Page 88 of Silk Shadow

Just in case.

Apart from the streetlamps and the lights above the front entrance, the road was in darkness. He walked up and down outside the building, but there was nobody around. The park opposite seemed deserted too.

Then he heard a low moan.

"I've got something," he hissed into the receiver, before jumping over the low fence that surrounded the park. "Hello?"

"What is it?" Pat asked urgently in his ear. "Do you need backup?"

Viper saw boots sticking out of a nearby bush. He rushed over and bent down. The police officer was lying on his back, moaning.

"Man down. Man down," said Viper urgently. "The officer has been shot. Gunshot wound to the stomach. He’s in the park. Alive, but only just."

"I'll send the paramedics," Pat barked. "What about Izzy?"

Viper heard the worry in his voice. "I'm going to check on her now.”

He raced back across the road and leaped up the front steps to the building. The front doors were locked, so he pounded on the glass.

Where the hell was Lewis?

Then he saw the pool of blood on the marble floor, and he went cold.

Fuck.

If Lewis was injured, possibly dead, what did that mean for Izzy? He pushed her buzzer, but there was no response. Heart pounding, he pressed every buzzer on the pad.

Come on. Somebody let me in.

Nothing.

The intruders must have disconnected the intercom system. There was no time to waste. Viper aimed his gun at the lock and blew a hole in it.

The sound reverberated around the building. Viper kicked the door open and dashed inside. Lewis was lying behind the front desk, pressing down on a bullet hole in his leg, trying to stem the bleeding. His face was ashen.

"They went up to her apartment," he rasped.

"How long?" Viper demanded, running past. He wished he could stop and help the concierge, but… Izzy.

"Ten minutes ago."

"Help is coming," Viper called, heading for the stairwell. "Keep pressure on that wound." He took the stairs two at a time and ran all the way up.

If they'd hurt her...

He couldn't bear to think about that.

Shit! Why hadn't he seen this sooner? He ought to have realized.

He’d been so stupid. It had been staring them in the face all the time. Izzy had said as much herself.

He’d lose everything if I sold out.

Then on the yacht: I wanted to take it to the next level.

It was only after seeing that program that he'd put two and two together. He didn't bother ringing the bell, he simply shot out the lock and kicked the door open. His replacement was lying unconscious on the kitchen floor, a nasty gash at the back of his head. Viper bent down to feel his pulse. He was alive.

"Izzy!" he shouted.

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