Page 57 of Nikolai
“Excellent,” Nick said.“Now take the safety off.”
He pointed out a little lever up top which she thumbed up and a little red dot appeared.“Red for dead,” he said.“Now it’s ready to shoot.”
He held his gun up to eye level, aiming at the wall.He had a two-handed grip, left over right.“There’s a sight at the end of the barrel.Put what you’re shooting at in the sight.”
Parker noddedyes, lifting her gun, trying to emulate his two-handed grip.
He moved her gun to the left with a finger, away from him.
“Make sure you don’t shootme.”
“No, no!”She shook her head frantically.
“I’m going to go back up, see what position they are in.”
Nick found a small tarp and held it in his hand.
Parker moved fast to put the big crate right under the big crack in the ceiling.Nick climbed up.He moved more slowly, and his arm was covered in blood.You could not tell anything from his expression, but he must have been hurting badly.
Parker held the smaller crate up as high as she could and he took it from her, together with the binoculars.
He climbed up the smaller crate, carefully placed the tarp over his head and slowly, slowly, poked his head up.
Parker nearly danced in place with anxiety.She had trouble breathing, her heart felt like it would beat its way right out of her chest.Where were those people?Who were they if they weren’t the cavalry?If they were organized crime?—
“Aunt Caroline really must have a security issue.I think someone must have listened in on her call.”
“Yup,” he said quietly.“And I think the people out there are gangsters.They are all armed.One is consulting a GPS reader.But I don’t think he knows how it works.That will buy us some time.”
“Oh God.”Parker covered her face with her hands.“This is all my fault.You called Aunt Caroline to reassure her that we were safe after a major earthquake, to make me feel better.If you hadn’t called her, we’d just be waiting for the soldiers, not waiting to fight off mobsters or terrorists.I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t look down at her, binoculars glued to his face under the tarp.“Actually, I probably did have to call the Consulate, since technically I’m under contract to them.If nothing else, this is proof that the Consulate has a security issue.Which is nice to know, even if it costs us our heads being blown off.”
Parker peered up at him.“Are you saying that just to make me feel better, less guilty, or is it true?”
Nick removed the binoculars and looked down at her.Crazily, he grinned.They were in a terribly perilous situation, but he was trying to reassure her.“I would say it just to make you feel better, but it’s also true.”He brought the binoculars to his eyes again.This time his voice was cold, emotionless.“Parker, hand me one of the rifles.”
She picked it up by the barrel and was about to lift it to him when he closed his eyes in pain.“Can you hand it to me by the stock?”
“The stock?What?—”
And then of course she got it.She was about to hand him the rifle in a way where she could blow his face off if she handled it wrong.She held it up to him, stock-first, and he took it, stowing it on top of another crate.At no point in his handling of the rifle had the barrel been pointing at her.
She’d probably have blown his face off.
She was tired, scared, completely out of her depth.But she needed to up her game if she was going to be useful.
“What’s happening?”she whispered.
“They are still trying to figure out the coordinates.I see twelve men, all armed.”His voice was low, not a whisper.
She tried to suppress a shudder.Twelve men.Armed.They were so in trouble if the military didn’t arrive soon.No way could Nick, alone, keep twelve armed men at bay.He’d go down fighting, but he’d go down.
Something buzzed in his pants, and he took out his satphone and reported on the messages.“The military will be here in ten minutes.Dylan is choppering in.”
Parker covered her mouth with her hand.“Won’t they shoot at a helicopter?”
“Don’t worry.”A corner of Nick’s mouth lifted.“He’ll be shooting back.”
