Chapter 1 #3
Ubrigg must have the cops working for him illegally—but why?
She tucked the badge back in his coat and turned her attention to the gun near his hip.
She lifted the heavy weapon out of his loose grip, turned, and fled to her bedroom.
A flash of lightning lit the space. Her mattress was flipped over, half on the bed, half on the floor.
The drawers of the dresser either hung out or lay on the carpet, their contents scattered across the room.
A long piece of gray material dangled from one of the open drawers, and she snatched it.
Changing clothes was a must. She’d stick out like a sore thumb running the streets in pajamas.
She set the gun on the top of the dresser, shucked off her silk bottoms and pulled the yoga pants on, then stripped off her tank top and fit an oversized hoodie over her head.
All she needed now was her phone and the drive.
Thanks to her paranoia, she had a bag packed in her getaway car.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the pair of flats on the top shelf of the closet. She reached up, pulled down the left shoe, and dug her fingers inside.
Oh no! Had they found it?
Dani shook the shoe and sighed with relief as the drive fell into her palm.
Slipping into the flats, she turned to survey the disaster.
She couldn’t waste much time searching for her phone—the brute would wake any second.
But if the police found it, they’d see Sven was involved.
The whole job would be compromised and he’d be in danger, too.
Her toe hit something small, and the object skittered under the bed frame.
She dropped to the floor and groped in the direction it had gone.
Her fingers brushed a smooth glass surface.
Ah-ha! Yes!
She scooped up the device, tucked it into the pocket of her sweater, and then placed the flash drive in the tiny pocket in the waistband of her pants.
Grabbing the gun, she retraced her steps down the hall and paused near the kitchen, holding the weapon low in front of her.
Splayed black shoes were visible through the doorway, assuring her one of the intruders was still unconscious.
She opened the apartment door, searched the hallway for moving shadows—empty—and rushed out.
The vise squeezing her lungs loosened. Almost free.
As long as she didn’t bump into the other guy, she’d be in the clear.
She blinked as she shimmied down the hallway. She couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Trailing her fingertips along the wall, she counted the units. Three more and she’d round the corner to the old woman’s apartment and the fire exit would be only feet away.
Her fingers floated off the cliff of the wall, alerting her to the corner.
She turned left and the red light above the stairway shone like a beacon.
She placed her palm on the door handle and shoved.
A scuffle sounded behind her and her stomach lurched.
She tried to whirl around but rough hands snagged her shoulders, shoving her against the wall.
“Fucking bitch! Where is it? Where’s the data?
” The man lifted a gun to her head. The red light above the door coated his skin in a blood-like glow.
The gun in her hand grew heavier. Energy bubbled over her nerve endings as she lifted the weapon to his waist. Terror gripped her consciousness, robbing her of the ability to speak.
“Talk or I shoot!” He lowered his gun so it was level with her heart. Her throat clenched. If she shot him, he’d shoot her right back.
Meow!
Her attacker jumped, jostling the gun away from her.
Yes! My little buddy.
She curled her finger around the trigger and pulled.
Crack!
The man’s body jerked back as he howled. His hands released her to staunch the blood flowing from the wound at his midsection. She ripped her back away from the wall and dove for the exit. The poor animal flashed through her mind, but all she could do was pray it had fled.
When her feet hit the stairs, gunshots whistled from the end of a silencer.
She didn’t stop. One emergency fluorescent light lit each floor of the stairwell, and they flashed over her senses as she barrelled downward.
She slammed into the last door and the stench of wet grass hit her face.
Cold air rushed into her nose as her lungs seized the opportunity to gulp air.
Sirens screeched, breaking the peace of the night.
She cast a quick glance over her shoulder.
Red and blue strobes bounced off the side of the building. She pushed on.
Water soaked through the thin canvas of her flats and her toes went numb as she sprinted through some trees and across a side street to a back alley. The muscles in her legs ached and her lungs and nostrils burned with the frigid air. Slowly, she brought her sprint to a jog then a brisk walk.
She had to call someone. But there were only two people in the world she could call for help. Two people who would move heaven and earth to get to her. Indecision warred within her. The last thing Serena needed was to worry about her.
That left one person. She brought her phone to life and pressed the numbers permanently etched in her mind.