,” he scoffed. “C’mon, Brandy. Tom and I are gonna get you out of here, no worries.”
Blane watched as they put her between them and bore her away quickly toward the front of the place and the exit. He turned to Terrance.
“I thought you were the just-in-case guy,” he said.
Terrance shrugged. “Bored sitting outside. Thought I’d come in and check it out. Good thing I did, too, because those two skinny-ass white boys weren’t gonna haul your ass up that wall.”
Blane grinned, liking Terrance immediately. It figured Kade would be able to pick up on the fact that Terrance, for all his talk of money, would be someone they could count on. He reminded Blane a bit of Kade, also a big talker that he didn’t give a shit about anyone, but who’d be the first one to step in front of a bullet to save someone else. Not that Blane ever would say such a thing to Kade. If he did, Kade would kick his ass just to prove a point.
Now they were going to kill him…if Blane didn’t find him first.
Chapter Nine
Kade stepped into the dark stairwell, and the floor opened beneath his feet.
He didn’t have time to react other than to brace himself for the fall, but to his surprise, he landed on a thick matt. It still wasn’t pleasant, but better than slamming into a concrete floor.
He was on his feet immediately, his eyes searching simultaneously for any threats and a covered position. When no one immediately shot at him, he glanced up and saw he’d dropped about ten feet, maybe twelve. Could’ve broken an ankle or something, so he was lucky. Not an adjective often used to describe his life.
The room was vast, possibly taking up the entire square footage underneath the building, and he recognized it as the location where Liz was being held. Pitch dark, laser lights rotated, illuminating what he now realized was a huge paint ball course. Which meant he had an opponent—
He dived behind a chest-high wall just as the gunshot rang out, missing him by inches. It seemed this game wasn’t going to be played with paint ball guns, but real ones.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
If Kade was a praying man, he’d say a Hail Mary for Blane because there was no way he was going to get back to him in time. His brother was on his own. Maybe his Navy buddies would help him out. He hoped they would. Blane had trusted them.
There was another shot from his right and Kade ducked. One against two? That wasn’t very fair to them.
The strobe lights were playing havoc with his night vision goggles, so he ditched them and the rope he still had slung over his shoulder. Reaching down, he pulled a second pistol from his ankle holster. From the backpack, he grabbed as many full magazines as his pockets could hold as well as a couple other things, then ditched it. It would slow him down too much.
They’d seen him take cover here, and were now doing their level best to drive his ass out, so Kade obliged. The muzzle flashes had given away their positions, and they’d give away his, so he squeezed off a couple of return shots before bolting.
There was an elaborate labyrinth of walls to his right with only one opening. He ducked inside and took two rights, then a left before hitting a dead end.
A fucking maze. Shit.
Well, with any luck they’d followed him inside, and dollars to donuts he’d bet his IQ was higher than both theirs…combined.
Kade replayed what he’d seen of the room’s layout and the outside of the maze inside his head, then where he’d entered and the turns he’d taken since then. He retraced his steps, carefully peering around corners rather than rushing headlong.
He took a right then a quick left, measuring how far he was going with one part of his brain while the other was listening for anyone else. It wasn’t until he’d reached a T-intersection that he heard someone.
Kade paused, his lips twisting humorlessly at the man cursing under his breath.
Should’ve studied the map before you came in here, dipshit, he thought.
Holstering one gun and shoving the other into the waist of his jeans, he turned the corner. The man had his back to him. Perfect.
Kade was behind him in a moment and a second later, he’d snapped the man’s neck. Not an easy thing to do and it had taken Kade a while to get the technique down, but now he could perform the maneuver flawlessly. Unfortunately for the man.
Kade lowered his body to the floor rather than let it drop, dragging it off to the side. In the shadowy darkness, it was difficult to see the lumpy figure.
Weapon comfortably in his grip, he continued through the maze, not seeing anyone else. It looked like only one guy had followed him inside, which meant the other one was waiting.
Fuck. He’d be walking into an ambush again.
Well, he couldn’t stay in here all night. Taking a breath, he stepped around the corner, moving quickly away from the maze’s exit and looking for cover.
He saw the guy at the same time they recognized that he wasn’t their partner. They both fired their weapons and while the other guy had an assault rifle, Kade had better aim. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he didn’t pause to watch the man’s body drop to the floor, not when he spotted Liz.
The floor slanted down another ten feet and she was on a platform above him that stood maybe twenty feet high total, and suspended from a pole. It was attached one side to a wall, but the only way up to reach her appeared to be via a rope suspended to a twin platform about ten yards away. He’d have to either hang from the rope to cross it, or walk across like it was a fucking tightrope. Either way, he’d be exposed the entire time and unable to use his gun.
That was so going to suck.
Nothing he could do about it. What had to be done, had to be done, and the quicker he freed Liz, the quicker he could get back to Blane.
Kade was just about to step down the ramp toward the platform when someone shouted, “Wait!”
He spun around, weapon raised, and only just stopped himself from firing.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked as Mannie ran up to him. “I told you to wait in the car.”
