Putting a hand over his ear, Zane slipped behind a deserted wet bar and crouched down. “Yes, I’m here.”
“What’s going on in there? I lost all contact for several minutes.”
“No time to explain,” Zane said. “Where is Pratt?”
“You’re the first one I’ve talked to.”
Zane peered over the top of the bar. Despite the darkness, he finally saw the door that led to the hallway. He wasn’t far away.
“Zane, are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Contact Pratt and tell him to meet me at the back of the building in ten minutes.”
“Roger that.”
There was movement in the darkness. Zane watched as a group of four men passed through the door he’d been watching. One of them looked familiar. The silhouette. The hair. Brehmer. He and his men were trying to slip away and save their skin.
Zane stood and ran over to the door they had just passed through.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
AFTER PULLING OFF the diversion, Danielle melted into the crowd. For the next several minutes, she kept a low profile, ducking behind large groups of people as she wandered around aimlessly. Her goal was to circle the room and make her way to the front entrance. She had some vague notion that Brehmer was about to reveal something on stage, but she resisted the urge to watch. She needed to survive, and the only way she would survive was to focus on getting away from the men who were after her.
Just as she stepped behind a column to get her bearings, the room went completely dark. At first, she thought it had something to do with Brehmer’s presentation. But when she heard glass shatter and people scream, she knew something had gone horribly wrong.
Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, she turned and made her way toward the main entrance. As people surged out of the building, she would surge out with them. Once outside, she would follow the instructions Zane had given her: hide in the jungle and wait to get picked up.
Her optimism ended when she passed out of the ballroom and into the lobby. A team of guards was stationed at the doors. Danielle realized they were looking for her and Zane.
As she contemplated her next move, one of the guards fixed his gaze on her. His eyes narrowed with recognition. Drawing his gun, he said something into his earpiece and ran in her direction. Having no other choice, Danielle turned and slipped back into the ballroom. She sprinted into the crowd, pushing people aside as she went. Assisted by the darkness and the sheer number of people, she was able to get out of sight.
Even so, she needed a plan. In all likelihood, the power would be restored soon, and when it was, she would find herself inside a circle of security personnel. With the lights on, it would simply be a matter of making people leave the room one by one, ensuring she would be caught.
Suddenly, an image flashed in her thoughts. It was something that might help her get away. When she and Zane had entered the ballroom, she had scanned the room in an attempt to look for David. She never saw him, but she remembered seeing a series of doors on the north side. They might lead to restrooms, but they might also lead to other parts of the building.
Given a small ray of hope, she worked her way in that direction. When she finally arrived, she saw three doors along the north wall. Two led to restrooms, leaving the third as a possible avenue of escape. She moved toward the third door then stopped. A man was standing next to it, a hand to his ear. It was one of Brehmer’s guards. Bad news, but it also meant the door probably led to an exit. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have placed someone there.
Hit with a thought, Danielle grabbed a water pitcher from a nearby table. After pouring its contents onto the floor, she marched boldly in the man’s direction. The room was dark, which meant he probably wouldn’t recognize her until it was too late.
Now only feet away, she reached out and touched the man’s arm. “Excuse me. I need some help.”
The man held up a hand as though his radio conversation were more important than whatever it was she wanted.
Danielle grabbed his arm. “Sir, I need your help.”
Irritated, he turned in her direction. “I don’t have time for your—”
His eyes widened when he realized who she was. Reaching into his coat, he tried to draw his gun. But Danielle already had the pitcher in the air. She had simply been waiting for the man to turn his head in the right direction.
Swinging it with all her strength, she slammed the hard glass piece into the man’s temple. She felt the sickening crunch of bone and flesh as she followed through. Out cold, the man dropped to the floor.
Tossing the pitcher aside, Danielle grabbed the man’s gun and slipped it into her pocket. She opened the door and passed into the hallway beyond. Several people followed her in. She reached for the gun, only to realize they were frightened guests, people who were just trying to get away.
An elderly couple approached her. The man had his arm around the woman’s waist. She looked like she was sick.
“We watched the whole thing,” the man said. “I can’t thank you enough. My wife has claustrophobia, and they wouldn’t let her out. I think she’s having a heart attack.”
Danielle looked at the woman. “Breathe deeply. We’re going to get you out of here.”
The woman nodded but said nothing.
Danielle looked down the corridor. It was dark, but she could see a number of doors along each side. Turning to the others, she said, “We don’t have much time. I’ll check the right-hand side. All of you check the left. If you find an exit or a window, call out so we can come to you.”
There were nods all around.
Danielle walked briskly down the corridor, checking the rooms along the right. The first three yielded nothing. They appeared to be windowless meeting rooms. About fifty yards down, she found a crossing corridor. She turned right and followed it all the way to the end, where she found what appeared to be an exit door.
As she drew near, she saw a small amount of moonlight coming through around the edges. She tried the handle, but it didn’t budge. Leaning closer, she saw a keyhole just above the handle. It was a manual lock, which was unfortunate. An electronically controlled lock would probably have been disabled by the power outage. To open it, she would need a key.
Footsteps sounded behind her. Someone was coming down the hall, and their steps were slow and uneven. She guessed it was the elderly couple, and she wouldn’t have good news.
She was about to turn and address them when she remembered she had a gun. Why didn’t I think of it before? All she had to do was shoot the lock. It always worked in the movies, so she should at least try. If she had to, she could shoot up the entire bolt mechanism. They were getting out, one way or the other.
Before firing, she turned and addressed the approaching couple. “I think I found a way out, but you may want to cover your ears.”
Turning back to the door, Danielle examined the pistol. Even though it was hard to see, she felt certain it was a Smith & Wesson M&P, the same gun her father had given her as a teenager. She felt a sense of euphoria. Not only had she found a way to get out, but she was also going to make it happen using the same type of gun she had used for years. It was almost as though fate were smiling down on her.
After making sure a round was chambered, she took a few steps back and aimed the pistol at the lock.
A male voice spoke before she could fire. “It won’t work.”
If it was the old man, his voice had gotten deeper. Sensing something wasn’t right, she turned to see a male figure standing about ten yards away. Although she couldn’t see who it was, she knew it wasn’t the old man. She lifted the pistol and aimed it at his chest. “Who is it?”