Page 97 of Blackstone's Heart
Krista ran behind Lance, her heart pounding as the screams followed down the hall. The two burst through the fire door and Lance all but threw her into one of the armored black SUV's that Blackout used. In five seconds flat Lance was speeding off into the late afternoon sun.
"It was him wasn't it?" Krista demanded.
"I don't know. I only had one job. Get you the hell out." Lance gritted as he dodged in and out of traffic.
"Ethan..."
"He's the one who gave me the order Krista. He made me promise if anything happened I was to get you and get you out. We're heading to his house and we'll wait there for him."
Krista closed her eyes and nodded. She was scared, but not just for her. She feared this guy hurting Ethan. She kept her eyes closed the entire fifteen-minute drive from Capitol back to Ethan's house. Lance ushered her quickly inside where Krista set the alarm again. As she stood in the middle of the front entryway, Lance methodically moved through the house pulling the curtains closed on all the windows and checking every door and window. When he returned to her he told her the house was secure.
"I'm gonna go up and change. I think there's still some leftover pizza in the fridge." She said.
"I'm good. You go on get changed. I'll be in the living room." Lance stated, holstering his weapon.
Krista said nothing and headed upstairs. This was the first time she had seen Lance so focused on something. She now understood another reason why he was called Hawkeye. Hawkeye, at least in the latest Avengers movies, was cold and calculating during battle. Walking into the bedroom, she stripped and headed right for the shower.
She turned the water on as hot as she could stand it. Just as the steam began billowing out of the shower and filling the bathroom, she stepped under the pulsing water. Despite the scalding heat, her body still felt ice cold. Krista hugged her midsection as her body was racked with shakes. In the privacy of the shower, she let herself give in to the fear that was consuming her in that moment.
***
When she came back downstairs fifteen minutes later it was to find Lance pacing and talking on the phone. "Fuck. Was anyone hurt?"
Krista dropped onto the sofa watching Lance.
"Thank hell for that. Any idea where he headed? Okay. Yeah. Already done boss. Okay, we'll sit tight and wait for you." Lance said then hung up and faced her.
"What's happened?" Krista demanded.
"Ethan says after I got you out they chased him. Fucker got in a car and took off. The guys followed but lost him on I-35. Tony thinks they might have caught him on camera so their grabbing the footage and heading to Blackout. Ethan wants us to just sit tight. Those two Feds are with them." Lance reported.
"I always hated waiting." Krista grumbled. She stood up. "Well, since we're stuck here, I'm gonna grab my holster and gun then I'm making cookies."
Lance lifted a brow. "Cookies?"
"What can I say. When my mom worries she bakes. I do the same thing." She shrugged and headed back upstairs.
***
Ethan was pacing the tech room like a caged animal. Tony and Grant were sitting at one of the consoles scouring the footage from the book reveal. Gage was in the lab with Jimmy examining one of the bullet casings they found. Cain was on the phone talking to his own lab geeks. That left Ethan with nothing else to do but wait. God he hated waiting.
"Stop! There, camera 3." Tony cried out.
Ethan looked up and hurried over as Grant brought up camera three on the big screen. That camera had been facing Krista from her left side. Ethan frowned. "Why the hell would he position himself there? He’d have to push through all those people to get to the exit."
"True that. Stupid on his part, but lucky for us maybe. Okay, let's slow it down Grant." Tony said.
"Okay, there he is. See, behind those three ladies. Can't see his face really, because of the ladies." Grant pointed out.
Ethan studied the screen. He watched as the man slipped a hand into the jacket he wore. What chilled Ethan was the look in the man's hazel eyes. They were void of all emotion and he was looking right at Krista. Just then a sense of recognition hit Ethan. Frowning more, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew that man. But from where.
"Okay, we'll go frame by frame." Tony mumbled.
"What have you got?" Cain asked moving to Ethan's side looking at the screen.
"Tony think's we got him. Can't see his face really except his eyes because of the ladies in front of him." Ethan answered.
"Damn, the fucker's eyes look dead. Like the lights are on but no one's home." Cain hissed.
