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“Hold,” he said, and she heard the soft, New Age music start playing. Bryn fought the urge to curse him, and didn’t let up on the gas as she took the curves heading up the hill to where the Pharmadene property began.
“Bryn?” Annie said. The gates were in sight. Bryn didn’t slow. “Um, Bryn? Those are closed. And there’s a guard. ”
The hold music went off. “Mr. Zaragosa wants to speak with you, but you’re going to have to wait. ”
“Tell him I am one minute from crashing into his gate at seventy miles an hour. See if he can make a hole in his schedule for that. ”
This time, she got hold without music. Annie, who was sitting tensely now, arms protectively around the pug, said, “Bryn, slow down. ”
“I can’t,” she said. “We’re playing chicken, Annie. The first one who blinks loses, and we can’t be left out here. We’re dead if they don’t let us inside. ”
“But—”
Mr. Zaragosa’s voice came on the line. “Bryn, you can’t just—”
“Thirty seconds from the front gates,” she said. “It’s going to take at least ten seconds for them to roll back. Your choice, but you’ve got a max of fifteen seconds to get it done once I stop talking. ”
He wasted only one second in silence, then said, “Gate’s opening. ”
“Not yet, it isn’t. ”
“Jeremy’s calling the guard. Slow down, Bryn. I swear, we’re working on it. ”
“Work faster. ” Instincts were trying to pull her foot off the gas, but she fought them and kept going. She needed to see the guard making the effort, or it would be for nothing.
The guard ducked back into the shack and picked up the phone.
They were less than fifteen seconds from hitting the gates. “Bryn!” Annie shouted, and Mr. French barked, responding to the alarm in her voice. The greyhounds and the loose Rottweiler were moving agitatedly in the backseat, worried by the tension thickening the air.
I’m going to kill us all.
The guard hit the controls, and the gates began to roll back. Bryn hit the brakes, slowing fast, but even; then the front right bumper of the car caught the metal and crumpled. The car scraped through, but only just, and then the guard reversed the course of the gates behind them to wheel them shut as Bryn brought the vehicle to a skidding stop.
And then, of course, heavily armed guards surrounded the car as it came to a stop—a battalion of them, looked like. Bryn dropped the phone, killed the engine, and held up both hands. Annie looked frozen in place. “Pretend like you just got busted by the cops,” Bryn said. “Do exactly what they say. Don’t argue, don’t resist. ”
Annie tentatively raised her hands, too. The dogs were all barking excitedly, except for the pug, who was now cowering on the floor between Annie’s feet and next to Mr. French. He just looked like he wanted some peace and quiet.
Bryn’s and Annie’s doors were pulled open at the same time, and B
ryn popped her seat belt so the guard who reached in could pull her free without effort and send her facedown to the pavement. Annie hit the ground on the other side of the car. Mr. French bailed out and started trying to bite the guard holding Bryn, but he was kicked aside.
“Run!” she screamed at Mr. French. He took a step back from her, looking confused. “Run, you stupid dog!”
He wouldn’t have, Bryn thought, but then one of the guards tried to grab him, and that sent him fleeing.
Chasing something was what the greyhounds did for a living, so they jumped out of the open car door and took off in graceful leaps after him, followed by the pug. The Rottweiler followed, leaving Maxine still in the cage. She was snarling and fighting to get out.
The fleeing dogs ran for the parkland and woods beyond the building. Someone fired a shot, but it missed.
“Don’t hurt them!” Bryn turned her head to yell. “You sons of bitches!”
“No need for that,” said a voice from somewhere over her head, and she looked up to see the CEO of Pharmadene walking quickly toward them, trailed by his assistant, Jeremy, and a couple of others. “Nobody will hurt the dogs. ” He looked at the guard who had her down on the ground. “Let her stand up. ”
The guard held to the letter of the order, but he slipped handcuffs on her just to be safe. Zaragosa didn’t object. He looked tired, Bryn thought, and careworn. Presiding over this place, keeping all these secrets, probably wasn’t a restful occupation.
“Now,” he said. “You want to tell me what’s so critical you had to pull a stunt like that just to see me?”
“Sir, we should get this car out of here. It wasn’t scanned properly,” a man at his side said—from his badge, he was some kind of high-level security officer by the name of Robinson. “Should I kill this dog?”
