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“Jay, man, can you hear me?” Ethan picked up the mug from the desk and looked inside, sniffed it—coffee. Ethan set it down and slapped Jay’s cheek, hoping to revive him. It looked like someone put the date rape drug in his coffee, too. “What’s happening?”
“Plan B,” Jay said with numb lips.
Plan B?
Ethan replayed what Tom had said at the briefing.
He remembered Jay’s face when they said no guns.
Plan B?
He remembered Tom asking if Iniquus brought stun guns, and Jack’s response.
While that might be true for Iniquus, was it true for Jay and Owen? Because Ethan would take any weapon right then.
Ethan checked Jay’s tool belt. There was his flashlight. Radio. And an empty spot where his stun gun belonged.
Someone had Jay’s stun gun.
“Plan B. I’ve got it, Jay. Someone took your weapon. Good man for getting that across.”
Ethan opened the drawer and put the coffee inside so it could be tested later, and there he found the landline phone. Lifting the receiver, Ethan dialed 9-1-1, only half-believing that the line was connected.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”
“This is Ethan Osborne. I am security at Harcourt Alabaster. We are under attack.”
“Sir, can you describe ‘under attack’?”
“We believe that our guests have been poisoned with date rape drugs. Potentially 126 cases of drugging. I have not seen any of the catering staff, and I don’t know their status. There are two active security guards. Two missing security guards, one drugged security guard, and—” Ethan had to take a breath. “Dr. Piper Phillips has not been located. The building is in emergency lockdown, which means we have no egress. Someone needs to break down these doors and bring in ambulances. We cannot access the guests, and many of them are elderly and frail. Our comms are down. I found a landline. Listen, I smell an electrical fire. I need to locate the source.”
“How many attackers?”
“I have seen none. There are drones.”
“Yes, sir, we have a drone report, and it’s being investigated. Say again, you see no attackers? Do you know why this is happening?”
“I am unclear of the motivation. Send help. Lots of help.” And he hung up.
He shut the drawer with the coffee mug inside, then quickly moved Jay off his chair and onto the ground in rescue position.
Ethan had to find Piper.
He tested the basement door, and it was locked.
It took three sturdy kicks to get it swinging open.
He and Tango raced down the stairs.
The bottom door wouldn’t open. But Ethan saw no locking mechanism.
Shoving his shoulder into the door, he got an inch.
He shoved again and again, and once he got his hand through, he videoed the other side of the door.
Gator lay blacked out on the ground.
Ethan sat on the ground, placing his feet on the door and pressing into his heels, slowly moving Gator out of the way so Ethan could get to him.
