Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ellis had walked the halls in the facility dozens of times. But darting down them, now, Brett at her side, body primed for one of the patrols to suddenly appear in front of them, brought their whole mission into sharp focus.
They had one shot. Any miscalculation. Any error in judgment on her part, and she’d be the reason Brett died.
Especially since he was determined to keep her safe.
Jump in front of a bullet—a stream of bullets.
Anything and everything, including grenades.
Ellis had no doubts he’d throw himself on top of one—any sacrifice if it meant she’d live.
She couldn’t let that happen. Couldn’t lose him, again, whether their partnership lasted the next fifty years or the next five hours.
She’d never survive it. Once had rendered her emotionally scarred, and she’d spent five years operating on autopilot.
Going through the motions, living for the next mission.
Content that he was still out there. Protected by his team.
She’d use those five years to her advantage, now. Every skill, every bit of training at her disposal to ensure they walked out of there. Alive. Together.
The thought had her laser-focused. Moving down the corridor as if she belonged there.
She knew McCormick. He trusted fewer people than she did.
Only a handful of his agents would know she’d gone rogue.
Had a kill order on her. And he’d keep those men close.
At his side, not roaming the halls of a building he’d never imagine she’d sneak into.
Not after the other night with the wet squad.
With more hunting her, right now. If a patrol appeared, she’d just act as if she was dropping off more intel or assets. Engage only when needed.
Brett followed her lead, pressing his shoulders down then walking with confidence. He was completely calm. Focusing forward instead of trying to study the surroundings. A dead giveaway that he hadn’t been here, before. Which might lead to questions she couldn’t answer.
They reached the elevator without meeting any resistance.
The bell chimed immediately, the large silver doors opening a couple of seconds later.
They entered, and she pressed the button for the second sub level.
The doors slid closed, then the unit shook—quickly dropped the two floors.
She had her hand palmed on her pistol as the elevator rocked to a halt then opened.
Nothing.
She inhaled, moved out, and started walking. Over two corridors, down a short hallway then left. Ten feet, and they were at the last corridor, the storage room at the end on the left.
A scuff. Faint. From down the hallway. Ellis pressed her back into the wall, glancing at Brett then peeking around the corner. A guard, leaning against the wall, staring at something in his hand. Maybe a phone. Blocking the doorway to the room they needed.
Brett signaled to his knife, brow arched. She knew he could make the throw. Down the guy. But they didn’t have the means to clean up the mess, and leaving a pool of blood on the floor was a death sentence.
She held up her finger, took a deep breath then stepped out. Brett cursed behind her, words barely reaching her. But she was already moving. Striding down the center, muscles tensing.
Five steps and she’d closed the distance to half.
Was quietly increasing her breathing—giving her body extra oxygen for the coming battle.
Two more and the guard had straightened.
Glanced at her over his shoulder. A smile and a nod, and he was nodding back.
Eyeing her silhouette. Assault rifle angling toward the floor more as his attention swayed.
She got within a foot then lunged, darting to his left, knocking his elbow out in front of him.
Altering his grip on the gun. A hand on his shoulder, a leap and a kick off the wall, and she had her thighs around his neck, was up on his shoulders.
He swayed from the sudden shift in balance, and she moved with him, tipping him forward with all her weight.
She twisted, tucking her shoulder and absorbing the impact as they hit hard, before rolling onto her back, legs cinching around his neck. His arms pinned beneath him. A quick rotation and the butt end of her pistol against his head, and he was out. Limp against the concrete.
Brett was already at her side, grabbing the guy and pulling him back—checking his pulse. He eyed Ellis as she gained her feet, gaze fierce. Mouth more of a snarl than a frown. “Jesus, El? What was that?”
“Do I look like I could punch a guy that large? My strength is in my legs. And it eliminated the blood spatter your knife would have left behind.”
“At least, give me a bit more warning next time. I damn near shit my pants when you stepped out.” He jerked his thumb at the door. “This the place?”
“Yeah. Give me a second.”
She pulled out the phone, again. Went through the same process as outside—unlocked the door with a soft swoosh as it slid inward. Brett dragged the guard inside, leaving him behind the door, mouth duct-taped shut. Hands zip-tied.
