| |
––––––––
“STOP! THIEF!” THE CRY rang out, somehow loud enough to be heard over the music.
I turned to look and saw Vinny’s men charging toward us, guns drawn. The kids who were dancing didn’t notice at first, but when the goon squad pushed a few of them aside and the dancers got a look at the weapons, panic ensued.
People started screaming and running for the exits, giving Theo and me plenty of cover. I stuffed the phone back into my waistband and ducked behind a teenager who was flailing her arms.
A shot rang out, and I realized that I couldn’t use the innocent partygoers as human shields. It was up to me to contain the violence that I’d started. I wouldn’t feel right getting information at the cost of some kid’s life.
Running toward the gunmen, instead of away, I barely noticed what Theo was doing. I reached the first guy just in time to push his pistol toward the ceiling. The gun went off again, sending a rain of plaster down from the rafters.
I elbowed the man in the ribs, twirling around to kick him in the back of the knee without hesitation. Just as I’d hoped, he crumpled to the floor, releasing his hold on the gun. I picked it up, emptied the clip, and tossed the weapon. One down, three to go.
The music came screeching to a halt as the DJ panicked. I knew we had precious few minutes until the police showed up. Nightclub shootings were big news, and no one would believe it wasn’t a random act of violence. The authorities would respond as if we were all terrorists and lock the building down. I had to get out, and I didn’t care if Theo came with me or not.
It was hard to figure out where the next attack would come from. There were still dozens of scared partygoers running around with their hands over their heads. From a few feet away, I saw Theo fighting with a gigantic man in a red track suit.
The man swung, and Theo ducked. Then Theo came back with a strong uppercut to the chin, dropping the behemoth on his back. Our eyes locked, and I gave him a quick smile. I was impressed. I had been impressed over two years ago when we fought in Casablanca, and I had been impressed in the hotel room when he managed to disentangle himself from my death grip. But I didn’t know he could take on someone so big with just one shot.
“Look out!” Theo shouted, pointing behind me.
I whirled, finding another creatin with his gun pointed at me. Before I even heard the shot, I ducked, sliding toward the man and reaching out to punch him in the groin. He tipped over just as his finger squeezed the trigger, firing helplessly at the floor.
I popped back up, kneeing him in the face and sending him down for the count. Theo finished off the final bodyguard, and we were left alone, panting with exertion. I glanced over, and we shared a moment. That must have been what it was like to have someone watch your back. It was an odd feeling and not altogether unwanted.
But before we could celebrate, we had to get out if we didn’t want to get caught up in the middle of a domestic crime investigation. I pulled Vinny’s phone out of my waistband and searched for my clutch. It lay a few feet away from me where I had dropped it in the battle. Dropping to the ground, I hunted around inside, searching for the tiny device that would transfer the data.
“We have to go,” Theo said, reaching for my arm.
I waved him away, focused on my task. I shoved the transmitter into the phone port and slid the phone open to the loading screen. I didn’t need Vinny’s password; I just had to keep the device on for a moment. A white light blinked to signal success, and I pulled the transmitter out again, stuffing it into my purse.
“Come on, you’re wasting time,” Theo argued, urging me toward the front door.
“This isn’t amateur hour,” I snapped. “You can’t go out the front.”
“The police aren’t here yet, but they will be soon,” Theo tried to explain.
I pulled my wig off, striding toward the back where the bathrooms were. “Then we’d better go,” I said.
He followed me, apparently deciding that I had the better idea. I wasn’t done yet, though. I dumped the wig in a trashcan, shaking out my natural red hair. I dumped Vinny’s cell phone into the trash and lit the thing on fire with an airplane bottle of vodka and a match. The miniature explosion caught him off guard, and he jumped, looking adorable.
“What did you do that for?” he snapped.
“Fingerprints,” I said. “Come on.”
I walked straight into the ladies’ room, holding the door open for him to follow. He was remarkably slow for a person who had just proven he could take down a small army. I hurried to the window, yanked it open, and hoisted myself up onto the sill. Giving him a wide smile, I dropped down to the alley below and began to run.
