Chapter Thirteen #3
“First hostile’s talking into his unit, shaking his head at his partner, looking around,” De Clerq informed her. “He’s definitely looking for an intruder. Someone must have called him from his post. The other’s turning around and running off.”
Knowing that De Clerq’s end probably couldn’t hear what was being said, Helen put her ear against the loosened panel, trying to catch all the words.
The elevator started moving and the whistle of rushing wind cut off some of his words.
They were going back down. The German was speaking fast and furiously.
“…no one here. No one’s answering me on my mobile. Something’s wrong…coming down to untie you now…Peter’s alerting security about upstairs now. I heard over the walkie-talkie…visitors. Hang on, I have to call individual numbers—”
Shit. Her decision—Helen didn’t allow herself to think. She couldn’t afford to make another tactical mistake and let this man get more help. It might already be too late, what with the other hostile running off upstairs.
Unsteady from the moving elevator, she cocked her weapon then pushed the panel aside, lurching through the opening and popping a shot to the right.
She guessed wrong. Her target was standing against the back of the elevator, not the front.
He glanced up and dropped his communication unit, surprised but prepared, his hand holding his weapon already up and firing.
A shot grazed Hell’s arm as she pulled back quickly. Another bullet whizzed past her and from the corner of her eye she could see sparks flying off the steel cable. As long as the stupid car was moving, she couldn’t keep her balance.
That illuminated control box she had been hanging on to. That must be the override control panel of some sort.
She fired a few shots down through the opening to keep the man from picking up his communications unit.
A stream of curses in German floated up.
Good, she hoped he was hit, too. She turned her attention to the box.
It had three buttons, all lit up. More shots from below.
She threw herself to the side. Which one? Which one? She pressed the middle one.
The steel cables screeched at the sudden reversal, jerking her body violently.
She rolled over the opening, curling her body to avoid the cable.
One of her legs fell through. She could hear the man inside the elevator crashing into the wall as the car jerked and swayed for a few seconds as it readjusted.
And started going back up. She must have pressed the up button.
She felt her foot being grabbed. She kicked out and leaned forward, pressing the top button this time. The elevator stopped suddenly. Her attacker now had both his hands on her dangling leg. Lying on her front, her other leg was trapped. He pulled on her leg viciously.
Helen could feel perspiration dripping down her face as she grabbed the cable with both her hands so she could twist her body sideways to allow her other leg space. If she let the bastard pull her through the opening with her body jammed so awkwardly, he would pull her leg out of its socket.
“Hmmph!” she growled, grimly gripping on and twisting, and squeezing her leg through the opening so she was no longer doing a split. A part of her registered the pain as the panel scraped the sides of her thighs. She let go.
The man below grunted as she slammed on top of him, using the wall to brace her weight. She used his initial surprise of finding his opponent a woman, grabbing him by the neck and jamming her fingers into the flesh hard so he would loosen his hold on her trapped leg. He grunted in pain.
“Scheiss!”
He freed one hand and yanked her head back by her hair. Ignoring her own pain, she turned her head the opposite way and smashed her elbow into his nose. This time he howled as he let go. Both his hands went up to protect his face.
Helen landed in a heap at his feet. She registered with slight surprise that the elevator was moving again, but there was no time to think about it as her opponent was reaching down for her again.
Rage in his eyes. Blood dripping like a faucet from his nose.
A string of German curses coming from his lips.
“Sorry, I don’t like what you’re calling me,” she said to him and kicked at his balls.
He tried to jump out of the way but she made enough contact to cause him to howl some more.
He dove on top of her and brought up a fist. She turned, saw his fallen weapon, brought it up and pulled the trigger.
The shot reverberated in the small space as the bullet hit its mark.
The man’s fist lowered as he slowly toppled over.
Helen rolled over to avoid the dead weight, twisting to face the elevator doors. She had no idea whether she had been going up or down this time. She aimed, her finger on the trigger. The doors slid open. There was no one there.
“It’s okay,” a voice greeted her. “Status green.”
It was the COMCEN password. She took her finger from the trigger but still didn’t lower the weapon. She didn’t recognize the voice.
A pair of boots came within sight. Her gaze followed the blue jeans upward, taking in the denim jacket, the arms with the hidden hands shoved inside the pockets, up to the owner’s tanned face.
A pair of silver eyes coolly looked down at her.
His boot moved and kicked the body half on top of her aside.
“You made a mess,” the stranger said.