Christ, she thought. Listen to me. Since when did I decide to take on these kind of responsibilities? Was it since she’d started running with Matt Drake and his team, each member’s deep sense of accountability to the crew rubbing off on her? Was it since the man she thought she might love died in a wild, legendary battle on a windswept bridge late at night? Harleys and Ducatis versus cars and machine guns. Or had this quality been merely overlooked ever since she returned home to save her mother from her father’s bruising hands only to find the two of them dead, her mother from an overdose and her father from alcohol poisoning four months earlier.
Caitlyn smiled at her, fresh face lighting up and reminding her uncomfortably of Healey’s. “Almost done.”
Alicia just thought, Shit, I’m a fucking child minder here.
Russo rose to his feet, mumbling about turning in to get some sleep. Maybe the mountain was having similar thoughts to her. Crouch was riveted to his laptop whilst following Healey’s hastily scribbled notes about the codex. The poem had been jotted down along with the calendar that the elders had translated from the original text. Crouch was trying to make sense of it all and, judging by the set of his shoulders, not doing too well. Cruz was seated alongside, reminding him about the numerous Aztec inscriptions found in several areas of North America.
A voice at her shoulder snapped her attention around. “I thought those guys might’ve jumped us again,” Lex said with a malicious little grin. “Y’know, when we were on the road. Was hoping for it actually.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Alicia told him. “Coker’s boss is the real danger here. There’s plenty of action to come before we ride home holding the winner’s trophy aloft.”
As if in corroboration of her statement the entire front window of their rented ground floor apartment lit up. It was a picture window, wide and arguably vulnerable, but equipped with remote control smart glass that turned opaque or transparent blue at the touch of a button. Thus, the team had turned up the juice and considered it safe. Now, Healey’s squawk wailed through the various walkie-talkie handsets discarded around the room.
“Christ, they’re coming in hard and tooled up. Get the hell outta there!”
Alicia responded without a moment’s pause. Her lifestyle demanded that she be ready to react instantly at any time of the day. Before anyone moved Alicia was already racing over to snatch up her weapon and motioning people toward the rear door.
“Get down!” Healey hissed through the new comms. “Get down now!”
Alert and fired up, the team dived headlong, Caitlyn the only one that looked a little ungainly. Instantly the entire picture window exploded behind them, gunfire ripping it to bits. Glass chunks scythed through the air, embedding deep into furniture and appliances, and cascading down from the wide frame in a razor-edged torrent. Alicia swiveled on the floor and fired between her heels, a spray and pray, hoping the return fire might slow their enemy’s advance. Healey was tracking them and screaming through the comms.
“Climbing outta four big trucks. Semi-autos and handguns everywhere, no attempt at concealment. I don’t see Coker. These guys look and act like pros, not like the goons we fought before… ”
As Healey provided the running commentary, Alicia urged her team to crawl forward. Crouch and Cruz were in front, using elbows and knees to slide along the polished floor in the direction of the kitchen. Caitlyn came next, barely moving, her head almost buried into the laminate.
Alicia scooted next to her. “Grab my arm,” she hissed. “Now.”
As soon as the young woman reached out, Alicia took hold of her elbow and dragged her across the floor. The two slithered fast, smashing into a set of chair legs, but staying low as another salvo of bullets raked the air. Alicia heard the girl whimper.
“You’re gonna be okay,” she said a little prematurely. “Don’t worry. It’s the map they want not you.”
Despite the reassurance Caitlyn barely looked up. Alicia’s mind turned to how well the analyst might be able to cope with the forthcoming mission and wondered if Crouch may have made another mistake. Carefully, she placed a hand on Caitlyn’s blond hair.
“I’ll look after you,” she said, hardly believing her own words and the inherent responsibility in them. “Stick with me.”
She’d refrained from saying trust me. Because that was inviting disaster and just never worked out.
Russo took his turn to lace the air with lead. Through the shattered glass Alicia could now make out three sets of large round headlights, all blazing on full beam and clearly illuminating the apartment’s interior. Crouch was already at the kitchen, Cruz a quick shuffle behind. Lex was next. Alicia hauled Caitlyn along whilst firing backward and keeping an eye to their flanks. Their prospects weren’t good.
“Healey.” She tapped her comms. “Make sure you keep our right side clear. We’ll be coming fast.”
“Already on it.”
Alicia dragged her charge again, but now Caitlyn was helping and moving under her own steam. As they passed Crouch’s laptop still open and switched on atop the table — and miraculously untouched — Alicia noted that Crouch had already pocketed their interpretations of the Aztec poem along with whatever their boss had been working on.
Great move.
As if in response, the laptop suddenly whirled and danced under fire and blew apart. Alicia saw a shadow cross one of the headlights. Bad mistake. She squeezed her trigger and heard a gratifying scream. When an enemy started taking casualties it always slowed them down — assuming they were relatively sane that was.
Russo scuttled behind her, now the last man. Alicia took the opportunity to help Caitlyn along, practically flinging her into the kitchen. Crouch had upended the tall refrigerator and pulled out the oven, and was now standing over it.
“What?” Alicia stared. “You cooking bacon and eggs? You really think that’ll help slow ‘em down?”
“No,” Crouch answered quietly. “I’m turning it on and disengaging the gas pipe. Even the smell should make them think twice.”
Cruz was approaching the back door. Alicia yelled, “Wait!” and contacted Healey.
“Where are you?”
“Out back. I can see Cruz, the idiot. Go now. The coast is clear.”
“Move!”
Alicia leaped forward, guiding Caitlyn by the arm. Bullets again slammed into the walls behind them and now came the crunch of broken glass as booted men stepped over the devastated sill. Bloodthirsty shouts followed them.
Alicia stepped it up. Russo breathed down her neck. Cruz slammed open the rear door and dashed out into the dark, closely followed by Crouch with pistol drawn and poised. Lex came next, moving like a TV caricature of a special-forces soldier, and then she cradled Caitlyn through the door.
Cool air greeted her. The apartment’s rear was a small grassy yard, bounded on two sides by a scraggly hedge and open to the back. A short wall and rusted gate led to a narrow alley. Healey was already beckoning them toward it.
“Keep it moving, guys. I have no eyes to your right.”
Cruz raced straight for the young soldier. Crouch angled right, staying low. Two pops from his handgun told Alicia the enemy were too close. And why the hell weren’t police sirens braying at the night skies? In any other country the cops would be all over this by now. But here in Mexico City… business as usual, she imagined.