Page 70 of Love Undercover
Once he was sure the man was down for good, Chase glanced up the wall toward the window. Gauging the distance to the end of the ladder, he felt along the concrete for any divots or spots where he might find foot or handholds, anything to help him in the process. He was surprised to find even rows of brick protruded about half an inch every few feet all the way up. He had that sense again that something was working in his favor.
Chase sucked in a breath and held it, backing up to get some momentum. He glanced behind and around, just in case there was another guard he hadn’t picked up on, then set off at a run.
His toe landed on the lip of the row of protruding bricks, and his fingers brushed the bottom rung but didn’t land. Slamming back to the ground sent a flash of agony through his ribs. He worked hard to release the tension that coiled his body in response to the pain. He straightened and backed up again, ignoring the radiating ache.
The longer this took, the higher the chance he’d get caught.
His eyes swung more wildly along the length of the wall as he geared up and let loose from farther back. Thethwongthat rang out when his hand slapped against the metal rung vibrated through him. He gritted his teeth as he whipped his other hand up to wrap it around the metal. His toes scrabbled against the concrete as he hoisted himself up, grabbing the next rung so he could get his foot on the bottom. Once he was settled, he took a steadying breath, setting his sights on that window.
One hand over the other, one step after another, he made his way up the ladder as quietly as he could manage. Slow and steady. He hated how long it was taking him to climb, but hedidn’t want to alert someone he was there by making a lot of noise. It didn’t help that his body was working against him after the abuse it had suffered earlier in the day. He figured he could afford the time it would take him to be cautious.
It was still a few minutes until he was expected, and the window drew closer and closer.
When his fingers touched the ledge, he felt like he could take a full breath, though he was huffing and puffing from the effort of climbing. At first, he thought the glass was just dusty, making it hard to see in. But then he realized it was a dark room. Mercifully empty. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about someone spotting him climbing in through the window.
29
The Ten Lives of Sadie Powell
Cold concrete bit at Sadie’s back as she crouched in the corner, on edge in the small, empty room. Especially with the way Santiago was prowling, the gun he held hanging loosely at his side. He was agitated—odd when he was usually so cool and collected. It must have been because of Chase. But he was the one who’d lured Chase here, using her life as a bargaining chip.
The one naked bulb that illuminated the room carved deeper shadows below Santiago’s high cheekbones as his dark eyes slid to her repeatedly, and her own nerves jumped endlessly, electric shocks that fired throughout her entire body. It was torture to stay still. But her worry about Santiago’s jitters made her as cautious as a cat on its ninth life. She didn’t want to set him off accidentally, and so she kept herself motionless.
And because she didn’t know Chase’s plan, she didn’t know what would be helpful for him. She felt like the student who gotlost on a field trip once. She’d explained to him that staying put and waiting was safer than wandering around to find the rest of the class. It was easier to hit a stationary target than a moving one. Still, she wished she could dosomething.
It was odd that Travers was the only one of them who wasn’t bothered. He was so still in the corner of the room that she could easily forget he was there.
If only.
The closer they got to the time they’d set for Chase to arrive, the less attention Travers paid her, which was a small blessing. Maybe his stillness wasn’t a good thing, though. Not being able to know wound her nerves back up.
And then she heard it. A faint, almost imperceptible thud. Like a sack of flour falling onto the floor from the pantry.
Santiago heard it too because his prowling stopped abruptly, every one of his muscles tightening. His head cocked to the side. Her heartbeat stuttered when they heard a man’s shout.
It wasn’t Chase’s voice, though. She could never picture him shouting, anyway. But who was it, and why?
She flinched when Santiago took a step toward her, eyes pinning her in place, jaw shifting forward.
Was it possible for a cat to have a tenth life?
30
A Knife in the Dark
There was a gap between the ladder and the ledge of the window, and Chase thought about using the butt of his gun to break the glass. Then he decided against it because of the noise.
He scooted to the edge of the ladder, keeping a firm hold of the side rail, stretching toward the window. He felt around the edges, looking for some kind of emergency release latch. Once he found it, he struggled to get it to budge because of the angle.
Finally, it shifted, making ashlunksound that had him holding his breath as if that would keep someone from hearing it. He waited a beat in case anyone came rushing in to investigate then pushed the window open when no one did. With it swung wide, he could make out the size of the room, if only vaguely. There wasn’t much to look at, though. A few pieces of furniture, but it looked largely unused.
He sat on the ledge and flipped over, dropping onto his belly to dangle his legs. The floor was a bit of a drop, and he’d have to be careful not to break an ankle or make any noise.
He slowly lowered himself until he held the ledge just by his fingertips, face twisting with the effort of holding his own weight. He reminded himself to do more rock climbing when all this was over.
But he hadn’t signed up for the CIA, and this was some CIA shit if he’d ever seen it. He’d signed up with the wrong agency. They were the sneaky bastards. Had better gadgets, too.
On his next exhale, his fingers released the edge. His feet hit the ground, and he rolled with the impact, swallowing back the grunt as his bruised-possibly-broken ribs screamed at him again.
