Page 111 of Locked and Loaded

“He’s down.” Then Cash's calm voice came back over the channel. “The buyers’ security teams were reluctant to give up the girls. They aren’t living long enough to regret it.”

Dragan was down with what Cash had done, unfortunately, now the shot escalated the controlled evacuation into a mass stampede. People shoved toward every exit at once, security abandoning any pretense of order.

Perfect. Absolute chaos. Exactly what Georgiou needed.

By the time Dragan reached the corner, the corridor beyond was empty. People were going in the opposite direction.

No sight of Georgiou.

No security.

Nothing.

Only three hallways branching in different directions.

He stopped for half a heartbeat, forcing himself to breathe. To Think. Panic made people sloppy. Georgiou wasn't panicking. He was escaping. Which meant he'd already chosen his route.

Dragan listened.

Somewhere in the distance...A door slammed. A fraction of a second later came the unmistakable sound of running footsteps. A slow smile touched the corner of his mouth.

“There you are.”

He took off again.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Lennox flattened herself against the cool limestone wall and waited.

The fire alarm shrieked through the building, followed almost immediately by the muffled roar of several hundred frightened people trying to leave at once. Somewhere deeper inside the hotel, doors slammed, voices rose, and someone shouted for security. The carefully orchestrated elegance of the evening had dissolved into confusion exactly the way Jake, or was it Hawk, had predicted it would.

She tightened her grip on the kitchen knife she'd tucked beneath the folds of her evening gown. She’d watched as people flowed through. No Georgiou. He had to be coming this way. She was counting on it.

The emergency exit at the far end of the hallway burst open. Three men hurried through. Lennox recognized Georgiou instantly. She’d studied pictures of him since she’d found out he had Chloe.

He looked exactly the way she'd imagined he would. Expensive tuxedo. Jacket slung over one arm as he raced toward her. Perfectly combed silver hair. Not a wrinkle of concern despite the alarm echoing through the building. He carried himself like a man accustomed to walking away from problems while other people cleaned up the mess.

The two men flanking him were another matter entirely.

Both scanned the corridor as they walked, their suit jackets hanging just a little too heavily on one side. They were armed. Professional security, no doubt.

Lennox stepped away from the wall. She let uncertainty settle across her face, forcing her breathing to quicken as though panic had finally caught up with her.

"Oh, thank God."

The three men stopped.

She hurried toward them, wrapping her shawl more tightly around herself. "I've been trying to find someone. They said there was a fire and I got separated from my husband." She glanced nervously back toward the ballroom. "Can you tell me how to get outside?"

The larger of the bodyguards barely slowed. "This way." His tone made it clear he wasn't interested in conversation. He pushed open the emergency exit and stepped outside, scanning the area. The second guard followed, pausing only long enough to motion impatiently for Lennox to continue after them.

"I'm right behind you," she said, injecting just enough nervousness into her voice to sound convincing.

The guard gave her one last dismissive look before stepping outside.

The instant his back was turned, Lennox moved. She grabbed the heavy fire door with both hands and slammed it shut. The magnetic lock engaged with a loud metallic clunk. The sound echoed through the hallway.

Outside, both bodyguards spun around. One reached the door first, yanking violently on the handle. Nothing. He pulled again. Still nothing. "What the hell?"