“He’s taking him to the helicopter. We still have time Riley.” Jack said in a firm tone trying to calm her fears.
“Move. We’ll catch up.” Ryan yelled from behind. Blake, wounded, was limping in leaps using Ryan and Sam as crutches.
“No. Get out of here. We’ll meet you.” Jack ordered.
Jack’s hold loosened as he looked back at his brother. Riley was known for escaping when held hostage, even when it was in her best interest. This was one of her times. She slipped out of Jack’s hold and darted toward the double doors of the kitchen. When she kicked off the stilettos, they went sailing across the kitchen. In mid-stride, she reached down and ripped an opening in the dress so she could move quicker.
"Riley," Jack yelled out.
He'd race to catch up to her, but she was a runner. Riley broke through the double doors to the kitchen and slid across the slick floor and out the only exit. When she passed through the doorway into a long corridor, she saw all five of them in front of her. For Riley, Eric was back in the picture, and that was enough to fuel her hunger to fight.
"Stop," Jack yelled from behind her. Riley was making a run for Eric when Jack yelled out again. "To the right."
Riley lunged to the right. Jack's bullet whipped past her and connected with Mark. She wasn't sure where it hit him or how bad. She just heard the thump and saw him quiver midstride. One of the muscles spun around and returned fire. Riley ducked within a doorway in time to miss his bullet that lodged in the frame of the door. Now the lights in the grand hotel were fading and fading fast. Without light, Eric would undoubtedly be lost to her.
Mark and three of his men were commanding Eric to move faster. They were a hundred feet away from her when Eric passed out. He dropped to the floor becoming deadweight. At the same time, Mark staggered forward, and one of his men caught him. He righted himself and turned locking his gaze to Riley’s.
Jack and Dragon were closing in on the rest of Mark’s muscle taking cover where they could. Dragon fired sending one of the men forward but not to the ground. He continued to charge forward. The other muscle grabbed hold of both Mark and Eric shoving them in behind an old ice machine for cover. Riley took that opportunity and bolted forward closing the gap between her and her brother.
"Mark," Riley yelled out.
There was no reasoning with Mark unless he had something to gain from it. Everyone else was expendable. When Jack and Dragon moved, Riley moved forward putting her a little closer to Eric. She stopped short to shield herself out of the line of fire. When Riley glanced over, Mark had stooped over Eric blocking her view. Had she had her gun, Riley could have ended it there. Mark turned and looked and then he smiled. Something was horribly wrong. Riley felt her legs grow heavy. It appeared they’d tranquilized Eric. He lie in a heap. Riley felt the blood rush to her face and terror replaced every emotion in her. In Mark’s hand was a syringe.
Riley hadn’t expected this. He was going to inject Eric with God knows what? Mark preplanned for almost every scenario. Riley knew Mark, and there was nothing pleasant in that syringe. He knew nothing about chemicals or injections scared her even more. She had one choice; stop Mark before he had a chance to slip the needle into Eric.
Riley stepped out before Jack could stop her, but Mark was already bending over Eric sliding the needle into his arm. Mark had recovered from the drugs she'd given to him and was now in complete control. Fearlessly, Riley propelled herself forward but stopped short when one of Mark's men sent a bullet in her direction. Riley dropped to the ground rolling off to the side. The gunman shielded Mark making it so she could no longer see Eric.
“Eric!”
When the two men moved away, Eric was still. The lights flickered. She looked back. Jack was almost to her with a gun in each hand. Riley stayed on the ground as gunfire exploded over her head. Bullets bounced off the walls and ricocheted in all directions. A sudden need washed over her. One Riley would've never dreamed. For Eric to survive, she needed Mark to live. Looking at Mark now, he knew it and smiled.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Mark held both the syringe and the detonator into the air. Riley was willing to wipe that smug smile off his face, but if she did, Eric would die. Jack was no more than ten feet behind her when the lights dimmed. Riley pressed her hand out and asked him to stop. Everything in the hallway went silent. Mark called on his remaining men to move out. They did without hesitation sliding through the exit at a full run.
Riley climbed to her feet choking back the tears in her eyes and the lump in her throat. This was the best way to hurt her. Mark had succeeded.
"We have a life-or-death problem here," Mark said.
"What have you done?" Riley asked forcing herself to a subdued calm. She looked at the syringe then the detonator. Mark had never played by the rules, and when he played, he cheated and played to win.
He held the syringe in the air. The liquid was gone. He lifted the detonator and waved it. "I can see how you might decide to shoot me. Think about it though. In this hand, I have a syringe with just enough of something special, something that needs an antidote. He'll need it if you want him to survive. In this hand is a detonator. The explosives I've placed will drop this building in one blow. Either way, you or some of you will probably die."
"What did you give Eric? Tell me." Riley screamed out in a fury.
