Page 77 of Deadly Charade

Bryce’s pulse spiked. One wrong move and this room would turn into a kill box.

At Victor’s nod, the body builder with the buzz cut grabbed Sophia and shoved her toward the window, gun raised to her temple. Sophia shrieked and cringed away from the weapon.

“Something’s wrong,” the man said and swung his gaze to Victor. “We need to get out of here.”

Bryce didn’t know what set the man off, but if they didn’t do something soon, Sophia was dead. He could see it in the guy’s shifty eyes.

“Maybe killing her will compel you to be more cooperative.” Victor nodded to the man holding Sophia. “Do it.”

The front door exploded inward, splinters spraying the floor. A flash-bang erupted—light, noise, concussive force swallowing the room.

“FBI! Drop your weapons!”

Sophia and Alex bolted out the front door, with Ivan on their heels. Bryce and Bailey hit the floor. Gunfire rang out—short, controlled bursts from outside as the SWAT team engaged.

The Russians staggered back, spraying wild rounds that shattered glass and tore into drywall.

Bryce started to crawl to Bailey when the icy press of steel touched his neck.

“Don’t move,” Victor hissed. “Or you’re dead.”

Bryce raised his hands slowly, just high enough to catch Bailey’s attention. But Bailey lay motionless on the floor. No blood. His chest rose and fell ever so slightly. Pretending to be unconscious? Bryce’s pulse hammered as the firefight raged around them.

One of the gunmen ripped the bag from Bailey’s shoulder and tossed it to Victor.

Bryce slowly stood but didn’t dare turn his head to face his captor. “What do you want?”

“You.”

Victor shoved Bryce toward the doorway of what used to be the kitchen area of the house. At least Bailey wasn’t wounded, but he had no weapon to stop Victor.

How far could Victor get with agents surrounding them?

Another shove and Bryce held out his hands to keep from toppling over. He grasped the edge of the doorframe to the kitchen, but the wood piece came off in his hand.

“Move,” the gruff voice said. A bullet whizzed by Bryce’s head and exploded in the wall next to him. He moved into the ancient kitchen, complete with a stove from the early 1900s. This place was a historical gem, except for all the fresh bullet holes. The three other gunmen continued to return fire out a broken kitchen window.

Did these guys really think they were getting away?

Bryce stared at the doorway at the end of the galley-style kitchen. Victor shoved him forward, and he grabbed the rail to keep from plunging down the dark, very unstable-looking wood stairs.

Oh. These guys really were going to get away.

The FBI hadn’t had time to do a full reconnaissance on the area. If they had, they’d have noted the underground tunnel leading away from the house. Or maybe this area wasn’t even on anyone’s radar. Who knew how long this place had been there.

This house had been picked because of the escape tunnel.

Bryce crept down the not-so-stable stairs until he hit the rock-and-dirt floor of the hidden passageway. His captor aimed the beam of a flashlight into the area, and Bryce had to duck to fit. Roots and dirt covered the ceiling, and he could reach out and touch the walls on either side.

He inhaled a mouthful of dry dust and coughed. Why did these people want Brian Beckett? They’d left Levi Solinger, the billionaire, on the floor.

He crawled through the underground cavern, thoughts on Kira even as the sound of bullets hitting the walls from upstairs reached him. Had Kira rushed in with the other agents? Please keep her safe, God.

“Faster, faster” came a nasally voice from behind them. The three other gunmen were right on their tail. He prayed the FBI knew about this secret tunnel—or at least could find it fast.

Up ahead, streams of light poked through the dirt and earth. They approached a door, and the guard with the meaty arms pushed past him and shoved it open. Bryce blinked at the bright light.

He ascended the steps and followed the man out into a wooded area. Echoes of voices and the occasional gunfire rang out in the distance. But there was no one around.