The doors closed on him.
The two men he’d left behind assumed their positions, forcing us to inch our way around the desk to continue to hide our presence. I sat for a moment, trying to decide on our next move.
There was only one thing to do, really.
“Wait here,” I whispered, and crawled to the end of the desk. I peeked around the edge, noting the exact positions of the guards. Then I set a dart beside my thigh, readied my gun, aimed.
Deep breath in...hold...ouuut...I squeezed the trigger.
There was a gasp, a rustle of clothing—then a heavy thump. The first guard had just gone down.
Yes!
“What’s wrong?” the other asked, racing to his side.
He saw the dart in the man’s thigh, frowned and glanced up.
Before I could finish loading the gun for round two, he was placing a walkie-talkie at his mouth.
“Mr. K, I found—”
I fired.
His knees buckled, and he went silent.
“Found what?” Kelly demanded over the walkie-talkie.
So close! “Come on,” I said, and Jaclyn and Reeve tugged Kat to her feet.
Together, we rushed forward. We stepped on the guards, too tired to leap over them, and shoved our way past the glass doors. Frigid air enveloped us, worse because we were without coats, hats and gloves. We wore only T-shirts and jeans.
Since our captivity, the snow had continued to fall, and there were now several inches covering the sidewalk and parking lot. Kat wouldn’t last long. “Hang on,” I said, going back inside the building, meaning to take a coat from one of the guards. But pulling the garment off a deadweight proved to be too much for me. Failure!
Plop.
A cell phone had just fallen out of one of the pockets. Silver lining. I picked it up and rushed outside. With Kat tucked between us, Reeve and I angled away from the lamps in the parking lot and toward the darkness of the landscape.
A treacherous-looking hill loomed ahead. It was covered in ice, but there were also trees. We could hide there. Maybe we’d freeze to death. Maybe we wouldn’t. I didn’t care anymore, as long as we were out of Kelly’s clutches.
As we ran, I dialed Cole’s number. Or rather, I tried to. The motion—on top of my trembling—caused me to misdial. Come on, come on. You can do this. I tried again, succeeded.
He answered on the third ring, demanding harshly, “Who is this?”
“Cole,” I panted.
“Ali!”
“That’s Ali?” I heard Frosty say in the background. “Ask her about Kat.”
“Ask her about Reeve,” Bronx rushed out.
“Help us,” I interjected. “Have to...help us.”
“We are, sweetheart,” Cole said, and I heard the worry in his voice. “We are. We finally tracked your location, and we’re almost there. Hang on just a little longer.”
“Escaped building...headed for...hill. Kat, medical attention. Kelly...after us. Cold. Jaclyn...alive.”
“Faster,” he commanded whoever was driving. “We’re two minutes away, baby. Just hang on,” he repeated.
“Miss Bell,” Kelly suddenly called out, and in my panic, I dropped the phone. “I know you’re out here.”
Reeve gasped.
Jaclyn growled.
Forget the phone. I picked up the pace, soon bypassing the first line of trees. Wind gusted, and, I thought, sliced at my skin. Two minutes. I could outwit my enemy for two minutes. Actually, one minute, forty-five seconds now.
We settled Kat against the tree trunk.
I whispered, “Guard them,” to Jaclyn. To Reeve, “Keep Kat warm.”
“Where are you going?” Reeve wrapped herself around Kat, offering what heat she could. “What are you going to do?” Terror glazed her moon-darkened features.
“Let her do what needs doing, and ask questions later,” Jaclyn said, already in position, gaze scanning. She would shoot anyone who approached, without hesitation.
I squeezed Reeve’s hand and tiptoed away without another word. When I reached the edge of the forest, I pressed against another trunk, peering out at the building. Lights spilled from the windows, illuminating the area around it. Kelly stood just outside the doors, his hands on his hips, his breath misting in front of his face every time he exhaled.
Just how far would the tranq gun shoot?
Just how good was my aim?
While staying at the cabin, I’d continued my training. Nowadays, I hit more than I missed, as proven by the guards in the lobby. But just then, I was shaking so badly I couldn’t hold the gun steady.
Gotta try. I set the scalpel in front of me on a rock, just in case, and stretched out flat on my belly, my elbow beside the blade. No matter what I tried, however, my hand couldn’t be steadied.
A crunch of snow at my left. Instinct kicked in, and I had the scalpel palmed and thrown in the next second. A man fell to the ground, gasping for breath, the blade sticking out of his throat.
How many other guards were already out here?
In the distance, I heard a crash. Metal against metal. A second later, a Jeep skidded into the lot, the tires locked. The moment it stopped, Cole, Justin, Frosty and Bronx hopped out.
A second vehicle arrived, and out came Trina, Gavin, Veronica and Lucas.
A third vehicle pulled in, and out came Mr. Ankh, Mr. Holland and the rest of the slayers.
I wanted to... Was about to have... Hold it together. Just a little longer. They were here. They were here, and the girls would be saved, and all of the pain and suffering would have been worth it, and oh, glory, I was crying, the tears hazing my eyesight and freezing on my cheeks.
“Where are they?” Mr. Holland demanded.
Every slayer unsheathed a gun and aimed at Kelly.
Every guard around him unsheathed a gun and aimed at the slayers.
Kelly’s hands fisted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I do, however, know that this is private property and you were not invited. Leave, before I’m forced to take measures you won’t appreciate.”
“We know they’re here,” Cole growled. “Ali!”
“You’re surrounded,” Kelly gritted out. “Are you sure you want to go this route?”
“Are you sure that you do?” Mr. Ankh said, as calm as ever. “I’m sure a dozen dead bodies in your parking lot would be too difficult for even you to explain away or hide.”
“We want the girls,” Cole spat. “Now.”
“Here,” I called. “We’re here.”
Kelly stiffened.
Frosty and Bronx followed the echo of my voice. They reached me in seconds.