Page 76 of Coup De Grâce
An explosion tore through the main level, shattering what remained of any glass walls. Flames licked at the paint, melting the electronics from every corner of the building. We were going to suffocate if we didn’t get out of here.
“Move!” Sarah shouted, grabbing my hand and tugging me to my feet.
I hobbled along behind her, trying to keep the knife in place so I didn’t bleed out before either Skylar or Mercy could attend to me.
We ran down the hall, nearly getting to the elevator when a door opened and Max stepped out, his straw hat pulled over his eyes and a cigar hanging out of his mouth. “What the fuck is all that racket? I was trying to take a nap!”
A bullet pierced the glass in his hand, sending whiskey flying everywhere.
“Son of a bitch!” He pulled a gun from the back of his pants and stormed down the hall, firing over and over again until the magazine was empty. Then he reloaded and started firing again. “I was fucking drinking that! It was good fucking whiskey! Do you have any idea who the fuck you’re messing with?”
“Should we help him?” I asked Sarah.
“He’s got this. They ruined his whiskey. I’m pretty sure they’re all going to die.”
I nodded and ran to the elevator, grateful when the doors opened and I got inside with Sarah, Zoe, Harry, and the cameraman. We were safe.
Then a man appeared in the doorway, grinning at us like a maniac as he released the pin on a grenade and dropped it in the elevator. I didn’t think as I kicked the grenade just as the doors started to close. I barely saw the panic on his face as we started to descend, and then an explosion rocked the elevator and we plunged to our deaths as the cables started to snap.
24
ZOE
I screamedas the cable audibly snapped above us, and we plunged into darkness as the elevator moved at a frightening pace. With my stomach in my throat, I couldn’t think of a single thing except the fact that we were about to die.
It felt like we dropped forever until we came to a sudden halt and I was jerked to the ground, along with everyone else. Heart hammering, I laid there panting, terrified to move a single muscle. Would a shift in weight cause the elevator to fall once again?
A red light flickered on, illuminating the space and giving off an eerie vibe that creeped me out. I wished Red was here. He would know how to keep me calm. I had trained for this kind of stuff with Fox, but living it was an entirely different thing.
“Everyone okay?” Sarah asked, her voice shaking.
“Yeah,” Quinn responded.
I pushed up on quaking arms, my muscles tensing for the slightest shift as our unstable elevator held us precariously above God knows how many more feet of cavernous space.
“I’m good,” I answered, moving to the side of the elevator. My fingers trembled as I searched for the wall, then pressed myself against it, letting out an audible breath.
I could still feel the gentle sway of our metal trap as it dangled from what was left of the cables. Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to stop the black spots in my vision from taking over and suffocating me.
Harry’s deep chuckle broke through the silence, sending shivers down my spine. “Zoe, I knew you would be amazing to work with. This is better than any film I’ve ever made.”
“It’s not a film,” I muttered.
“Come again?”
“This isn’t part of the film, Harry!” I snapped. “We really are under attack, and this really is a life or death situation!”
He barked out a laugh, making me wince. If he was too loud, would we fall to our deaths? Maybe then he would finally believe me.
“Turn off the camera,” Sarah snapped. “I don’t want to be filmed.”
“Turn it off,” Harry mocked. “She doesn’t want to be filmed. Gah! This is so good. I bet our viewers are loving this!”
“Would someone please shut him the fuck up?” Quinn snapped. “Fuck, I need to get out of here. There are too many people.”
“Claustrophobia is a real thing,” the cameraman muttered.
“I’m not claustrophobic. I just don’t like people.”