“I’m busy saving your ass, you giant dick,” Mannie retorted, pointing at nothing. “Look.”
Kade looked. Saw nothing but air. “What am I looking for?” he asked. “Your imaginary girlfriend?”
“Get down here,” Mannie said impatiently, yanking on Kade’s arm. “You can’t see it with your nose in the stratosphere.”
Kade crouched down to Mannie’s level, and that’s when he saw it.
A thin wire, stretched at shin-height, went across the entire ramp leading down to the pit where the platforms were affixed. Kade couldn’t see what was on the end, but trip wires seldom had good surprises. He doubted balloons and confetti would rain down if he’d triggered it, which meant…
“You may’ve just saved my life,” he said.
“You bet your sweet ass I did,” Mannie said, a shit-eating grin on his face.
“My ass is pretty sweet, but you’re not the type I want looking at it,” Kade said. He looked down the ramp toward the platforms. “Do you see any other booby traps?”
“Nah. Just this one.”
“Well, if we can’t go through, we’ll go over,” Kade said. Getting to his feet, he carefully stepped over the wire, then looked at Mannie, who looked right back at him. It took Kade another second before he realized the problem.
Mannie was too short to get his leg over, but too tall to try and crawl underneath the wire.
; “Hold on,” Kade said, holstering his gun. “I’ll lift you over.” He reached for Mannie, who held up a finger in warning.
“Tell anyone about this, I’ll castrate you in your sleep,” he warned.
“Like I’m going to fucking tell anyone,” Kade retorted. “Now shut up and lift your arms.” He hefted Mannie over the wire and set him on his feet. He grunted with the effort. Mannie was solid, all right. “You should lay off the fast food there, buddy.”
“Fuck off.”
“That shit clogs your arteries, too—”
“You were the one snarfing down Mickey D’s,” Mannie said.
“I had a Diet Coke.”
“Like that makes a difference.”
They’d arrived at the foot of the platform and both fell silent, staring upward.
“You see any other way than the obvious to get to her?” Kade asked.
“Nope.”
“That’s what I thought.” Heading for the pole underneath the platform, Kade started up.
“Wait, what’re you doing?”
Kade glanced down. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m saving the girl.”
Mannie yanked on Kade’s pant leg. “Get back down here. I’m better suited to do that than you.”
“Why is that?” This oughta be good.
Mannie stared at Kade like he was crazy, then his expression cleared. “That’s right. You don’t remember anything from last night.” He pointed at his own chest. “I’m a tightrope walker.”
Kade paused in his climb, glancing skeptically over his shoulder. “Bullshit.”
Mannie drew himself up to his full height. “Why? Because I’m a little person?”
“Um, yeah. I thought that was obvious.”
Mannie rolled his eyes. “Get your ass down. I’ll go.”
Kade thought about it, then shrugged. If the midget wanted to play the hero and said he walked ropes for a living, who was he to argue? He jumped down, landing solidly on the floor.
“Be my guest,” he said.
Mannie skittered past him to the pole, muttering under his breath, “Judge me by my size, do you?”
Kade hid a grin.
Mannie was up the pole in about half the time it would’ve taken Kade, then discarded his shoes once he reached the platform. Getting down on all fours, he tested the rope, gauging its elasticity. Kade watched as Mannie stood, then began walking across.
The rope wasn’t terribly high, but if he fell, it wouldn’t be pleasant. Kade walked below him, trying to appear nonchalant. Mannie paused.
“Please tell me you’re not going to try and catch me if I fall?” he asked. “I know what I’m doing.”
Kade snorted. “Great. Like I’d be able to catch your short, lumpy ass anyway. Just get across will ya? These strobe lights are giving me a headache.”
Mannie resumed his journey, as did Kade. It would totally suck if Mannie fell, but he wasn’t about to let the little guy break his neck doing this shit.
It took longer than Kade would have liked, but faster than he could’ve gone himself. Finally, Mannie reached the opposite platform and Kade relaxed just a bit.
“Is she conscious?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Mannie responded. “But I can’t get the ropes off her.”
“I got it. Don’t move.” Kade stepped back and flipped open his switch blade. Eyeing the wooden pole, he held the knife by the tip. With a quick flick of his wrist, the knife whipped through the air, coming to an abrupt stop, it’s point buried in the pole about six inches above Mannie’s head.
“Holy shit,” Mannie groused. “You could’ve warned me.”
“I did. I said don’t move. Now get her up and let’s get out of here.”
He heard Mannie talking quietly to Liz. Kade glanced impatiently at his watch and took out his gun from its holster. His hand felt too empty without it.
“Hey, there’s a door up here in the wall,” Mannie said. “Should I open it?”
Shit. God only knew what was behind it. On the other hand, if someone was waiting, they’d had plenty of time to attack while Mannie had crossed that rope and they hadn’t.
“Yeah, but don’t throw it open. Just open it normal-like.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean, ‘normal-like?’” Mannie asked, his voice sounding slightly panicky.
