Crossing the Line (10 page)

G
etting into the building was the easy part. The apartment building next door was only a touch taller, and uncomfortably close. I jumped from the roof of the apartment building onto the one I needed to break into, then attached my rope to the roof and rappelled halfway down its side.

I could probably have taken all five guards if I had to, but in this case my best chance to pull this off was to split them up. I hung on to the side and used a glass cutter to cut a hole that was just big enough for me to fit through. Once I was in, I pulled the rope through and left it there. I wanted the break-in to be obvious—it would take longer for the guards to search the building and give me more time to get to the basement. I hurried up five floors to the roof, then pushed open the door, dropped a lock-pick kit, and sprinted back down to the floor I'd come in. I had just shut the door to the stairwell when three guards came flying past. I waited until they were two floors above me before I eased the door open and ran down to the first level. I paused before I rounded the basement corner, preparing myself—two guards I could take, especially if I caught them by surprise.

I flung myself around the corner before either could react. I jumped behind the one closer to me and wrapped my arm around
his neck, cutting off his oxygen supply. I was determined not to kill anyone unless I had to.

He had a military-grade weapon strapped across his chest. I held on to it as he slid to the ground, then used the heavy butt of the gun to swipe the second guard near the ear. He dropped in an instant.

I hurried down the steps into the concrete basement. Everything about it was harsh, hard, and empty. Scorpion sat on an old mattress against the wall. It was hot in Hong Kong at this time of year. The basement was a few degrees cooler, but it was still too hot and stuffy to be comfortable and smelled of stale sweat.

He jumped up off the ground when I came down the stairs. I was surprised he wasn't tied up. He backed himself into the corner with his fists balled defensively in front of him, ready to take on anyone. He didn't seem to realize who I was. I moved a few more steps closer and saw that his eyes were red and so swollen they were reduced to slits. I came even closer and he backed himself against the wall, like he was trying to be sure no one would sneak up on him. He looked panicked, which was something I never expected to see.

“Scorpion?” My voice was cautious as I edged closer. He looked startled, and it wasn't until then that I realized that even though his eyes were partially open, he couldn't see a thing. “Travis.” I said his name gently, without a hint of mockery.

“Who is it?” He sounded startled and uncertain, and unable to hide it. I had imagined finding him a number of different ways, including dead, but this wasn't something that ever occurred to me.

“It's—Jocelyn.” My throat cracked as I stumbled over my own name.

“Viper?” He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His fists got tighter, ready to strike. I stepped even closer so I could get a good look at his eyes. I didn't know what had been done to him, but based on how red and teary they were I was sure he must have been rubbing them. “I knew we couldn't trust you.”

“I'm not working for these people,” I said. “The IDA sent me.”

He shook his head. “That's impossible. We don't do rescue missions.” He pressed his back into the wall, trying to get even farther away from me.

“I guess they do for the golden boy,” I said.

He rubbed his eyes, frustrated and desperate. “I don't believe you.”

“We don't have time for this.” I was all too aware that the building was being searched. “There are five guards. I took out two of them, but the other three are going to be back soon. We need to get out of here.” I grabbed his wrist and tried to lead him toward the stairs.

“I'm not going anywhere with you!” He pulled away and tried to punch me with his other hand.

I dodged the strike easily and caught his fist. I pressed his arm into his chest so he couldn't attack me again. There was enough tension in him to break a rock. “You can either stay here and let these guys kill you, or you can take a shot with me. If I'm lying, you're dead either way, but if I'm not, then you may make it out of this.”

His breath was heaving and angry, but I felt his arms relax. “I don't trust you.” There a hint of defeat in his tone that almost made me forget who I was talking to.

“You don't have a choice.”

He leaned his head back against the wall, weighing his options, then after a moment he nodded.

I loosened my hold on his wrist and tried to get a plan together. I wasn't expecting him to be so defenseless. It was going to make getting out more complicated. The only thing I had going for me was my training. Failure was never an option. I had learned to be quick and think quicker. “Okay,” I said, “here's how this is going to work. You have to go wherever I lead you and you have to do
exactly
what I say, okay? No thinking and no second-guessing. I'm in charge here and we do this my way.”

He nodded hesitantly. “Yeah. Okay.”

“If I put you someplace, stay there.”

He rubbed his eyes and inhaled sharply. “Fine.”

“Good. Now, we need to move and we have a lot of stairs coming up.” I reached for him again, and this time he gripped my wrist. I led him up the stairs and he stumbled, catching himself on the railing with his free hand. I stopped him when we got to the top of the basement stairs and eased the door open. The two guards were still on the floor where I had left them, and the room was clear. I tried to pull him forward, but he wouldn't move. I glanced back and saw him choking the railing.

“Come on.” I tugged him. “We need to go.”

But he shook his head. “I can't—I don't—” Trust me. He still didn't trust me.

I tightened my hold on him, trying not to get frustrated. If our roles were reversed, I wouldn't have trusted him to get me this far. “You are my mission.” My tone was harsh and confident, leaving no room for doubt. “If nothing else, you know how seriously I take that.
I'm not going to leave you behind.”

He hesitated and dropped his head. I could see him struggling with all of this. “Promise?”

The uncertainty threw me, and it took me a moment to answer. “I promise,” I said. “Do you think you can keep up with me?”

He nodded more confidently than before.

“Okay. Then let's get out of here.” I pulled on his arm and he let go of the rail. This time he stayed with me, moving faster than I was expecting. I guided Scorpion around the guards and we hurried up the stairwell, with him faltering only a few times.

We made it to the third floor before we ran into any real problems. The door to the floor opened as we were coming up the steps below it. I stopped quickly and flattened Scorpion against the wall. He moved easily and had enough instincts to stay perfectly still. The door opened out, shielding us from the guard. I crept slowly up toward the opening door, letting go of Scorpion and pushing his chest so he'd stay put. He took the hint.

