Page 93 of Armed ’N’ Ready

A sudden and sharp, burning pain stabbed him in the chest, forcing him to shut his eyes momentarily. He blew out quick breaths, willing himself to remain upright. He was hit. How badly, he didn’t know.

He pressed his shoulder against the doorjamb for support, watching Meera drag Andi closer to the wall, and for a moment he didn’t understand what she was doing. When she reached for the small fire alarm box on the wall, he figured out her tactic in a heartbeat.

Diversion.

Meera would try to escape with the hundreds of people who—in the next few minutes—would try to evacuate the building.

With the gun still pressed to Andi’s head, Meera flipped up the clear plastic cover and pulled down the lever. A piercing siren shattered the quiet. White strobes flashed on the ceiling.

Meera’s arm shot back around Andi’s waist. She backed them closer to the stairwell door, keeping one eye on him. People began poking their heads into the corridor, looking each way, searching for fire or smoke.

Just before disappearing through the door, Meera aimed her gun directly at Nick. And fired.

The gunshot echoed above the din of the screeching fire alarm. He ducked back into the library just in time to avoid the bullet that shattered the doorframe where only seconds earlier his head had been. He barely felt the sting of the splinters that embedded in the side of his face.

Damn, but the woman really does know how to use a firearm.

A moan had him turning to see Myer on the floor. The man’s face was pale, telling him the guy had lost a significant amount of blood. Judging by the ding in the wall behind him, the wound was a through-and-through.

Breathing more heavily now, he canted his head, clicking the mic with his free hand and wincing from the movement. “All units, gunshot victim, Conference Room B. Suspect escaping via the east stairwell. I’m in pursuit. Be advised the fire alarm is bogus. Maintain lockdown.” Although he couldn’t be certain building security would honor his lockdown order over evacuating people from a potentially burning building.

The corridor was quickly filling up with people responding to the fire alarm and heading for the stairwell to evacuate.

“Police! Make way.” He and Saxon pushed past the people heading to the stairs.

Catching sight of the gun in Nick’s hand, some gasped. Others jumped out of the way as Saxon barreled through.

With every step, excruciating pain lanced through his chest. The hallway wavered, and for a moment, it looked as if there were two hallways. He clenched his jaw, staving off the pain that was so acute it was impacting his vision.

“Medics dispatched,” Eric’s voice came back on the radio. “Lockdown in place. We’re heading up the stairwell to your location. We should intercept Meera somewhere in the middle.”

“Hier.” Saxon followed him down the corridor, weaving in and out of the crowd as they made their way to the stairs.

Just before the door, a wave of dizziness rocked him, and he nearly blacked out. The pressure on his chest was unbearable and threatened to take him to the floor. Got to…keep going. Leaning one hand against the wall, he took in deep breaths, shaking his head to clear it.

“Officer, are you all right?” A woman stared at his bloody uniform shirt.

Ignoring her question, he fisted his hand on the wall.

C’mon, c’mon. Pull yourself together, Houston. If you don’t, Andi will die.

Because there was no way Meera would let her live.

He pushed from the wall, shoving past more people and through the stairwell door. He and Saxon barreled down the stairs. “Police! Make way,” he shouted as the number of people on the stairs increased to the point where he wasn’t getting anywhere.

A few people moved aside as they took in his uniform and his unholstered gun, but most remained on the stairs, blocking his way.

“Saxon!” He glanced down at his dog who looked up at him, ears erect, waiting for his command. “Gib laut.”

Saxon began snarling and barking at the top of his lungs. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path down to the next landing where, again, people were packing up, blocking the stairwell.

“What’s going on?” a woman shouted.

“They won’t let us leave the building,” someone else cried.

“We’re bogged down by the evacuation.” This time it was Matt on the radio. “We’re stuck in the stairwell, but still coming to you.”

A woman on the landing below glanced up. Meera. Her eyes went wide with recognition, and she shoved Andi in front of her, pushing her toward the stairwell door. When she couldn’t get through the crowd, she pointed her gun in the air and fired. The blast echoed in the close confines. People screamed and hit the floor, covering their heads with their hands.