“I could’ve told you it was locked,” Samantha mutters.
“Yep.” Pandora comes up next to me to unlock the door. “You should probably stay behind that wall until we give you the all-clear, Samantha.”
The seconds stretch out as the device works the lock, and I don’t realize how fast my heart is hammering in my chest until I hear the beep and click.
Pandora steps back while I reach for the doorknob.
I open it carefully, staying far behind it because I half-expect to hear a gun go off the second I do.
Nothing.
That doesn’t mean there’s not a man with a gun on the other side, only that someone’s being cautious if they are there.
I take a deep breath, then step out into the hallway.
There are two men standing opposite the door, both of them wearing dark suits. They’re both well-muscled, while one of them is bald and the other has a shaggy beard.
“A kid?” the bald one mutters. “A fucking kid?”
I bristle. I’m not justa fucking kid.
I glance at their hands, but neither of them is brandishing a weapon. Good.
It’s time to show off what I’ve learned in those not-entirely-legal fights. I’m outnumbered, but they’re wearing stiff suits that are going to limit their range of motion. I’m unhindered by my clothing, and while I still have the element of surprise, I lash out at the bald man.
The guy yelps when my fist collides with his jaw.
Beardy’s eyes widen. While Baldy is still reeling, I dash over to him and deliver a fist to his stomach. He has enough wherewithal to tighten his stomach muscles to absorb the blow, but he’s not exactly Harry Houdini here, able to withstand every punch.
Or maybe he is. Didn’t Houdini die from a punch?
Baldy recovers, and he comes at me. I dodge out of the way and manage to trip him, so he goes crashing into his friend.
“Get out of here!” I shout, not looking back.
“Yep! Got it! Come on!” Pandora shouts.
She and Samantha run past us. The two guards untangle themselves from each other.
“Go after the girls!” Baldy orders.
Beardy tries, but I position myself in the middle of the hall to block their path.
By now, Asch has to know everything has gone tits-up, but I can’t focus on the earpiece to find out if things are going wrong on their end, too.
“Could really use some help!” I say, hoping Asch can break free and get his ass up here.
I throw another punch at Baldy, determined to keep them distracted. As long as Pandora can get Samantha free of the building, they should be safe, right? No one will risk chasing after them into the parking lot.
My keys, I realize, are in the pocket of my hoodie.
They can get out of here.
The one advantage I have is that the hallway is narrow enough that the two of them can’t easily fight me at the same time. As long as I don’t let either of them get behind me…
Beardy lunges at me again, and I raise my arm to deflect and get an uppercut in. He grunts, but I can tell that something has changed. He’s prepared for me now, no longer dismissing me asjust a kid.
While I’m distracted by Beardy, though, Baldy takes advantage of the situation to grab me. I jab my elbow back, but he’s expecting the counter, so he shifts so I barely clip him. Fuck. Beardy punches me in the face, and I’m too dazed to even try to dodge the next punch he launches at my shoulder.
