Teddy raced up the stairs.
Korolev had watched the Sarge and his people enter the hotel from atop a building on the other side of the alley, and then witnessed one of the Sarge’s men come back out and shoot the two who were guarding the door.
What the hell?
He made his way down to the alley and sneaked up to the hotel service entrance. It only took one glance to confirm both lookouts were dead.
Through the partially opened doorway, he heard several distant gunshots, and immediately retreated down the alley and called the Bean Counter.
“I don’t know what the Sarge’s plan is,” he told his boss, “but I don’t think a gunfight inside the hotel is a part of it.”
“Come get me,” the Bean Counter said. “It’s time to clean up this mess.”
Chapter 71
With no time to hide anywhere else, Stone grabbed Carly by the arm and pulled her to the doorway the man who’d been carrying him had disappeared through.
“Stay low,” he said and pushed the door open.
He expected to find a corridor or another ballroom on the other side, instead they rushed onto an outdoor deck that served as a restaurant dining area. Though it, too, was affected by the blackout, there was enough residual city light for Stone to make out the darkened forms of tables and chairs and a bar. There were also people, too; at least two dozen. Some had phone flashlights on, and all were murmuring excitedly about the loss of power.
“Who’s there?” a voice called from several feet away. Stone instantly recognized it as that of the man who’d been carrying him.
Stone took Carly’s hand and quietly led her away from the door, in the opposite direction from where the voice had come. They found a row of wide urns filled with plants and slipped behind them.
“Adams, is that you?” the man called.
“I’m sorry,” one of the nearby diners said. “Are you talking to me?”
Ignoring him, Sarge’s man said, “Whoever you are, I know you’re here.”
“Hey, this blackout is scary enough without you talking like that,” the diner said.
“Shut up or I’ll show you how scary I can be.”
The diner shot up out of his chair, and he and his companion moved farther into the dining area.
A flashlight flicked on in approximately the same place the mercenary’s voice was coming from. The beam swung to the door then across the floor toward the urns, tracking the path Stone and Carly had taken.
Stone stuck his gun between two urns, aimed at the light, and pulled his trigger.
Two things happened simultaneously. The flashlight beam twisted wildly, before whipping around and pointing back Stone and Carly’s way. And though Stone’s gun had a silencer, the sound of the shot was still loud enough to cause several people in the restaurant to scream. This, in turn, motivated the rest of the diners and the staff to rush toward the main exit, knocking over tables and chairs as they went.
“Nice try, asshole,” the mercenary said over the cacophony, clearly uninjured.
His gun fired, and an urn just to Stone and Carly’s left exploded into a million pieces.
As Stone raised his pistol to try again, Carly whispered, “You’re a terrible shot. Let me.”
Before he could reply, she fired, her unsilenced weapon booming across the deck.
The man grunted, and the flashlight beam arced upward and then went out as both it and the man crashed to the ground.
“Not bad,” Stone said.
“It’s really not that hard.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Stone had expected to hear more screaming, but it appeared everyone had made their escape. Which was exactly what he and Carly needed to do.
“Come on,” Stone said.
He grabbed Carly’s hand again, and they moved into the dining area, weaving through the tables toward the exit.
A moment after the ballroom door was pulled open, Sarge and his men heard another door across the room open and close, and after that silence.
“Team three!” Sarge called into the room.
Nothing.
He tapped the shoulder of the man nearest the door. “Check.”
The man dropped to a crouch and peeked through the doorway. “Oh, shit,” he said.
“What?” Sarge whispered.
“All I see are bodies.”
“Everyone in,” Sarge ordered.
The first two entered, their guns raised. The next two followed, doing the same, and then the Sarge and the Corporal went in.
“What the hell?” someone said.
There were several bodies on the floor, all within a few feet of each other.
“Go,” Sarge said.
The men moved cautiously toward the bodies, sweeping the area with the barrels of their guns. When they reached them, they checked each for a pulse. All were dead.
That was bad, but more troubling to the Sarge was that none of them were Barrington.
“What happened?” the Corporal said.
Through gritted teeth, the Sarge said, “A clusterfu—”
A gunshot drowned him out.
Everyone ducked and looked around.
“Where did that come from?” someone asked.
The shot had been loud, so it had to have been close, and it wouldn’t have been caused by one of his men. They were all carrying silenced weapons. But there was no sign of a shooter.
A second shot rang out.
“There,” the Corporal said, pointing at a doorway near where Sarge and the others were.
Everyone ran toward it.
Stone and Carly were just over halfway across the deck when the ballroom door flew open, and several silhouettes rushed out and took cover. Stone motioned to the bar as it was the closest place to hide.
As they crept behind it, they heard one of the new arrivals say, “There’s another body. It’s Craddock. He’s dead.”
“See,” Carly whispered to Stone. “Not hard.”
“Can we discuss your marksmanship later?”
They peeked around the edge of the bar at the new arrivals.
“I count five,” Carly whispered into Stone’s ear.
Stone was about to agree when two more silhouettes exited the ballroom.
“I mean seven,” she said.
“Barrington!” an angry voice yelled. “I know you’re here. Come out. You’re only prolonging the inevitable!”
“He sounds upset,” Carly said.
“I’m not feeling particularly happy at the moment myself,” Stone said.
“Do you think that’s the Sarge?”
Across the room, someone said, “Sarge, I found something.”
“What is it?” the angry voice said.
“Yeah, I think it’s the Sarge,” Stone whispered to Carly.
“It’s a woman’s shoe,” the guy who’d found something said. “A nice one.”
“Sorry,” Carly said. “I took them off when I first stopped to shoot, then dropped them when we came out here.”
“Barrington,” the Sarge yelled, “I know you’re not alone. I tell you what. You give yourself up, and I’ll let your companion go unharmed.”
Stone peeked around the bar hoping to make out at least a shadowy shape, but the others were now hidden from view.
“I hear your mind turning,” Carly said.
“I’ll try to think quieter,” Stone said.
“If you’re considering taking him up on his offer—”
“I’m not. He’s bluffing.”
“You took the words out of my mouth.”
“That’s a first.”
The Sarge said, “Everyone, spread out.”
“Oh, good,” Stone said under his breath. “For a moment there, I thought we were in trouble.”
“I think we are in trouble,” Carly whispered.
“I was quoting Butch Cassidy. It’s what he says to Sundance at the end of the movie.”