Page 43 of Turn the Tide
Chapter 7
In the dark, Eric found Zoe’s hand. He pulled her in close to his side, gave her hand a squeeze, and whispered, “Don’t. Move.”
Through the glass pane of the inner control room door, he could see a flashlight’s arc. Good. The goon wasn’t being the least bit cautious. Eric slid on his night-vision goggles and waited.Three…two…
The door swung out, and silent as the grave, Eric was on the man. It took exactly six seconds to bring him to the floor, three more to bind his mouth and secure his hands behind his back, and another eight to reappropriate the flashlight and remove his weapons.
In his headset, a quiet voice intoned.
“Team two here.” That was Ans and Leo. “Level two is clear. We’ve got a couple scientists and a member of the security team. Heavy tool room. Northwest corner.”
“Team one,” Eric responded. “One subject. Subdued. Headed your way.”
“Roger that.”
No word from Von, which was normal, given that he’d had to climb to the top of the rig and was likely still clearing the upper level.
“Up,” Eric said as he grabbed their prisoner, pulled him to standing, and looked him over. Not one of the guys he’d encountered yesterday. This one appeared scared shitless in the absolute dark.
“Who else you got here?” he asked.
“N-n-nobod—”
“Try again.”
“I swear, I’m all—”
A blow to the solar plexus shut down whatever lie the guy was about to tell. His body sagged, but Eric held him up, not waiting for him to recover.
“How many more you got on this thing?” Though he’d gotten numbers yesterday, confirmation couldn’t hurt. It would set a baseline, help them figure out if someone was lying.
“Five,” the man could only whisper. “That’s it.”
“Give me the rundown.”
After a second, when the guy clearly decided his health was more important to him than holding back, he talked. “Two researchers. Two other security. But we’re evacuating.”
“Evacuating?” Eric blinked. “When?”
“Soon as it’s light.”
“Why now?”
“Haven’t found anything.” The guy’s eyes flicked over to where Zoe stood, nearly invisible in the dark. He couldn’t possibly see her clearly, but Eric wouldn’t abide even that minor contact.
He shifted protectively.
“And the rig’s deemed too risky. After what happened yesterday.” The man eyed Eric. “Was that you?”
In his ear, the comm device crackled. “Got the third guard,” Von’s words came in, low and deep. “Headed to heavy tools.”
Without another word, Eric hauled the goon down the long, dark hall toward the closest ladder, with Zoe right behind him. In absolute silence, they used the goggles to their advantage, giving their prisoner absolutely no information as to where they were going and how many of them there were. He was practically whimpering as Eric pushed him up the ladder to the next floor. It was slow going, but they finally located the heavy tool room, just as Von and his prisoner joined them. Nasal Voice. Good. After what he’d done to Zoe, the asshole hadn’t suffered nearly enough.
Once inside, Eric took a moment to examine the situation.
Leo and Ans stood each to one side of their three prisoners, who were facedown on the floor. Eric added his to the group and stopped Von with a signal. They’d question Nasal Voice, right here in the dark, where the others could hear.
With ruthlessly efficient movements, Von shoved his prisoner against the closest wall. Fucking emotionless son of a bitch. Eric had literally never seen him flinch. Not once. Hadn’t seen him smile either. That kind of ruthlessness always came in handy at times like these.
