Page 22 of Hacked For Love
John buzzes me again. “We’ve disabled two and trapped two more in sealed rooms. The police are en route. I’ve directed their ’copter to the far side of our helipad. Tenminutes.”
“Good. Keep at it.” I look up to see Robin wrapping herself in that camel-colored coat. “Okay,” I call over to her. “Pack up the computers while I get my gun. We’re out ofhere.”
She smiles and nods, hurrying back to the desk. “Thank you.” The relief on her face does me a world ofgood.
Apparently, my heart doesn’t care if her hair’s greeneither.
I turn to my gun safe and pull out my shoulder holster and Berettas, strapping them on. “I have been in too many dangerous situations,” I explain. “I forget that what I see as a fortress may feel like a trap to someoneelse.”
The phone rings. John again. “Update?” I ask—just as I hear the heavy thrum of a helicopterapproaching.
“We’ve got a helicopter coming in to land from the northeast. Can’t get a clear look at it in all this snow, but the police gave me a pretty fastETA.”
I frown. Something about this seems off. But if the police have shown up early and want to trap Marcone’s men between two teams, it’s not a bad plan. “Try and raise that chopper to give them landing clearance; we’ll hole up until they’ve setdown.”
I hang up and see Robin has packed the two laptop bags and is hugging mine to her chest like a shield. “Okay, the cops are landing on the roof. I want you to follow me, but not too closely. They might ask us to shelter in place until they’re done with theirroundup.”
She nods and follows me as I go over to the mirrored wall beside my home gym. I press a hidden panel and a section of mirror slides back and aside with a click. Beyond, a tight spiral staircase ascends into thedark.
I check with John. “Are they ready forus?”
“They’ve touched down,” comes the reply. “Rotors are poweringoff.”
“On our way then. I’ll call you back when we’re clear of the building.” I hang up. I’m aware of my pistols as I come up the stairs with Robin behind me, but I don’t draw them. If the cops see me with a firearm in hand, they may shootfirst.
“Hang back a bit,” I murmur to her as I reach the top and unlatch the heavy steeldoor.
I don’t know what makes me feel so cautious as I duck my head around the low, curved door frame. Maybe it’s that, aside from Robin’s presence, the night’s been a total shit-show. Maybe it’s because Robin is close behind me, and I’m still thinking of hersafety.
And I’ve never trusted cops much either. Cops can be biased. They can drop a tank on one man and slap the other on the back of the hand for the same crime. They can also bebribed.
I see four figures moving toward me from the dark hulk of the second helicopter, and for a moment, I start to lift a hand in greeting. But then I see the gleam of weapons in their hands as they raisethem.
And apparently police helicopters can bestolen!
“Fuck!” I duck back inside, clawing my pistol from its holster. “Get back—it’s not thecops!”
Robin lets out a cry of dismay, and I hear her bolt back down the stairs.Goodgirl.
Now to deal with my unwantedguests.
I hear running feet coming toward us, and I fire blind around the corner—hearing grunts and yelling. I empty my other Beretta the same way, hearing a sharp cry and a few curses. Then I hear those booted feet scramble forcover.
It’s a relief, but there’s something I didn’t want Robin to realize. We’re actually in sometrouble.
If I lock us in, they’ll take off again and fire on the windows. If I let them in, they’ll have a chance to hurt Robin, and that can’t happen. I weigh my options as I reload, unimpressed by all ofthem.
Unless...
The shooting has stopped. I duck my head around to check my bearings—and nearly get pegged between the eyes.Ugh, sneakybastards!
But the risk I took does the job; I know what to do now. I fire blind again—but angle my shots carefully, hearing them bite into the side of thehelicopter.
A heavy patter and glug of liquid, and a whole lot of cursing in Italian, tell me that I’ve hit the bullseye. No way to take off with a hole in the fuel tank and my helicopter is impossible to hot-wire—though I’m guessing they’re about to waste a lot of time trying it while their butts freezeoff.
Igrabthe door and slam it shut, leaving the cursing mobsters on the other side. The stink of cordite fills the stairway. I hold my breath and holster myguns.
I come back down laughing. “They’re locked on the roof with no way down until the police get to them,” I say as I step out of the secret door and close it behind me. My ears still echo with gunfire; I feel a littlegiddy.
