Page 149 of Renegade
Before they turned the corner, they stopped, their backs against the wall. They listened. Only silence spoke back. As soon as they stepped into the hallway, he looked left, she right. They continued clearing the space as they made their way through the building.
C’mon, c’mon.
As they hurried through the silence, adrenaline pumped through her at a frenzying pace. They entered the control room, she shut the door behind them and bolted it.
Step one completed.
They stared at the screens on the wall. The hallways were empty. Then, Caroline tapped the laptop. The computer came alive and she gasped at the sight.
Grey whipped his head toward the screen. “Fuck, no.”
Both Sin and Dakota were trapped in the hole. A bare-chested Sin was sitting on the cement floor next to Dakota, holding his blood-soaked shirt against Dakota’s shoulder.
Caroline pressed the intercom button. “Sin, can you hear me?”
Sin opened his eyes, the hatred pouring from them. “That son of a bitch is somewhere in the building. Find him and annihilate him.”
“I got this,” Greystone said. “What’s your status?”
“He grabbed my Glock from my holster when I was shackling him.” Sin said. “I wasn’t hit, but Dakota took a bullet in the shoulder.”
Caroline wanted to get Dakota medical attention, but they had to find Haqazzii first.
“How long have you been down there?” Caroline asked.
Sin glanced at his watch. “Eighteen minutes.”
“We’re gonna black-out the building,” Greystone said. “Does that include the hole?”
Dakota opened his eyes, started to sit up, and winced. “Fuck. Yeah, everything in the building goes dark, no exception.”
“Are you sure he didn’t escape?” Caroline asked.
“Yes,” Dakota replied. “Sin activated lockdown from my phone.”
“Is there a crawl space or something like that where he could be hiding?” Greystone asked.
“There’re built-ins in the game room,” Dakota said. “I wouldn’t put it past him to hide in there.”
“There are comms in the desk drawer,” Sin said.
“Copy,” Caroline said. “We’re out.” She killed the intercom switch. “I’m coming with you,” she said to Grey.
“Austin, I need you in my ear, talking me through this.”
Instead of pushing back, she said, “Understood.”
And she did.
“Lock yourself in and don’t open the door unless I tell you ‘the pink pig is flying to the moon’. Code for I’m alone.”
She handed him the comm, slid one into her hear. “I’ll tell you if I see him.”
“Copy,” Greystone replied.
“If he grabbed night goggles, you won’t have the advantage.”
“Like hell I won’t,” he said as he fitted the comm into his ear. “He has no idea who he’s up against.” With his Glock in hand, he tossed her a nod. “Ready?”