It only took a minute to find the pass-locked container and open it. Stare at the motherboards stacked inside.
She removed one, getting Brett to hold it while she fished the chip out of her pocket. She held it up, cursing. “It’s a match.”
Brett looked into the box. “How many should there be in there?”
“Six.”
“I count three.”
“That son of a bitch.”
A hand on her shoulder. Firm. Comforting. “El—”
“We’ll take one with us. Maybe we can use it as leverage…” She paused, searching his face. “You’re frowning. What’s with the frown? We have the chip, the motherboard.”
“Who knows you brought six of those back besides you and McCormick?”
It felt as if all the heat in her body just bled into the floor, leaving her chilled to the bone. “Damn it.”
“That’s what I thought. It’ll be his word against yours. We need proof he’s doing this. Records or some kind of ledger. I wouldn’t put it past the bastard to have all of his operatives lined up to take the fall if this ever gets out.”
“His office. If he’s got anything, it’ll be on his computer, here.”
The muscle in Brett’s temple jumped. “Where is it?”
“Third floor.”
“Christ.” He stabbed his fingers through his hair then checked his watch. “We’re down to six minutes before those cameras switch back to a live feed.”
“Let me grab a couple of things, then, we’re gone.”
He snagged her elbow as she went to move past him. “If it looks like we’re going to get trapped…”
He’d drag her out of there. He didn’t say it. Didn’t have to. It was written on his face. The fine lines by his eyes and mouth she swore had gotten deeper since venturing inside. She was pushing the boundaries of what he considered a viable risk.
She didn’t answer, just nodded then headed for another bin—a few things she’d stashed in there—just in case. She inputted a code, grabbed two micro-GPS locators, a taser, and a small localized EMP device, then bolted for the door—checking the hallway.
He touched her arm. “Anyway to override the lock? If someone comes in and sees our friend trussed up…”
“I’ll need about twenty seconds.”
He nodded, standing watch as she accessed the main menu, putting the room into lockdown.
A quick test, then they were walking, again.
Heading for another elevator at the end of the corridor.
Thirty seconds before they were inside, doors closing, the unit jerking upward.
Another ten and they were ready to react, sighing when the doors opened to nothing but an empty hallway.
She took off, quickly moving down the corridor, taking two lefts then a right, pausing outside McCormick’s office.
Took her twenty seconds to get inside, close the door behind them.
His computer was off to their right, isolated on a smooth black desk.
She didn’t talk, just sat down and switched it on.
Another scan of her files and she had the code, was digging through his files.
What McCormick lacked in computing skills, he excelled in strategy.
She knew he’d hide the information in other files.
Highly encrypted. Not that it mattered. She just needed to copy them.
She could worry about deciphering them, later.
Two minutes and she’d found the folder. Hidden with the personnel files. She took everything, copying it over to a thumb drive Kameron had given her. Count on the other woman to always carry a few around. Hell, Ellis had, too. But those clothes were long gone.
“Two minutes left, El. We need to move.”
“Ten more seconds.” She stood, hand hovering over the drive. “Done. I just hope it’s enough.”
“It’ll have to be, for now. Let’s go.”
She shut everything down, following him to the door—pausing to listen.
Voices. Out in the hallway. Loud enough she caught a few words.
Recognized the tone. She mouthed the name, McCormick, searching for somewhere to hide.
Brett grabbed her, shoved her behind him as they hid behind the door.
He had a Ka-bar in his right hand. M9 in his left.
She knew he’d trained to shoot with both—was equally skilled with either hand.
She held her breath, pressing hard against the wall.
The hollow echo of the security system sounded through the wall.
The whirl of the retinal scan, the soft click of the door unlocking—opening slightly like it had for them.
Cool air swirled around their feet, a disgruntled huff preceding the door swinging forcefully inward.
“I want that bitch found.” McCormick paused, one foot inside, the rest of him hidden. “Don’t give me excuses. You let her escape. Clean up your fucking mess.”
Half his body slid past the edge of the door. Halting as he listened to the other side of the conversation. Breath heavy.
“Sir.” A guard. Just outside. Which meant another target they’d have to deal with.