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“Oh my God,” she muttered to herself. She looked pale and stunned. I watched as the woman flipped herself over the parapet like a gymnast. She crouched low for a second, staring right back at me. Then she ran off and disappeared behind a mass of metal ductwork.
“C’mon!” I said. “We can catch her.” I started to psych myself up for another jump. But Kira didn’t move.
“No,” she said. “That’s exactly what she wants.”
I looked down. Kira had her fists balled against her forehead and she was rocking back and forth, muttering to herself over and over again. “Not her, not her, not her…” She looked scared. I’d never seen that in her before.Never.
“Wait,” I said. “Youknowher?”
Kira nodded slowly. She sounded numb. “Her name is Irina,” she said. “We were classmates. I haven’t seen her for more than a decade.”
“What does it mean that she’s here?” I said.
“It means we don’t have any more time,” said Kira. Her voice was strong again, and when she looked up, her expression had changed. There was no more fear in her eyes. Just rage.
CHAPTER 70
WHEN WE GOT back to the loft, Kira was quiet and focused. All I saw was cold determination.
“Hang on a minute,” she said, then disappeared into her room. Actually, it was less than a minute. When she came out, her casual clothes were gone. She was back in athletic gear. All black. Her hair was pulled back tight. She looked like a commando.
I was watching the news report on the TV over the workout area. Explosion outside a Lakeview restaurant. Twenty injuries. Three people in critical condition. So far, no motive, no suspects, no leads. Terrorism could not be ruled out.
Kira glanced up at the screen. “I was careless and stupid,” she muttered. “I felt sorry for you, and look what happened.”
“So this is my fault now?” I asked. “This is onme??”
She opened the door marked UTILITY. “We don’t have time to argue.”
Inside the vault, Kira moved quickly. She grabbed a small backpack and tossed me another one. She started throwing in canisters, packets, and tools off shelves and tables. She grabbed a pistol from the rack and handed one to me. As soon as my hand touched the grip, I started to twitch. Kira grabbed my arm—hard.
“Hold it together, Doctor,” said Kira. “Now is when I need you.”
I stuffed the pistol into my backpack. She tossed me an extra box of ammunition, then took one last look around the vault.
“That’s it,” she said. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Kira slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked straight out toward the elevator. She glanced at me over her shoulder.
“Back to school,” she said.
CHAPTER 71
WHEN WE GOT to the street, Kira scoped out the traffic and speed-walked to the nearest intersection. I saw a cab idling at a stoplight. Kira ran in front of the car and slapped the hood. The cabbie shook his head. She moved around and rapped her knuckles against the driver’s window. The glass slid down two inches. I heard the cabbie say, “Off duty.” The light turned green. The cab started to move. Kira moved right along with it. She pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and slapped it flat against the window.
“How about now?” she shouted.
The cabbie stopped and unlocked the doors. Horns were blaring from the cars behind. Kira yanked the rear door open and we slid into the back seat.
“Where to?” asked the cabbie. He accelerated before the door was even shut.
“O’Hare,” said Kira. She pulled out another bill. “And here’s another hundred to ignore the speed limit.”
“You got it,” said the cabbie, glancing down at his dashboard clock. “What time is your flight?”
“As soon as we get there,” she said.
