Page 125 of Coup De Grâce
I took a whole two steps before bullets ricocheted off the ground just feet from where I stood. I ran for cover as the gunfire continued, eating up the rooftop behind me. I ducked behind a concrete barrier, pulling my own weapon.
“This is not the way this was supposed to go,” I gritted out.
Fucking hell, we were going to have the entire Secret Service bearing down on us.
Correction, on me.
Taking a deep breath, I looked around the corner, spying the sniper on the opposite roof. Fucking hell, they were surrounding us. Backups, in case one of them failed.
I hadn’t intended on using my gun, wanting to keep our movements as hidden as possible, but that was no longer an option. If only I had Sally right now. Taking a shot from this distance with a handgun was unlikely to produce the results I wanted, but I had to try.
I had minutes at best before Secret Service was up here, hauling my ass to prison, and then it would be too late. It was now or never.
I shot up, firing my entire magazine toward the sniper on the opposite roof. He quickly ducked, falling out of my line of sight. I was effectively pinned down, with no way to take him out, and no way to get to Iron, who had a direct line to the president.
But as long as the Secret Service kept the president tucked away, they couldn’t take the shot, and at least this mission would be successful. Not that it would stop the Shadow Government. They would just try again after they were released from custody. Their pull was that strong.
Taking a deep breath, I shot out of my spot, racing across the rooftop toward the sniper on my roof. My feet ate up the ground, closing the distance just as he was lining up a shot. Was it possible the Secret Service hadn’t heard the shots?
Fuck, we were so high up, it was altogether possible. I hit the ground hard as a bullet pierced my leg, sending agonizing waves of pain through my knee. But I rolled and got to my feet, pushing through to get to Iron.
With all the strength left in my body, I flung myself at him, wrapping my arm around his neck and jerking him away from his rifle just as his finger slid over the trigger. He threw his elbow back, catching me in the jaw, but I clung to him, wrapping my leg around his body and holding him in place.
His arm flailed, trying desperately to knock me away as I cut off his air supply and held his body in place as I strangled the life from him. His other hand flashed to his side, gripping a knife. But I didn’t dare move. If I loosened my grip, he would break my hold and escape.
The knife slashed out at me, catching me in the upper thigh of my good leg, but it wasn’t enough. He was fading fast, with not enough air to keep him going. Gritting my teeth, I twisted hard, snapping his neck.
His body went limp in my arms, and the knife clattered to the ground. Breathing hard, I stayed where I was. Some part of me couldn’t believe I had really killed him, that it was over. So, I held on, refusing to believe that the man was really dead.
Shoving him aside, I laid there, breathing hard as I stared up at the sky. He was dead. I scooted over to the edge of the building, grabbing the scope from the rifle. The rally was still going on down below, but that was no surprise. This building was so fucking high, they hadn’t heard a thing.
The president was waving his hand as he spoke to the crowd. He was alive.
Sighing, I turned and rested back against the wall. I had done it. Against all fucking odds, I had done it. Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I dialed Rae’s number.
“Is it done?” she asked without preamble.
“It is,” I breathed. “What about the other teams?”
“Lock took out…Lock. But Watch is still missing.”
“Keep looking. He’s got to be around here somewhere. Have you heard from Knight?”
“He’s headed toward you now.”
I glanced around, wondering where the fuck he was, when I saw a helicopter rise in the sky with Scottie at the controls, saluting me. Then I saw Fox.
“Who the hell let Fox in the helicopter?”
“I’m not sure anyone lets Fox do anything, boss.”
“I thought you said we couldn’t get clearance,” I snapped.
“Boss, it’s like you’re trying to find a reason that you shouldn’t have made that jump. You were fantastic, by the way.”
“Thanks a lot,” I grumbled.
I hung up, shoving to my feet with a wince just as Knight jumped out of the helicopter, followed closely by Fox. Blood dripped down my leg, but considering all that happened, I was in pretty good shape.