"You see to guarantee my life I've given him a nasty little bug. It ensures that I'll be leaving in my helicopter untouched. You're no doctor, so you'll need me to help you." He laughed loud. "Hell, I'm not a doctor, but let's just say I've inherited some unique skills from someone you may know. To make the fun a little more attractive, I'll give you five minutes. Life without you would be," He paused, "boring. I do however feel Eric is going to die, which will make for an exciting reunion because you Riley may never get over losing your twin brother."
Riley looked down at Eric and then back at Jack and Dragon. The turmoil inside her was boiling. She wanted to kill him so bad, but Mark was holding all the cards right now.
"I'm going to hunt you down," Riley said.
"Oh, I'm counting on it, Riley," Mark said looking over at Jack and then Dragon. His shirt was soaking up blood. He pointed at Dragon and said, "You're a dead man." He sneered and then looked at Jack. "I know something you don't know. If you make it through this, be sure to bring the team along. We'll have dinner."
Mark turned and started to walk away. Suddenly the thought occurred to Riley that if they had the syringe, Nick might be able to identify the fluid inside. With his help, they could find an antidote for Eric.
Riley turned back and looked at Jack. The last of the light faded inside the corridor. She knew the exit was near and Mark would disappear in a heartbeat. The Elevators wouldn't be working, and chances were, none of them were going to make it out in time. However, if she could recover both the syringe and the detonator, they might have a chance. Someone flicked on a flashlight, and everything went into slow motion.
Dragon yelled out to Riley as she spun around. She lunged throwing herself at Mark. One of Mark's men swung open the exit door and fired off a round. Jack returned the favor knocking him to the ground with a single bullet. Her strides turned to leaps closing the distance between Mark and her. Before he had a chance to make any quick decisions, Riley was on him. Behind her, Jack followed, and Dragon fired. All 140 pounds of her slammed into Mark's 205 pounds. She banked that he'd hold tight to the detonator if anything. If she knew Mark, everything revolved around him and him alone.
The impact was painful, but her sights focused on the objects in his hands and nothing else. Never had she felt such a blow as she nearly knocked Mark off his feet. She forced him to his knees. He almost dropped the syringe to save the detonator. Jack was there before Riley bounced off him hitting the ground so hard she thought she heard a rib or two snap. Riley scrambled to her feet. The syringe was in her hand but stuck solid into her flesh. With only the beam of the flashlight, she saw liquid slide down her palm.
"I don't need your permission to pull the trigger, asshole," Jack said between gritted teeth. "You're just scum the Shift somehow forgot."
"Jack," Riley said looking down at the syringe stuck in her hand.
Jack looked over at her holding the end of the barrel snug against Mark’s temple.
"That doesn’t look good," Mark said. "I was betting on that. I believe there was just enough in there to make a difference asshole!"
Dragon stepped forward. The muscle stood down as Jack pressed the barrel snug against Mark's head. Dragon didn't say anything at first, but then he looked down at the needle. The syringe was empty. "Shit." He said softly.
Riley didn't hesitate. She yanked the needle out of her flesh.
“We should be able to pick up whatever was in there.”
Riley stepped over to Mark and Jack. She dropped the syringe into Jack’s pocket. Jack said nothing. He didn’t have to. She knew what he was thinking and then he slipped her, her gun.
“I should have killed you when I had the chance,” Riley said looking down at Mark. “Where is the antidote?” She asked firmly bringing her pistol up and in his direction.
"Riley, Riley. You don't play games unless you know what you're playing with." Mark's voice was calm, and it irritated her. He lifted his hand up and exposed the detonator. He had already pressed the button.
“You’re a dead man.” Dragon said.
"Ticktock," Mark said. "Listen."
The building shook violently, and a stream of drywall rained down in front of them. Jack looked over at her. Eric mumbled something and then was out cold. Somewhere in the hotel, there was a bigger explosive large enough to take out a few floors.
"Time to go," Jack said.
Mark tossed the detonator down. Five minutes were ticking down. "That was one of the small ones." He said with a grin. "Taste for what is to come."
“Shut up.” Jack said.” Blood was dripping down the front of Mark’s shirt catching on his belt and dripping to the floor.
The ground exit was only a hundred feet from them. Riley's finger caressed the trigger on her gun. Oh, how she wanted to pull that trigger. Jack stepped away while she held her pistol on Mark. She could hear Eric stir as Jack scooped him up and tossed him over his shoulders. Dragon stepped in next to Riley keeping his gun aimed at Mark's man.
"Get up," Riley said to Mark.
Mark slowly climbed to his feet. Dragon had her back, and she wanted to fire her weapon, she couldn't. Their lives depended on Mark and the antidote.
"Got to go," Mark said.
Jack touched her shoulder and guided her to the exit.
A second explosion rocked the building, and this time the shake felt more like an earthquake. The sound was incredible, and a series of smaller explosions trailed the second explosion. The foundation of the hotel trembled. In those seconds, Riley forgot about the fluid inside her body and ran.
They got to the door keeping Mark in front of them. His hired thugs would be waiting for him, and he wasted no time making a run for it. He disappeared down a dark alley. His remaining men followed. Above them, the helicopter's blades whirled cutting into the coming of yet another storm.
