Night's Favour (57 page)

“Christ!”
 
Miles looked after them.
 
“Stop dropping shit.
 
That one almost hit me.
 
What do you mean, ‘No?’”

“I mean no.”
 
Carlisle looked at the landing number.
 
3.
 
Five floors to go.
 
“My father was in the military.
 
Loved all that stuff.”

“I’m not surprised.”
 
Miles had started up after them but his voice still sounded distant a couple of floor behind.

Carlisle ducked back from the railing as a salvo of fire rained down.
 
The bullets from above pocked the metal stairs.
 
She held her hands up over her head as bits of metal and concrete spat about them.
 
The guy almost had a bead on her, and she clambered up the stairs, falling to all fours as the bullets hit around her.
 
Carlisle felt a tug as a round pegged her vest —
too close, too damn close
— and she scrambled up faster.
 
She needed cover, had to get to a corner to get out of this shit storm coming down —

There was a twang close by, and the firing stopped.
 
Carlisle opened her eyes to see Kendrick pulling the crossbow’s bowstring back.
 
After a moment, a black clothed body fell tumbled past them down the stairwell.

“Jesus!”
 
Miles’ voice was still a little below them.
 
“Can you guys cool it for a second?”

“Not unless you want to die.”
 
Kendrick put a bolt in the crossbow.

Miles rounded the stairwell.
 
“Ok, fair enough.”

“What kept you?”
 
Kendrick eyed him up and down.

“Last minute shopping.
 
Let’s go.”
 
He patted his pocket.

“We were waiting for you.”
 
Kendrick nodded at Carlisle.
 
“You good?”

“Thanks.”
 
Carlisle checked the hole in her vest.
 
A little red was seeping through — the round had done more than hit the vest.
 
There wasn’t any pain, and she was damn sure there wasn’t enough time to take the vest off to check the damage.
 
It didn’t feel bad, not like the shot at the station.

Miles looked at her.
 
Was that genuine concern in his face?
 
“Did you get hit?
 
Look, you stay here —”

“And what?”
 
Carlisle gestured with her sidearm.
 
“My score’s a lot higher than yours.
 
You’re not doing a great job of convincing me you can handle yourself.”
 
She patted the number 4 on the stairwell door next to her.
 
“Four more floors, Miles.
 
You get four floors to catch up.”

He held out a hand to her.
 
“Fair enough.
 
But you’ll need to stand back.
 
Let me work my magic.”

Carlisle used his hand to get to her feet.
 
She swayed a bit, putting her hand on the wall.
 
“You know —”

“Save it.
 
See if you can keep up.”
 
He turned that smile on her again, but it was dimmed a shade by concern.
 
She wondered what he could see in her face.

“Really.
 
I’m fine.”
 
Carlisle stumbled, and Kendrick caught her.

“Sure.”
 
Miles nodded to Kendrick.
 
“I know what chicks mean when they use the word, ‘fine.’
 
It’s one of those words that doesn’t mean what you think it means.”
 
He hefted his rifle, then started up the stairs ahead of them.

Carlisle’s felt a burning from her side, like a road rash from a bike accident she’d had years ago.
 
Her hand came away sticky and red.
 
She switched her sidearm to her left hand as they climbed higher.

“How you holding —”
 
Whatever Miles was saying was lost in the confusion as a soldier walked out onto the stairwell in front of them.
 
The man was as surprised as they were.
 
No one moved for a couple of heart beats, then —

“Hey.”
 
Miles nodded at the man.
 
“Where’s the medic?”

“The what?”

“The medic.”
 
Miles’ tone was exasperated.
 
“We’ve got an injured man here.”
 
He pointed down at Carlisle and Kendrick.

“Uh —”

“Look.
 
What’s your name, son?”
 
Miles walked higher on the stairs to stand next to the other man.

“Uh —”

“Private Uh, is it?”

“No sir!”
 
The man snapped straight, clearly deciding that whomever Miles was, he knew what he was about, and that meant
officer
.
 
“Private Witherling, sir!”

“Witherling.”
 
Miles sniffed at the man’s name.
 
Carlisle could only watch, her pulse pounding in her temple, as Miles clapped the man on the shoulder.
 
“Witherling, we’ve got an injured man.”

“I’m not sure —”

“I haven’t finished.”
 
Miles stared the other man in the eye.
 
“Did I sound like I was finished?”

“No, sir.
 
I’m sorry, sir.
 
It’s just that —”

“Witherling.”

“Sir.”

“Witherling, I’d like you to do me a favour.”

“What’s that, sir?”

“I’d like you to look that woman in the eye, and tell her that she’s going to die.
 
Because if you keep standing there, she’s going to.
 
And it’ll be on you.”

“I — uh.”
 
They were standing quite close now, but Miles broke off, going to lean against the railing.
 
The other man followed him.
 
They both looked down over the edge.

“Tell me what you see down there.”

Witherling looked over the edge, then looked back at Miles.
 
“I“m not sure —”

“That’s right, private.
 
You’re not sure.
 
Which is a shame.
 
You seem a decent sort.”
 
Miles clapped the other man on the shoulder again, then gave a heave.
 
Witherling gave a startled yell, tumbling over the side.
 
Miles watched him fall for a few seconds, wincing at the thud that came from below.
 
“They’re not really very clever, these military types.”

Kendrick helped Carlisle climb higher.
 
“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

Carlisle winced.
 
