bent down to pick up Fred who was balancing on his hind legs begging to be held.
“Ready?” he asked.
Gemma tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked around her place one last time. “I’m ready.”
Cy opened the door and looked out into the empty hallway. Taking the lead, he walked by the stairs and to the elevator. He pressed the button and waited as the elevator came from the floor above.
He looked at Gemma standing next to him and saw the doorknob from the stairwell turn. “Do any of your neighbors use the stairs?”
“Hmm?” Gemma asked. She had obviously been deep in thought. The barrel of a gun coming out of the slowly opening door answered his question.
“Get back!” Cy shoved Gemma behind him and against the doors of the elevator. He shifted Fred into his left arm and pulled his gun in one movement. The door flew open as the man scanned the hallway.
Cy fired off a shot and hit the doorjamb. The man jumped back but stuck his arm out and fired blindly. Fred growled in Cy’s arms as he returned fire. He had Gemma smashed against the elevator doors with his body shielding hers as he tried to keep the man pinned down.
“Come on,” he grumbled at the elevator. There was no such luck, though; the stairway door flung open. A man tried to run across the hall for cover while his buddy fired at Cy and Gemma. Cy could feel Gemma’s fingers digging into his back as she hid behind him. Every instinct he had was to keep her safe. He had never felt anything so strongly before.
Cy reloaded his gun and fired at the man leaping for cover across the hall. He was satisfied when he heard the man scream out as his shot hit its mark—the man’s foot had been carelessly left exposed. The man hiding in the stairwell fired off another shot that had Cy pressing further back against Gemma. The bullet lodged in the wall not far from his head with drywall exploding onto him as he heard Gemma scream.
Suddenly the elevator doors opened and they fell backward into it. Cy scrambled forward and fired some shots back into the hallway as the men sprinted toward them. Gemma banged the Close Door button over and over again as Cy returned fire. Bullets pinged off the metal doors as they slowly closed.
Cy reached over where Gemma was still hitting the button and pushed the number two. Gemma finally stopped and they both sat in silence as the soft classical music played.
“Chopin,” Gemma finally said in a shaky voice.
“Handel,” Cy grinned as the elevator started its slow descent.
The doors to the second floor opened and Cy slowly looked out. The hallway was clear. “Come on.”
“Why are we getting off here? Won’t they be in the stairwell?” Gemma asked as she slowly walked out of the elevator.
“Yep. And they’ll be in the lobby, too. That’s why we’re going to send the elevator down to the first floor while we climb out the fire escape in the back of the building. You have experience with those, after all.” Cy shot her a smirk as he carried Fred to the window at the end of the hall. With a bit of effort, he got the window open. “Ladies first.”
Cy looked back where a pale Gemma stood plastered against the brick building. In one hand she had a suitcase and in the other, Fred’s bag. She looked worried, and if he was honest, he was worried, too. He only had seconds before the men inside realized they weren’t inside anymore.
His car was parked just a short distance away but the trouble was the man standing next to the black SUV. While he wasn’t holding a gun, the bulge of his jacket told Cy the man was definitely armed.
“Okay. We’re going to quietly walk to the car. We should be able to get to it without being seen. By that time, it’ll be too late for them to get us. Once you get to the car, dive in and keep your head down. Okay?”
“That’s the plan? You’re a freaking CIA agent and your plan is to just walk over to the car?” Gemma whispered frantically.
“Yeah. You got
“Ready?” he asked.
Gemma tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked around her place one last time. “I’m ready.”
Cy opened the door and looked out into the empty hallway. Taking the lead, he walked by the stairs and to the elevator. He pressed the button and waited as the elevator came from the floor above.
He looked at Gemma standing next to him and saw the doorknob from the stairwell turn. “Do any of your neighbors use the stairs?”
“Hmm?” Gemma asked. She had obviously been deep in thought. The barrel of a gun coming out of the slowly opening door answered his question.
“Get back!” Cy shoved Gemma behind him and against the doors of the elevator. He shifted Fred into his left arm and pulled his gun in one movement. The door flew open as the man scanned the hallway.
Cy fired off a shot and hit the doorjamb. The man jumped back but stuck his arm out and fired blindly. Fred growled in Cy’s arms as he returned fire. He had Gemma smashed against the elevator doors with his body shielding hers as he tried to keep the man pinned down.
“Come on,” he grumbled at the elevator. There was no such luck, though; the stairway door flung open. A man tried to run across the hall for cover while his buddy fired at Cy and Gemma. Cy could feel Gemma’s fingers digging into his back as she hid behind him. Every instinct he had was to keep her safe. He had never felt anything so strongly before.
Cy reloaded his gun and fired at the man leaping for cover across the hall. He was satisfied when he heard the man scream out as his shot hit its mark—the man’s foot had been carelessly left exposed. The man hiding in the stairwell fired off another shot that had Cy pressing further back against Gemma. The bullet lodged in the wall not far from his head with drywall exploding onto him as he heard Gemma scream.
Suddenly the elevator doors opened and they fell backward into it. Cy scrambled forward and fired some shots back into the hallway as the men sprinted toward them. Gemma banged the Close Door button over and over again as Cy returned fire. Bullets pinged off the metal doors as they slowly closed.
Cy reached over where Gemma was still hitting the button and pushed the number two. Gemma finally stopped and they both sat in silence as the soft classical music played.
“Chopin,” Gemma finally said in a shaky voice.
“Handel,” Cy grinned as the elevator started its slow descent.
The doors to the second floor opened and Cy slowly looked out. The hallway was clear. “Come on.”
“Why are we getting off here? Won’t they be in the stairwell?” Gemma asked as she slowly walked out of the elevator.
“Yep. And they’ll be in the lobby, too. That’s why we’re going to send the elevator down to the first floor while we climb out the fire escape in the back of the building. You have experience with those, after all.” Cy shot her a smirk as he carried Fred to the window at the end of the hall. With a bit of effort, he got the window open. “Ladies first.”
Cy looked back where a pale Gemma stood plastered against the brick building. In one hand she had a suitcase and in the other, Fred’s bag. She looked worried, and if he was honest, he was worried, too. He only had seconds before the men inside realized they weren’t inside anymore.
His car was parked just a short distance away but the trouble was the man standing next to the black SUV. While he wasn’t holding a gun, the bulge of his jacket told Cy the man was definitely armed.
“Okay. We’re going to quietly walk to the car. We should be able to get to it without being seen. By that time, it’ll be too late for them to get us. Once you get to the car, dive in and keep your head down. Okay?”
“That’s the plan? You’re a freaking CIA agent and your plan is to just walk over to the car?” Gemma whispered frantically.
“Yeah. You got
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