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“Fuck this,” she muttered, and blasted him.
While he sparked and shuddered, she kicked him aside. “Lights on,” she ordered, and didn’t bother to swear when her order was ignored. She moved in the dark, leading with her weapon each time she approached a doorway.
At the soft sound of footsteps behind her, she whirled, finger twitching. “Goddamn it, Roarke.”
“You have two men covering the first level. Additional backup on the way. This’ll go faster with two of us down here. And,” he continued, moving up to guard her back, “down here is where he is.”
Her instincts told her the same. Which was why she’d taken the area personally.
“Lab’s going to be straight back,” she said quietly, though she’d already picked up the security cameras tucked into the corners of the ceiling. “He’s boxed in, but he’s ready for us.”
The door was locked.
“I’m going to bypass,” she whispered in Roarke’s ear. “He’ll expect us to rush. That’s what he’s ready for. Don’t go through the door until I give the signal.”
She slipped the locks, kicked the door, then spun away.
The move saved her. Something crashed in the dark near the toes of her boots. She saw the smoke, heard the hiss, and was forced to sidestep before the acid eating into the floor hit leather.
There was a flash from inside. She felt a bright, shocking pain in her left shoulder. “Shit!”
“You’re hit.” Roarke dived across the open doorway, blocked her body with his as another series of blasts shot through like lightning bolts.
“Just glanced me.” Her arm was numb now, shoulder to fingertip. “Get my communicator out of my pocket. My left hand’s dead.”
He pulled it out. “Lowest level, east end,” he said into it. “Dunwood’s armed. The lieutenant’s been hit.”
“Minimal damage,” she snapped, irritated. “I’m not down. Repeat, I am not down. Security panel’s over there.” She jerked her head. “Bypass the damn voice command and get the lights on. Dunwood!” she shouted, duck-walking to the doorway with her left arm hanging useless and her weapon in her right hand. “It’s over. The house is surrounded. You’ve got nowhere to go. Throw out your weapon, and come out with your hands up.”
“It’s not over until I say it’s over! I’m not finished.” He fired again. “Do you think I’m losing to a woman?”
The lights went on, and gave her a good look at the blackened hole in the floor only inches from her feet. “Seduce and conquer. We accessed your game, Lucias. Not too smart of you to write it all down so nice and tidy for us. We know you did Kevin. That was slick, but you don’t know as much about law as you do about chemistry. His confession stands. And you were stupid enough to leave traces of putty and base in your bathroom. Really losing points fast.”
Glass crashed inside the room, and his voice raged as temper lashed out. “It’s my game, you bitch. My rules.”
She held up her gun hand, signaling the men back as she heard them rushing down the stairs.
“New game, new rules, and you’ll never beat me, Lucias. I’m better than you are. Throw out the weapon and come out or I’m going to hurt you.”
“You won’t win.” He was weeping now, a spoiled boy choked by a tantrum. “Nobody beats me. I’m undefeated. I’m a Dunwood.”
“Cover me.” She drew in a breath, tucked and rolled into the room. The stunner blasts jolted over her head, shot along the floor by her hip as she dived for cover.
“Not smart, Lucias.” She pressed her back into a wide cupboard. “Nope, not so smart. You keep missing. Aiming wild. You buy that off the street? Did they tell you it was fully charged? They lie. I bet if you check the discharge rate, you’re more than half out already. I’ve got a full load. And I don’t miss. I won the game. And my prize is locking you into a cage for the rest of your life. A woman’s going to lock you away, Lucias.”
She angled herself, signaled to Roarke to lay down fire to her right. On the blast, she leaped up. She swore, fired a stun shot. But was already too late.
The vial he held slid out of his hand as he shuddered and collapsed.
“Call for MTs,” she shouted, and leaped over the broken glass. She kicked his weapon away, crouched. “What did you take?”
“What I gave Kevin.” He smiled, coldly. “Double the dose for speed. No woman’s locking me away. I end the game my way, so I win. I always win. You lose, bitch.”
She watched him die, and felt nothing. “No. Everybody wins.”
Epilogue
She stood outside, breathing in the night air, cradling her now tingling left arm in the palm of her right hand.