Jack pulled her in the opposite direction as the third explosion rocked the top of the hotel sending a spray of debris deep into the evening air. Bright orange light filled the sky as a steady rain of glass and debris showered downward. Riley ran barefooted towards a dark van that was flashing a sequence of lights on and off. With each step falling shards of glass and metal bit into the bottoms of her feet. One minute she was running and then stumbling. Riley never saw Dragon dodge toward her. Her feet left the ground and Dragon gathered her in his arms.
The door of the van opened. They lunged through the opening. The driver had already put the van into drive. The tires chirped before they could secure the door. Jack reached out and caught her as she almost went flying through the opening. She was leaking blood all over the carpet from the open cuts on her feet.
Eric lay motionless on the floor beside them. Riley slipped next to him bracing herself to the moving van. She laid his head in her lap. Riley felt the warmth coming from Eric’s body as she ran her fingers through his sandy blonde hair. She glanced over at Dragon who watched from a corner. They were all silent in those first seconds moving in rhythm to the turns the driver was making.
A minute later, the fourth explosion rocked the foundation of the city, and the van shuddered. A flash of fire detonated into the sky. The fireball lit up their path as they weaved in and out of side streets. They were only a few miles away when the big one took the hotel dropping it to the ground. The blast was deafening and as it faded the sound of radio chatter started.
"Jack. Where are you?" Ryan's broken voice came across the radio, and for a moment, Riley forgot everything around her. Jack gripped the handle of the door reaching down with his free hand to replace his headset.
“We’re in route. ETA is less than twenty minutes.” Jack said looking at her.
"We're five minutes in front of you," Ryan said. She could hear the relief in Ryan's voice.
She wanted to close her eyes and be back at the ranch. Ben would be cantankerous. The horses would be stomping their feet impatiently. Jack would be teasing her, loving her. Ryan's playful mannerism would be somehow entertaining. Wanting to reach down and scoop Megan in her arms while Max rubbed against her leg for his attention. Riley glanced back down at Eric as the van lurched to the side almost tossing them into a dog-pile.
Jack broke the silence. “I can do a lot of things, Riley but I don’t know about this. I don’t know if I can save the two of you from this.”
“I know Jack. It’s okay.” She said.
“Maybe Nick will know what to do.” He said.
"Maybe," Riley said looking over at Dragon. "You have any ideas what he gave Eric, me?"
"It's not okay. Nothing that comes from that man is good. I don't know. It could be anything." He said.
“We’re going to need your help.”
“You’ve got it.” He said.
Jack slid down onto the floor with her. He gathered both her and Eric in his arms. His warmth was better than anything she’d ever felt before. Terror washed through her unknowing what had been in the syringe and was now in her, in Eric.
"Don't forget the syringe is in your pocket," Riley said softly moving in closer to him if that was even possible.
“Hey. Looks like Raeburn’s having some technical issues!” The driver yelled out weaving them through the streets at a fast pace. “That or he’s playing with intent.”
Overhead something thumped loudly. Riley glanced over at Dragon. Jack was behind Riley holding onto her for dear life. The van hopped and lurched over God knows what. The closer the sound got the more distinct it became. It was the noise of a chopper.
The streets were dark except the headlights on the van and the fire consuming the Hyatt behind them. When the dull roar of the helicopter's blades rotated above them Riley, Jack and Dragon slid to the window of the van.
“What’s he doing?” Riley asked.
"I don't know, but he's coming our way." The driver yelled out.
"Desert One do you copy?" She heard the call across the radio, and she knew it was Cobra.
Riley felt Jack grab hold of her as he pulled her away from the window. For the first time, Riley saw an expression of panic on Jack's face. Riley looked to the front window of the van and saw the street was clear. Above them, the helicopter moved with them. The plane's engine sputtered. The whirling noise slowed. Out the front window, Riley saw one of the giant blades. There was no time to jump out. The driver pressed the throttle all the way down. The van lurched forward.
Dragon glanced out the window and yelled, “hold on!”
Riley br
aced for the impact. Jack covered her body with his. There was a jolt as the helicopter made a slight impact with the van. There was a horrible screeching sound as metal ripped into the body of the roof rolling it back into jagged metal shards. They were all still together until they went into a rollover. The impact was loud and surreal. The sound of blades scraping pavement screamed into the night air. Sparks and flame shot out from under them. Bones broke, and blood began to leave us. Riley fell away from Jack's hold. Eric and Dragon catapulted across the van. Jack went one-way, and Riley went another. Glass shattered, metal ripped, and the van skipped, and then they hit something hard. As if knowing, Riley saw the front of the van coming at her. She flew forward. Instinctively, she shoved her hands out in front to brace for the hit. She lost sight of Jack, Eric, and Dragon. The driver was dead on impact. Riley felt nothing as the scream escaped her lips, lost. She saw Jack one last time before the van exploded and everything went black.
In the Shadow of the Tiger (The Fighter Series Book 2) Page 33
