Chapter 145
145
Rachel and I dove to the floor as pandemonium erupted all around us.
People were screaming and shouting –
But there were no more gunshots.
Yet.
I pulled the Glock from my waistband.
At the same instant, Rachel hiked up her dress and pulled a Walther PPK out of a thigh holster attached to her garter.
Called it, I thought.
I caught a glimpse of silky black panties –
And she caught me staring.
“REALLY?!” she snapped.
I ignored her indignation and said, “We should run while we have the chance p>
She glanced at the people running all around us and nodded.
I hated using civilians as cover, but the flurry of activity would make it impossible for the shooter to get a bead on us.
Only the very best snipers could hit a target in a panicked crowd – and if our shooter was one of the best, he wouldn’t have missed the first time.
“Hold on,” Rachel said as she pulled off her high heels. “Okay – go p>
We crouched low and ran for the exit, surrounded by the crowd.
I kept my Glock under my jacket, and she hid her gun behind her purse and the shoes she grasped in her free hand.
I waited for another gunshot –
But it never came.
We passed by the stairwell in the lobby. No one seemed to be going into it, so I grabbed Rachel’s arm and pulled her with me through the door. “In here p>
The stairwell was deserted.
I shut the door behind us, then turned –
To find her gun aimed right in my face.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed. “There’s an assassin out there – ”
“And you led them right to me p>
“Or maybe Fausto decided not to let you off the hook after all – ever think of that p>
She scoffed. “The shot hit the table in front of you p>
“Didn’t get me, though, did it? They could have just as easily been aiming at you p>
“Fuckin’ bad shot, then p>
“Didn’t say they weren’t p>
Suddenly, a door banged open several stories above us and echoed in the stairwell. Footsteps clattered down the stairs as a man shouted over a radio, “WHERE IS HE p>
Rachel had a choice to make, and we both knew it.
She could point the gun at the new arrival, but that would open her up to an attack from me.
She could keep her gun pointed at me and let the new arrival see her with it, potentially inciting more panic and maybe bringing armed guards rushing into the stairwell –
Or she could lower her gun and give up her advantage over me but not be seen by the stranger.
She chose to lower the gun –
Which I immediately took advantage of.
I stepped forward, grabbed her arm before she could raise it again, and slammed my body into hers against the wall.
Rachel was a skilled fighter, but I had over a hundred pounds on her –
And she didn’t want anyone to see her gun.
Two disadvantages.
“Get off me,” she hissed.
“We’ve been a lot closer than this, Älskling,” I said, using my Swedish pet name for her.
The guy from upstairs darted past us.
“TELL HIM TO CONTROL THE CROWD!” he screamed into his radio, then ran through the doorway into the lobby.
At which point Rachel kneed me in the balls.
Hard.
I twisted my legs at the last instant, but she still got in a pretty good shot.
“UNGH,” I grunted in pain.
She shoved me off of her and kicked me in the chest with her bare foot, sending me slamming back into the stairwell railing.
Despite the pain radiating from my crotch, I was ready for her next move.
She raised her gun –
But I slammed her forearm with mine, deflecting her motion and keeping her from pointing the pistol at me.
I’d seen her fight Delgado back in Afghanistan.
I knew she was deadly beyond belief –
But seeing a cobra in action doesn’t really prepare you for fighting one.
She kicked at the outside of my knee, trying to break it.
I remembered that from her fight against Delgado –
And I squatted low just in time.
The kick hit my thigh rather than my knee. Painful, but not crippling.
Then I threw a punch.
She dodged and brought her knee up into my gut.
I doubled over with an Oof.
I prepared to have to use my gun –
But she surprised me.
In the split second she had while I was doubled over –
She ran.
She swung around the railing and took the stairs three at a time, disappearing around the corner in less than two seconds.
“Rachel!” I called out.
She didn’t answer –
But I could hear her bare feet slapping against the stairs.
“Fuck,” I groaned.
Ignoring the pain in my still-tender balls, I started up after her –
Although considerably slower than she was going.