“Yeah.
 
How do you do that?
 
Getting people to do, well, whatever.”

“Trademark secret.”
 
Miles tapped the side of his nose.

“No, really.
 
I need to know.”
 
Carlisle coughed.
 
“I’m probably going to die here, right?
 
Your secret is safe with me.”

“Right, fine.”
 
Miles gestured over the rail where the other man had gone.
 
“You just need to know you’re in control.”

“Like the voice of authority?”

“It’s not a voice, baby.”
 
Miles winked at her.
 
“You need to
know
.”

“Christ.”
 
Carlisle looked at the gun in her hand.
 
“I might just shoot you myself.”

They arrived at the level eight doorway.
 
Miles rattled it, but it was locked.
 
Carlisle waved with her gun.
 
“Let me blow the lock out.”

“Please.”
 
Miles looked down on her, then fished something out of his pocket.
 
He held up a key card.
 
“Last minute shopping, remember?”
 
He swiped the card over the lock, and the door beeped green and clicked.
 
He pulled it open a crack, then looked back at them.
 
“You guys ready for this?”

Kendrick’s arm was solid around her.
 
She felt the other woman nod; Carlisle nodded too.
 
“You still haven’t caught up.”

Miles’ hand was on the door.
 
“What?”

“Your score.
 
You only got one on the way up.”

“Oh come
on
.
 
Style points.”

“Style’s only good at the rodeo, Miles.”
 
Carlisle pushed Kendrick away, taking a few deep breaths.
 
“Stand back.
 
It’s probably best if I —”

“You can barely stand.”
 
Kendrick nodded at Miles.
 
“John or I should go first.”

“I’ll be fine.
 
I’m feeling much better.”
 
The lie was salty in Carlisle’s mouth.
 
But to hell with it if she was going to let civilians ahead of her.
 
It’s what the police were for.
 
She shouldered Miles aside, and walked into the lobby of level eight.
 
It was featureless, like the rest of the building.
 
Carlisle held up a hand.
 
“Quiet.”

“What is it?”
 
Miles was close behind her.

“Didn’t I just say quiet?”
 
Carlisle strained to her.
 
There — down that corridor.
 
She could hear voices, an argument breaking out.
 
She led the other two around a corner, and caught a glimpse of Everard.

“It’s —” said Kendrick.

Miles’ hand clamped over Kendrick’s mouth.
 
“
Shhhh,
”
 
he mouthed at her.
 
It was good thinking for a civilian — there wasn’t any need for anyone but them to know help was on the way.
 
It wouldn’t change what Everard was going to do — he was committed — and it would give them the element of surprise in whatever he was facing.

Carlisle nodded.
 
She picked up the pace.
 
Everard was standing in the doorway ahead of them.
 
Carlisle heard him say, “Not today,”
 
before walking into the room.
 
She broke into a jog, rounding the corner moments behind him.
 
Her gun was up ahead of her, pointing into the room.

She saw two girls — one of them was Adalia, locked into a crazy metal chair, the other on the ground.
 
A older woman was standing by a man on the ground, his back at a crazy angle.
 
And Everard, who was locked in a wrestle with Volk.
 
A surgical table was on the ground.

“Freeze!”
 
She pointed her sidearm at Volk, but couldn’t get a clear shot.
 
Neither Volk nor Everard paid her the slightest attention.

Kendrick rushed behind her to Adalia, trying to free her from a chair.
 
Miles moved to help her.
 
They were struggling with the clamps on it.
 
Carlisle looked at her sidearm, then back to Volk and Everard.
 
The bluff would need to be good.

“You want a silver round in the head?
 
I said, freeze!”
 
Carlisle shouted it this time, then pointed her sidearm at the roof and fired a round.
 
Neither Volk nor Everard looked at her, but they stopped moving.
 
“That’s right.
 
Silver.
 
Got your attention?”

The girl on the ground got up and moved to help Kendrick and Miles.
 
Kendrick eyed the other girl, but Adalia said something to her mother and she moved aside, letting the girl help.
 
Kendrick’s attention seemed to be pulled towards Volk.

“Detective Carlisle?”
 
It was the woman.
 
“I’m Elsie Morgan.”

“Ms. Morgan?
 
You’re under arrest.”
 
Carlisle didn’t look away from Volk.
 
“And you.
 
Asshole.
 
Step the fuck away.
 
Over there.”
 
She waved her gun at the wall furthest from Adalia.

Volk showed his teeth.
 
Was that a smile?
 
“Of course.
 
There will be another time.”

Carlisle was sure that Volk wasn’t speaking to her.
 
Everard spoke up.
 
“Another time.”
 
They stepped away from each other, walking a step at a time backward.
 
Like dogs, circling each other.
 
Not dogs, she corrected herself —
wolves
.

“You too.
 
Move the fuck over there.”
 
Carlisle nodded at Morgan.
 
“Next to the big man.”

Volk leered at Elsie.
 
“Is good.
 
We can continue conversation,
da
?”

Carlisle nodded to herself.
 
It was good partitioning.
 
Dead guy on the floor — he wasn’t bothering anybody.
 
Morgan and Volk —
the bad guys
— over by the other wall.
 
Her friends behind her.
 
And she was guarding the door.
 
It’d do for a rush job.

“There, honey.”
 
Miles spoke from behind her.
 
“What the hell do these needles do?
 
I’ve pulled the drip out of Adalia’s arm, but —”