I drew my own gun before turning away from the monitor.
"Guard the door. I have something that'll even the playing field. You're going to need a mask and goggles, though."
"Damn you and your knockout drugs."
His eyes never left the security feed. I hurried toward one of the cabinets and grabbed two masks. I then moved over to the boxes, looking for the one containing my night-vision goggles.Found them.
I ripped through the packing tape, opened the box, and pulled them out. There was one more thing I needed. My experimental knock-out drug. I hadn't perfected the formula yet, but tonight seemed as good a time as any to see how well it worked.
I ripped open another box to find it. Once I had it, I moved to the lab table and turned off the switch, killing the lights. My arms were full like I’d been grocery shopping by the time I returned to the front of the lab.
My gaze moved to the security screen to find that the men were already moving toward the door. I tossed a mask and goggles to Terzo.
"Keep one of them alive," I told him. "I need to know who sent them."
Terzo caught the items and nodded, slipping the mask on. I followed suit, putting on my mask and goggles. I adjusted my glasses so the goggles could fit right. Once I had mine on, I patted Terzo on the shoulder.
“Move to the back of the room,” I whispered.
He headed toward the back. Facing the front door, I pulled the lever on my canister and set it by the wall. A slow hiss sounded as the drug started releasing into the air. I rushed toward the back of the room to get behind a lab table.
A split second later, a bullet slammed into the front door.
CHAPTER NINE
ROME
––––––––
Bullets riddled the front door.
The reinforced steel rattled beneath the barrage as rounds slammed into the lock assembly. Whoever was outside wasn't firing blindly. They were targeting the weakest point of the entrance and trying to force their way inside.
At this rate, they’d be in soon.
Crouched behind the lab table, I watched the security monitor through my night-vision goggles. The green glow illuminated everything around me, turning the darkness into an advantage instead of a hindrance.
The security screen showed four of the six men spreading out around the building. Two remained near the door, concentrating their fire on the lock. One of the four who were spreading out moved toward the side of the building.
Three moved to the back of the building, hoping to enter that way. The hiss of the gas continued as the knock-out compound spread through the lab. It needed time to work. Exactly how much time, I wasn't entirely sure yet.
A loud crash echoed through the building. Glass shattered somewhere to my right. One of the men had broken a window. My jaw tightened. They were trying to create multiple entry points.Smart. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't going to do them much good.
The shooting of the front door continued for several more seconds before finally stopping. Silence settled over the lab. The only sounds were the faint hiss of the gas and the pounding of my own heartbeat.
Something slammed into the front door. My gaze moved to the monitor again. One of the guys was kicking the door now. Another loud bang sounded. Another kick, this one more forceful and aimed directly at the doorknob.
The steel door shuddered as it was kicked again. Then again. More shattering glass sounded. I looked toward the window to see one of the guys punching the glass shards, clearing a way for him to enter.
Terzo raised his weapon, preparing to shoot the bastard before he could climb through the window.
"Not yet," I whispered. "I want to see how long it takes the compound to start affecting them."
“Damn it, Rome, this isn’t a science experiment,” Terzo muttered, lowering his weapon.
The broken window had introduced a variable I hadn't accounted for. The compound was still spreading through the lab, but now part of it had somewhere else to go. The ventilation would reduce the concentration inside the building.
That would potentially slow the onset of symptoms. Under normal conditions, I'd have tested that theory in a controlled environment. But in my line of work, shit was rarely normal. Since the situation had presented itself, I intended to learn as much from it as possible.
