I press myself against the left hand wall and peer round the corner. I see a group of five men standing in the middle of the main warehouse floor, but I’m too far away to make out any features. From the outlines, I’m pretty sure none of them are Pellaggio or Manhattan.
I can probably get the drop on them and take them out with minimal fuss, but this isn’t my first rodeo. A full frontal assault is time-consuming and noisy. Yes, I’ll inevitably dispose of those five, but I leave myself open to the four guys I’ve not found yet — who are likely further down this corridor. The first sign of noise, they’ll flank me and I’ll be dead. I’ll save them for last, when there’s no one to help them.
I carry on down the corridor ahead of me, quickly crossing over the gap ensuring I remain unseen. Just ahead of me, I can hear voices. I pause halfway and drop to one knee, raising my rifle. The door on my left is slightly open, a bright, fluorescent light shines out the narrow gap. I listen closely…
“Get the hell off me!” says a woman’s voice.
That’s definitely Chambers.
My jaw muscles tighten and I go short of breath as I feel my anger start to rise. While there’s always an exception to every rule, I still generally don’t condone violence against women. If they’re trying to kill you, then fair enough. But you don’t hurt them just for the sake of it.
I hear Manhattan talking to Pellaggio.
“Danny, stay focused. You can have your fun when all this is over, but for now… we all carry on as planned. Understand?”
“Yeah, I understand, Jimmy. But Adrian and this FBI bitch stay here. I’ve got big plans for them when we’re done with this city.”
That doesn’t sound too promising…
I have to avoid firing my gun until I’m ready to engage the large group on the main floor. I’ll be a sitting duck if they decide to come running right now. But at the same time, I have to get in there and rescue Chambers. With Manhattan and Pellaggio in the same room, I can’t pass up the opportunity to take them both out and put an end to all this. Rushing in there is a stupid plan, and it'll likely end up with either Chambers or me being killed… or both of us.
Think, Adrian — think!
If only I could ring Josh…
Well, I can’t, so I’ll just stick with what I know… fuck it.
I stand and kick the door open.
In my mind, the entire scene slows down. I scan the room, which looks identical to the one I woke up in — even down to the desk and wooden chair, which Chambers is sitting on. She has her back to me. Manhattan and Pellaggio are standing behind the desk in front of her. Both are unarmed. To the right as I enter, there’s one of the minions, who is armed — his rifle aimed at her.
Everyone looks up, their faces a mix of shock and confusion. The guy in the corner swings his gun lazily toward me, but I drop to one knee as I turn and fire a three round burst into his chest. The force of the impact pushes him backward and he hits the wall, sliding down to the floor and leaving a crimson stain behind him.
I stand up again quickly and take aim at Manhattan and Pellaggio.
Everything resumes normal speed.
“Hey fellas,” I say. “Miss me?”
“What the fuck?” shouts Pellaggio. “How did you get free?”
Hmmm, what would Josh say right now?
“Ah, a magician never reveals his secrets,” I reply with a smile.
I see Pellaggio’s right hand move behind him. I quickly snap my aim to him.
“Both hands front and center, asshole,” I say. He reluctantly complies. “Grace, you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she says. “Just get me out of here.”
I look up at Manhattan. “You heard the lady — untie her.”
I hear commotion close by outside the room. I assume the five guys from the warehouse are coming to see what’s happening…
I emphasize the fact my rifle’s pointing at him by nodding at it.
“Today would be nice, shit-for-brains,” I say.
Manhattan takes a deep breath and opens the top drawer of the desk, pulling out another blade. Not a scalpel this time, but a combat knife with a leather grip and a long blade that has one serrated edge.
“Do you keep knives in every desk you have?” I ask. “Jesus!”
He holds the blade in his hand for a moment, seemingly weighing up what options he has.
“Nice and easy,” I say.
Manhattan’s smiling, but he complies without incident. He moves behind Chambers and cuts the ties on her wrists, then crouches down and does the same with her ankles. I step back, almost behind the door, so I can cover the room and everyone in it with ease. He stands slowly, his narrow eyes staring a hole through me. His entire body is tense; the rage seeping from his very pores. But he doesn’t move.
Chambers stands, rubbing her wrists to get the blood flowing. She turns to look at me. She doesn’t smile, but she looks like she’s past hating me. Her eyes betray her feelings — a mixture of regret, sorrow, anger and determination.
She marches over to the dead minion and picks up his Carbine. Then she turns to face Manhattan and, without a word, slams the butt of the rifle into the side of his head. He drops almost instantly to his knees.
“Bastard!” she shouts, looking down at him as he reels from the blow. She quickly raises the gun, aiming it at Pellaggio. “And you, you piece of shit,” she says. “You start talking, right now. What the hell’s going on here?”
Pellaggio looks at me, seemingly surprised at her approach to interrogation. I simply raise an eyebrow, smile, and shrug, as if to say you’re on your own. I look at her, admiringly. Now I’ve seen her in action, I like her even more.
I swap sides so my back’s to her, allowing me to cover the door. I can still hear the guys outside. I assume the reason they’ve not yet rushed in, guns a-blazing, is because they know their bosses are in here.
At my feet, Manhattan’s trying to stand. I kick him in his side and he collapses on his front, groaning in pain. If I thought I’m too old for this shit, he definitely is!
“Talk,” says Chambers. “Why are you doing all this?”
I look over my shoulder at him. “And don’t feed us the bullshit about this being all about me,” I add. “We all know there’s more to it than that.”
He smiles at us both. A sickening smile, far more confident than his current situation warrants.
“Fine,” he says. “You wanna know what I’m doing?”
He pauses for effect. What a prick…
“I’m going to start a war!”
18
Manhattan’s lying on the floor, trying to tell him to keep quiet, but he doesn’t have the energy. His words are coming out as a dull groan. He gives up and focuses on trying to get to his feet again.
Pellaggio’s statement was dramatic, and cause for great concern, but I don’t understand it.
“Details, asshole!” she yells, clearly feeling the same way.
I’m aware that time’s running out for us, so whatever we’re going to get out of Pellaggio, we have to get it fast.
“In a way, this is all about you, Adrian,” he says. “About your actions in Heaven’s Valley.”
“Make your mind up,” I shout over, without taking my eyes off the door. “I thought you said this wasn’t about taking revenge on me?”
“Oh, I will have my revenge for the fact you killed my entire family,” he says. “But this isn’t just personal — it’s business. My father lost millions of dollars, not to mention a large amount of assets, because of the betrayal of his business associates and the actions of a small few.”