Page 405 of Under Her Skin
“Come on, little one. We’ve come this far.” She grabbed Jackson’s keys, unlocked the door, and slipped out of the room into thecorridors.
Enda watchedthe F.B.I. and the S.W.A.T. team planning and felt a rush of irritation. He knew it wasn’t fair, but they had been there hours, and Ama was still in there, the authorities deeming it too risky to go inyet.
“Why? How much more risk can it be forAma?”
But Raff calmed him down. Now it was getting dark and they were still strategizing. Fuck this. Enda ducked behind the police vehicles and ran around to where they said the entrance was, ducking behind shrubs and trees and moving stealthily in the gloom. At the entrance, he saw a guard outside, patrolling. He padded silently behind the man and took him out with a punch to the temple. The man crumpled silently. Enda grabbed his gun and cold-cocked him again just to make sure he was down. He relieved the guard of his handcuffs and bound his hands behind hisback.
“What the fuck are youdoing?”
Enda spun around to see a furious Raff behind him. Enda sighed. “Go back, Raff. This is mybattle.”
“Noway.”
Enda shook his head. “Don’t be stupid …you and I both know this is a suicide mission. Don’t leave Inca awidow.”
Raff’s face was hard. “No, just give her a coward as a husband. You go in, I go in. That’s how this is going towork.”
Enda could tell Raff wouldn’t shift. “Fine. Stay behind me. We only have one weapon betweenus.”
He unlocked the entrance door and slipped inside, Raff close behindhim.
Olivier was talkingto the F.B.I. Agent in charge, and now he looked around to bring his brother, and his friend, into the conversation. He couldn’t see themanywhere.
Olivier frowned. Where the fuck were they? Then it hit him and he cursed loudly. The F.B.I. Agent looked at him, and Olivier turned his grim-set face towardhim.
“Yeah. We may have aproblem.”
Armed with a knife,Ama staggered through the hallways, her ears on high alert. She had to duck into rooms she didn’t know were occupied, and more frustratingly, she seemed to be getting deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels. She paused in a dark corridor, trying to quell the rising panic. She heard two men approaching and slid back into thedarkness.
“What do you think he’s doing to her tonight?” The man had a mocking tone to hisvoice.
“Don’t know, but I wouldn’t want to be that girl. He’s a sick fucking freak. If he didn’t pay so well, I’d take him out myself. Poorkid.”
“Yeah, right. She looks like awhore.”
“Have some respect,asshole.”
Ama frowned. They hated Jackson as much as she did. Maybe they would help her …no. Don’t be stupid. You’ve just killed their money maker.When they had passed, she tracked back where they had come from and followed the hallways back past the room where Jackson lay dead, then toward the room where she and Selima were held. Something told her this was the right way. She felt a pain shooting through her—a cramp, or maybe her wound had opened up. She glanced down to see blood soaking her bare skin, remembering she was only clad in her underwear. What a fucked-up situation. She nearly giggled, a hysterical reaction to thecircumstances.
“Stop right there, beautiful, or you’ll force me to put a bullet in that gorgeousbody.”
Ama froze.Shit. Stupid woman. You lost focus. She turned slowly to see one of the guards aiming his pistol at her. “Put the knife down,sweetheart.”
She dropped the knife, raising herhands.
“Where’sJackson?”
Ama swallowed.No way out now. “Dead. I killed him. So, do what you want to me. He’s dead and I’m fuckingglad.”
The guard looked surprised, then grinned. “Good. Then maybe I can have some fun with you before I kill you,gorgeous.”
He had started to approach her when Ama heard the shot. She felt the rush of air over her head and saw the bullet hit the guard straight in the forehead. He dropped like a stone and Ama spun around …to see her love, her Enda, his gun still raised. She couldn’t believe it. Enda lowered the gun and handed it to Raff, who was smiling at her. Enda walked slowly at first, then as Ama started to run toward him, he started to run too and swept her into his arms. Ama was sobbing now, not caring who heard them. Enda kissed her face and her hair, his voice breaking as he told her he loved her over andover.
“Guys, we have to go. Now.” Raff looked apologetic, but Enda nodded. Still carrying Ama, they raced back towards the entrance. As they reached the door, shots rang out, barely missing them, and they threw themselves outside andran.
Spotlights flooded the area, then, and they blinked in the lights. Chaos ensued. F.B.I. Agents took them to safety, and soon Ama and Enda were in an ambulance racing towards Fresno and ahospital.
At the hospital,a doctor examined her as Enda went to call Olivier. Ama grabbed the doctor’s hand. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered,” No one knows. Can you tell how far along Iam?”
