AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We hear him choke on a chuckle.
“Forget you heard that,” I say.
Ryan clears his throat. “No comment. Okay, there’s also option number three. The laundry chute.”
“Laundry chute?” I echo.
“Yes. Go in through the loading dock and make sure to avoid the patrolling guard. The chute is on your left and goes all the way down to the laundry room in the basement. DeLazzer is being held only five floors down, though. You’re going to have to control your descent down the chute, but it will take you right to him without being seen.”
“Perfect.” I stand up, brushing my pants off.
“I got the guard,” Kane tells me as we head down the slope, staying hidden in the treeline.
We circle around to the back of the lab located in the middle of the quiet Spanish countryside. It’s very isolated and a perfect place to conduct clandestine, underhanded work.
We pause, waiting for the right moment to strike, when suddenly a truck rumbles around the side of the building and pulls up to the loading dock, blocking the guard’s view of us. The driver gets out and walks inside.
“Nice,” Kane murmurs.
“Let’s go,” I say and take off, jogging toward the building and making sure to stay behind the truck’s cover. Kane and I move swiftly across the lawn and when we reach the truck, we stay low and move along its driver’s side panel.
I nod to the chute and we hurry toward it. At the same moment, the guard turns the corner and yells something to us in Spanish.
Kane wastes no time taking him down while I hustle forward and yank the handle, pulling the chute open. It’s going to be a tight fit for me. There’s no way Kane’s going to be able to fit down this narrow thing. “Ryan, I’m going down the chute, but you need to guide Kane in through the rear entrance. I’m leaving the keycard for him.”
“Roger that,” Ryan replies.
I glance over my shoulder and watch Kane throw another punch. Then I climb into the chute, wedge myself in by holding my body up with my arms and legs, and leave the keycard on the ground before pulling the door shut. I glance down and see nothing but yawning blackness beneath me.
It looks like there’s no bottom.
This oughta be fun,I think dryly, and start shimmying down, praying that I don’t slip and fall to my death.
Chapter Sixteen: Maddox
After knocking the guard out, I drag his body over to the truck, toss him in the back and head over to the chute. I tug the chute open and peer inside, but I don’t see anything and there’s no way my big ass is fitting in there.
“How’re you doing, babe?” I ask through my comms.
“I’m okay,” Sailor replies with a grunt. “I’m two floors down, on my way to five.”
“Be careful and let me know when you reach DeLazzer. I’m on my way in,” I tell her, bending over to grab the keycard she left me. Then I pull my Glock 19 from the back of my cargo pants and head toward the rear door.
“Okay, Maddox,” Ryan says. “Get inside and I’ll guide you down to Sailor.”
“Roger that,” I say and swipe the keycard through the slot beside the door. It whooshes open and I step inside, pistol raised and ready to fire if necessary.
The only thing waiting for me on the other side of the door is a long, deserted hallway. I start forward, moving quickly, but staying alert. Things are just a little too quiet and that always makes me nervous.
“Stay straight,” Ryan directs me. “When you get to the end of the hall, take a left. It’s clear right now so move it.”
I jog forward, as stealthily as possible, and follow Ryan’s instructions. After a few more turns and a close call with another guard, I manage to evade detection and find the stairwell.
“You can take it all the way down and there’s no one in it right now. It should be easier than trying to take the elevator.”
“Agreed,” I say and throw the stairwell door open. My boots hit the steps and I start down, taking two steps at a time. “Sai, where are you?”
There’s a slight crackle of static and then her voice echoes over the comms. “Almost to sublevel 5. And I can see the bottom,” she grunts. “Good thing I work out because this is torture on my muscles.”
