Page 33 of Call Sign: King
“I’m calling our contact at the Toronto Police Department. We need to get some friendlies in there to help us hold back the media. The second fire and ambulances roll up, all hell’s gonna break loose out front,” Torch reported.
Ryder couldn’t give a shit about the media. This was all their fault. If only they’d left him and his Queen alone, none of this would have happened.
Yet even though that was true, guilt and shame invaded, calling him a liar. This was his fault. His enemies were responsible. He may not know which one yet, but he would find out and when he did, they were going to pay with their life, but only after he put them through the pain and torture they had earned.
Axel broke in with an update. “Confirming Queen movement at the north end of the building, so be ready,” Axel said. “This bastard has already done something no one else has ever done. He’s already hit three of our men.”
“Roger that,” Arrow called.
“MacGyver on foot entering north stairs, fourteenth floor. They went this way. There’s a trail of blood on the floor going down the stairs.”
Blood.
Please don’t be Khloe’s.
Slamming his foot to the gas harder, Ryder ran through a red light while honking his horn, unwilling to delay even a second.
“Location update!” he shouted into his Bluetooth, hating that he couldn’t be watching the tracker himself while he drove.
“Still in the stairwell,” Axel added.
“Arrow on the second floor.”
“MacGyver on the tenth floor.”
The sound of a slamming door in the distance was followed by an out of breath update from Arrow. “Looks like suspect exited stairwell on fifth floor. Someone plugged him. He’s bleeding heavy enough to leave blood on the doorknob.”
“Or that’s Khloe’s blood!” Ryder shouted.
“She wouldn’t be opening doors to help him,” Axel reasoned with an insane calmness Ryder envied.
Come on, fight him, baby.
“Arrow has eyes on suspect,” she called shouting and out of breath as she ran. “The Queen is thrown over his shoulder. He’s running. Looks like he tied her with ropes, but I see movement. She’s conscious. Taking a shot.”
The words ‘don’t shoot Khloe’ almost came out of his mouth, but then he remembered it was Arrow, their sniper. The best shot on the team. If anyone could thread a bullet through the asshole’s heart without hitting the Queen, it was Arrow.
“Shit. Went for a leg shot to make target fall. Grazed him, but he just ducked into a housekeeping closet. I think I’ve got him cornered.”
“Wait for backup,” Axel ordered. “MacGyver will be there in one minute or less.”
It took all of Ryder’s self-control not to override that decision. Leaving Khloe with her kidnapper for even one more second felt wrong, but they already had four people down, including Ricky.
Let them play it by the book.
He heard police sirens and glanced in his rearview mirror to find a cruiser chasing him down. There was no way he was taking the time to stop now.
“I have a city cop trying to pull me over. Call it in to their dispatch and let them know to follow me to the Hyatt.”
“Roger that. Torch on it. I’ve also called my team in to suit up. Thunder is prepping the plane, Gopher is loading it with our ‘go’ pallet, and we’ll be ready to lift off if needed within fifteen minutes.”
God, Ryder prayed they wouldn’t need Torch and his team. That would only happen if the asshole managed to get out of the hotel with his Queen and that better not happen.
“MacGyver on five with Arrow. We’re going in.”
“Keep your mic open,” Axel added.
The crackling sound of the open comms link was deceivingly quiet for a few long seconds. Ryder held his breath as he screeched the tires rounding a city corner at thirty miles per hour.
