Page 114 of Forging Caine

“Who’s up there?” asked the guard at the same moment the door closed and I heard the pop of the gun drawing from his holster. Until he’d climbed at least two steps, he wouldn’t see us huddled against the wall.

Which one of us should respond? Who’d be the least likely to arouse any suspicion? Unfortunately, that would be Cam-ron, but there was no way he was up to the task.

Samantha poured every ounce of innocence she could muster into her voice. “Me! Samantha Caine! I’m a guest!”

“Come down where I can see you!”

“Um, yes, sir.” She slipped out of my grasp, sliding her fingers down my arm as she stepped gingerly around Cam-ron. “I heard a ruckus and got scared.”

The guard’s voice rose. “I said get down here!”

When she rounded the landing, her hands shot up over her head, and she froze. “Oh god. Is something going on?”

“Here! Down here!”

“Oh—Okay.” She added a shake to her hands, which may have been genuine, but not likely. She was in control, eyes flicking between the step to the guard. “Two guys just went running past my—”

Jason’s voice cut her off. “What are you doing?”

The guard said, “There’s someone—”

Samantha ran down the rest of the stairs and grunts replaced words. I bolted off the wall to the railing, running down the stairs, past Cam-ron with my eyes on the three people. Samantha had the gun, blood streamed from the guard’s nose, and Jason had him in a headlock.

He was late, but he was there, and just in time.

“What happened?” I asked.

Jason released the guard’s head, switching to hold him under the arms, and dragged him into the stairwell. “I thought I had the other guy out cold, but apparently not. He saw me coming, so we’re out of time.”

“Get Cam-ron.” Samantha pulled back the gun's slide and released the magazine to check it, then tucked it into the back of her pants.

I hurried up the stairs, where Cam-ron still had his head down. “Come on.”

He looked up at me, clutching the sides of his face. “Maybe I should go get that lucky paint brush after all?”

I grabbed one of his arms and forced him up. “I’ll buy you a new one when we get out of this.”

“I’m not ready to die.”

“None of us are. Believe you’ll make it, so you can fight as hard as you need to.” I hauled him down the stairs.

“It’s off.” Samantha tossed a black shape at me. The guard’s stun gun in a belt-clip holster.

For once, I didn’t decline the weapon and attached it to my waistband.

Jason pointed through the glass in the door toward the rowboat by the pond. “Straight past there until we get to the fence. Antonio first—”

“No, Samantha first.”

“Shut up, Ferraro.” Jason’s jaw clenched. “You take the lead, then Samantha and Cam-ron, then me.”

Another voice came over Jason’s radio. “It was Jason. Where is he?”

“Alright, everyone.” Jason pushed open the door. “Now run.”

Chapter 40

Samantha

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