I got close to the door, and waited until the guy started to cross the threshold. Then I slammed it shut, trapping his head. He fell hard, and one of his friends came charging after us. He pushed a button on his radio and told the rest that he had found the intruder. I spun into the floor and ran down the hallway at him. He fired off a few shots. I opened one of the empty office doors and ducked behind it, pulling out my gun and shooting enough rounds to get him to back up. I leaned on my knees, feeling short of breath and more winded than I should have.

But I couldn't afford to wait. I grabbed one last gulp of air, then turned and ran back to the stairwell before he could get his
bearings. He would be right on our trail and there was still another guard to worry about. Plus, I'd left Scorpion alone longer than I would've liked.

I kicked the unconscious guard out of the way and hurried back to Scorpion. “Let's go,” I said, taking his arm. “They'll be right behind us.”

“Did you get hit?” he asked.

I was shocked he cared. “I'm fine.” I yanked him harder and we hustled up to the next floor. I pulled him down the hall and into one of the offices. I needed a minute—or even a second—to catch my breath. Everything was quiet.

“What's going on?” he asked. He kept his voice low.

“We just need to wait them out a minute,” I said.

“Did you get hit?” he asked, more forceful and serious.

“No.” I could barely get the word out.

“I don't have to see you to know you're having a hard time breathing.” He was getting angry.

“I'm
fine
.” But I wasn't. This had never happened to me in the field. “I only need a minute.”

He rubbed his eyes and I could tell he was getting frustrated with me. “You're lying.”

My breath started to catch up to me. “Remember how we said you weren't going to second-guess me?”

“You convinced me you had an actual shot at getting me out,” he said.

“You're in too deep to back out now,” I said. “They will kill you if you don't stick with me.”

His jaw flexed.

I stepped in front of him. “I'm
going
to get you out of here. Just
stay with me, okay?”

He took a moment before nodding.

I grasped his wrist again and led him out the office, down the hallway, then out the other end into the stairwell on the opposite side of the building. Then guided him back out the door and up the steps. We made it up only one floor—six from the roof—before we ran into more trouble. The guard who had shot at me earlier burst through the door with his gun out. I pushed Scorpion down, then grabbed the railing and windmilled my legs into the guard. It was enough to knock down his gun and stun him momentarily. I dropped back to the ground and grabbed the gun before he could get himself together. I quickly fired two shots, one into each thigh, which would be enough to stop him from getting to us. I pulled Scorpion up. He got on his feet quickly and latched on to my elbow.

I pushed my comm. “I need an immediate rooftop extraction! My location.”

I put a floor between us and the latest guard before I tugged Scorpion to a stop. He swiveled his head in my direction, his teary eyes as red as ever. “What is it? Did you get hit this time?”

“Stop asking that,” I said. “Listen. There's still one more guard and I don't know where he is. I want you in front of me. Can you handle the steps?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I've got the layout.”

“If I pull you down, don't fight me.”

“I won't.”

I nodded, but I still worried. I knew I only had his trust for a limited amount of time, and I was afraid it was running out.

I put him in front of me and pointed him toward the stairs,
keeping a hand on his back. He moved a little slower than when I was guiding him, but it was easier to protect him from behind. I'd either get hit or see the attack coming.

With every floor we passed I checked down the hallway, looking for the last guard. We had two floors to go when the door behind me popped open. I pulled Scorpion to the ground just as the guard got off three shots, all of which missed. I fired back and got Scorpion to his feet, pushing him up the stairs. He didn't need much encouragement. He pounded up the stairs at an impressive speed for someone who couldn't see. I fired a few rounds over my shoulder, keeping the guard at bay.

I grabbed a fistful of Scorpion's shirt and yanked him to a stop. “Watch. The door to the roof is right in front of you. Let me by and I'll get you out.”

He pressed himself against the wall. I opened the door and flung him outside right as the guard came running up the stairs, bullets flying. I tried to dive out of the way, but a bullet spiraled past me, grazing my forearm.

I took a sharp breath and sprinted out onto the roof. I slammed the door shut and shot a round into the keyhole as the helicopter landed.

I grabbed Scorpion's hand with my good arm and led him to the door. Another agent popped his head out. I pulled Scorpion back in front of me, put my hand on his back, and led him to the door. “Someone's going to help you onto the chopper, okay?”

He nodded. I held him steady as the new guy reached out.

“He can't see.” I had to yell over the noise.

The agent nodded and pulled him up. I jumped in the chopper after him and it was off the ground before the door shut.

I collapsed against the seat and the window, panting. I kept my distance as the three medics on board rallied around Scorpion. I was lucky that he trusted me enough to get him out, but I wasn't about to let myself believe that this would change anything.

After a few minutes my heart rate started to return to normal, but it was also when I started to realize how much I wanted Gerex. I breathed deep and rolled forward, resting my head on my knees. This was a trigger I never saw coming, and it was the strongest I ever had. But it made sense. Usually after a mission I was picked up by KATO and desperate for a hit. It was a combination of the last of my drug supply leaving my system and a reward for a job well done. Completing a mission meant getting a high.

“Agent Steely.” I looked up at the light-haired medic standing in front of me. “I need to look at your arm.”

I shook my head. “It's fine.” There was no way a field doctor who didn't know me or my history was coming near me with any kind of “standard treatment” drug.

He sighed heavily, exasperated. “Agent Steely, it's protocol.”

I was ready to unravel. “I don't care about protocol!”

The medic stepped back, wide-eyed and confused, but ready to challenge me.

I breathed through my nose, trying to keep my demons under control. I hated what I was about to say. “Tell Simmonds—tell someone to have Dr. March on standby.”