“You know, don’t throw it open like they do in the movies and shit. Just…open it.” The movie always got shit like that wrong. The last thing you wanted to do was announce your presence in a big, bad way.
Kade stepped back from under the platform and watched as Mannie approached the door. Liz was on her feet now and she tugged at his arm, saying something Kade couldn’t hear. Mannie patted her hand, then gently set her aside and went for the door. It swung open easily. Kade held his breath.
Nothing happened.
Mannie let out a huge gasp that Kade silently echoed, then said, “It looks like an exit. I can see a window and the streetlamps outside.”
“Then get out of here,” Kade said roughly. “Take the girl with you and get somewhere safe.”
Mannie glanced back down at Kade. “I don’t want to leave you alone,” he said. “What if you need help?”
“Please,” Kade scoffed. “I let you find that tripwire.” Not particularly the case, but no sense arguing semantics. “Now go.”
He didn’t wait to see if Mannie would listen. He’d spotted what looked like a carefully hidden exit underneath the platform in the opposite corner from where Mannie had found his. Kade didn’t know where it led and didn’t care. He just had to get out of this paintball playground. It was creepy as fuck.
And Blane was still out there.
Chapter Ten
Blane was about ready to tear this shithole apart. They’d searched everywhere and were no closer to finding his brother than they had been earlier.
“Hey, look at this.” It was Terrance and he was gazing through a doorway. “This place must have a basement we missed.”
“How the hell did we miss an entire floor?” Blane asked, coming up to him. The stairway led down and wasn’t lit.
“We didn’t miss it. We just found it,”
Blane didn’t reply. He knew he was being a dick, he just couldn’t bring himself to care right now. Worry for Kade superseded everything else. It was only because of his training that he was able to keep it compartmentalized and from turning into total panic.
“I’ll go first,” he said. His Glock at the ready, he started down the narrow staircase. Terrance followed a couple of steps behind.
At the bottom of the stairs stood another door. Blane paused, taking a breath before reaching for the knob. But before he could turn it, the door opened.
There was a split second where his finger tightened on the trigger before his brain processed who stood in front of him and ordered his muscles to stop.
Kade stood there, his weapon a mirror of Blane’s.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Blane spit out, his relief nearly palpable, which meant now he was just pissed off. “You were supposed to get to the top and help me.”
“I tried,” Kade said, lowering his weapon. “This place is like a fucking funhouse, minus the fun. Did you get Brandy?”
“Yeah, she’s fine,” Blane replied. “Liz?”
“Ditto.”
“Then let’s get the fuck out of here.”
They headed for the front door, Terrance trailing them, and had just reached it when all the lights suddenly came on.
“Leaving so soon?”
They turned to see Péng standing about twenty yards away, flanked by two men pointing AR-15s at them.
“It was entertaining, to say the least, watching you play the American cowboys and rescue the damsels in distress. But I’m afraid we still have our problem. I want that device.”
“Our deal was that the girls were to be untouched,” Kade replied. “You broke the deal.”
“A few bruises don’t matter,” Péng shrugged. �
�Now give me the device or I’m going to have my men shoot your companions. Which one shall they kill first? The black one?”
The rifles aimed at Terrance who stood on Kade’s right.
“Or perhaps…your brother.” The rifles swung to Blane on Kade’s left. “Oh yes,” Péng continued, “I know you have a brother. A quite well-known man, politics in his blood, now an attorney of wide repute. I would imagine the discovery of such a close relation as you would captivate the media’s attention. Especially when they realize you’re a black hat and assassin.”
“What the fuck is a black hat?” Blane asked Kade in an undertone.
“A hacker with malicious intent,” Terrance replied.
Blane looked at Kade. “Really? What have I told you—”
“Not malicious,” Kade interrupted. “Just not…benevolent. That’s all.”
“Really? We’re arguing semantics now?” Blane retorted. “If the FBI finds out that you’ve been doing this shit—”
“They’re not going to find out.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know—”
“Dudes!” Terrance interrupted, looking at them as though they were insane. “We got two rifles pointed at us. Can we do the family intervention later?”
Kade looked somewhat abashed. “Sorry, man. Okay, let’s finish this.”
“How’re you—” Blane started, but Kade interrupted.
“Péng, you’re really irritating me now, and that’s hard to do.” He paused and scrunched up his face a little. “Well, actually, it’s not hard to do as I’m not really known for being a patient kind of guy. But I do have this one thing, call it a ‘hot-button’ issue for me.” He used quotey fingers for hot-button.
“Really?” Péng asked. “Do tell.”
Kade’s voice turned to ice. “It’s pointing a fucking gun at my brother, dickhead. Now, Terrance.”
Barely had Blane processed the words before the entire rock wall directly behind Péng blew up. Kade tackled him to the ground as bits of rock and debris, along with other bloody bits he didn’t want to consider, rained down on them. Smoke and rock dust clouded the room and it took a few moments for things to settle.
