“Not exactly the answer I was hoping for.”
“Beggars and all that.” Buck gestured to the lift. “According to the hospital logs, there’s an ambulance parked in the rear loading bay. We should move before Hill finds it.”
Some of the weight lifted off Nick’s shoulders as he gathered Sloane in his arms, allowed Bodie and Dalton to help him squeeze her through the doors. He settled inside, Daltonstepping in last when men appeared at the far end, carbines already spitting out rounds.
Nick’s teammates shifted to the sides, bullets chewing up the rear wall of the lift as Dalton worked the crank like it was a mission from God. The elevator descended in measured segments, each drop accompanied by a rattling clang. Bodie and Buck exchanged cover fire, cycling through one mag, then loading another, stalling the team long enough to drop to the next level before they reached the shaft.
Buck took over, the elevator jerking down through the next floor, landing at the bottom with a solid thump. Bodie pried the doors open a bit more, cleared the immediate platform, then took point as the rest of the crew filed out. They cleared the small staging area, ventured into the hallway, the loading dock exit looming in front of them, when Dalton’s cell chirped, the low ping making Nick’s insides jump.
Dalton frowned, grabbed his phone. “Looks like we’re beyond Hill’s containment bubble.” He scrolled through the text. “Well, crap. Avery just texted. Said Hill issued a statement on the federal emergency channel. Is claiming we’re the ones behind the assault. That he’s authorized a hard containment team to intercept. She’s working on an arrest warrant from all the files Kessler shared, but she’s waiting on approval from a judge.”
Nick banged his fist on his thigh, embracing the sharp sting. “Tell her I appreciate the hard work but...” He tapped his chest. “I’ll take care of Hill.”
Dalton arched a brow, typed off a reply before they moved into a loose diamond formation. Nick juggled Sloane into his arms, aware it limited his options, but more concerned she’d suffer some kind of aneurism if her head hung down much longer.
They hit the loading bay doors moving in sync, Bodie flowing through first as Dalton brought up the rear. The rolling door sathalfway down from the ceiling, the cold, midnight air clouding their breath around their heads. A light drizzle fell from the sky, the scattered puddles reflecting the storm clouds rolling overhead. An ambulance sat on a forty-five, ten feet off to their right, their one Hail Mary in a desperate situation.
Bodie motioned to the rear doors. “Nick, you and Dalton get Sloane settled in the back. I’ll crank open the doors, then hop in front.
Nick veered right, each step closing in on their salvation when a laser light hit the wall behind him, quickly shifting onto Sloane’s head. Nick froze, chest heaving, his world narrowed to that small, vibrating point of red light locked on the woman he was dying to save.
