“Of course not.”
“Then get yer lube ready, Torsty, ‘cause where we’re going — it’s gonna be tight.”
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
After midnight the team made their final preparations, knowing nothing could be gained from waiting any longer. Indeed, if there was any kind of celebration this night its racket would help mask their rescue attempt. Dahl led them all to the elevators and then switched the comms signal back on.
“Drake? You there?”
“Dahl? Pal, are you a voice for sore ears. What’s going on in there?”
“Mai and Chika both okay. It’s all about the speed now, Drake. Are you ready?”
“I have a way of escaping Kobe. Probably.”
“It doesn’t involve fast cars does it?” Alicia snatched a line. “ ‘Cause I wasn’t even in the last bloody race and I’m already bored hearing about it.”
Dahl ignored her as he opened the stairwell door. “Can you help break us out the front, in about twenty?”
“Not a problem. I have a plan B, C and D ready to go.”
“Good. Then keep a comms silence until you hear from me.”
“On my way.”
Alicia followed Dahl into the stairwell, Hibiki at her back. All three of them slipped on masks that Yorgi had provided. Yorgi had already been sent on his mission and was now descending in the elevator, looking to start a small fire on each floor. The office behind them was filling with smoke, courtesy of chemicals and cloths found in a cleaning cupboard and a lighter found in a desk drawer. Alicia heard the door swing shut above them just as the sprinkler system went off. As one, they rushed down the stairs, heading for the lobby where they would have to switch stairwells to access the lower levels. Hibiki and Dahl carried their weapons, but Alicia was empty-handed.
For now.
She moved fast behind Dahl as the Swede pushed through the final door, exiting out into a corridor that led to the lobby. Thirty feet ahead the entrance area gleamed in semi-darkness and beyond that the windows and glass doors sparkled with random lights.
“Hope they’re not all downstairs,” she whispered.
Dahl stopped beside a new elevator bank, recalling the blueprints, and pushed at the adjacent stairwell door. As half-expected, it was locked, even today with no day staff around. Dahl aimed his gun.
“Stand back. This is where the fun starts.”
He shot out the keypad and the vision panel but still the door only rattled in its frame. “Damn.”
“What did you think, genius? Breaking its keypad would destroy the lock?” Alicia watched the lobby as a shout went up.
Dahl swore loudly, put his shoulder down and charged the door. Thankfully it exploded off its framework, shattered timber flying everywhere and clattered down the stairs.
“Could you make a bit more noise next time?” Alicia patted his arm.
“Next time?” Dahl grunted. “I’ll throw you through it.”
Down three more levels they went, hitting the lowest at a run, then slowing as they reached a carpeted corridor with heavy doors to both sides, evidently leading to the cells where Chika found Mai earlier. No doubt she now occupied one herself. Alicia saw Hibiki hesitate, taking a deep breath before continuing. The cop had more on the line down here than any of them.
“Keep moving,” she said helpfully. “Can’t save ‘em standing with your dick in your hand.”
Dahl pressed on, checking the first whilst Alicia lifted the metal flap of the second. Empty. It was then that, further down the corridor, she heard excited murmurings and expressions of disbelief. Somebody up there had gotten wind of something.
Knowing their luck was about to run out, Alicia checked the second and third doors on her side of the corridor. Men occupied two of the rooms — shirtless, pantless, bloodied and bruised. They were wretched figures, heads hung in defeat, not even bothering to acknowledge the sound. Behind her Dahl grunted that he’d found Mai. At that moment Alicia opened the viewing panel of the last door and set eyes on Chika.
“Bloody hell.”
Mai’s sister was chained to the wall, arms above her head, legs together. Her head hung and her black hair was draped across it. New discolorations and bloody weals covered the exposed flesh across her collarbone, arms and below the knees. She moved aside for Hibiki and turned to Dahl.
“Keys.”
“On it.”
The Swede marched toward the sound of voices, steadying his gun. He paused to one side of an open doorframe, giving Alicia chance to make ready.
“Now.”
Together they peered around, prepared for anything. What they saw was a small surveillance room — rows of TV monitors and chairs, some desks, and a bunch of men crowded around just two screens. A low table and wall off to the right-hand side was practically festooned with pain-dispensing instruments from blades and electrical-prods to hammers and whips, all heaped together along with their guns. Alicia noted the blood still dripping from one of the leather handles and embraced her sudden rage. Most of the men were jabbering away and gesticulating wildly, trying to get some point across, others were sat staring and letting their cohorts rant, but every one of them had their backs to the door.
Alicia saw instantly the object of their interest — a bank of cameras had been tasked to chase the outbreak of fires above and now, finally, one of them had spotted Yorgi.
A man reached out for a walkie, his eyes flicking backwards.
“Hey!”
Alicia grabbed a gun and fired, hitting his arm and then his chest, knowing he would never hurt anyone again. Dahl put three double-taps into a trio of heads and that left just one. Alicia saw a blade flash and dodged as the weapon skimmed by her face. Then she leveled her gun.
“Give me the keys and I’ll make it quick.”
It was the only language this Yakuza guard would understand. There would be no bargaining with them. His eyes flicked to a metal cabinet. Alicia never knew whether it was a voluntary gesture because a moment later he was dead, cheek blown away by Dai Hibiki.
“Torturing bastards.” Tears stood out in his eyes. Alicia rushed over to the cabinet and yanked it open.
“We must hurry,” Dahl said. “They have hundreds of guards inside this building and they can bring every last one down upon us.”
Alicia grasped a single key and also a bunch attached to a large iron ring, figuring the first was a master for the doors and the second for the chains. She turned and ran back to Chika’s door, unlocking it and throwing Dahl the single key. Hibiki was at her heels. Now, Chika’s head whipped up, the abject fear in her eyes followed swiftly by confusion. Alicia whipped the mask up and then down at super speed.
“Al… Alicia? Dai!”
Hibiki ran to her and leaned in, helping to take the weight off her chained wrists. Alicia reached up and tried several keys before finding one that turned. The chains rattled down as Chika’s hands came free and she stumbled into Hibiki.
“Hold on,” he whispered. “Just hold on. We got you.”
Alicia raced across the hall, throwing the key ring at Dahl. Mai was already alert and asking about Chika. “She’s good,” Alicia said. “On her way now.”
Dahl helped Mai out of the chains then stepped back. “Are you able to fight?”
“I’ll kill them all if I have to.”
“Good, because we’re going to have to go through every one of them if we want to get out of here.”
Alicia nodded toward Mai’s stomach. “How bad is it?”
“Just a bullet wound. I can work around it.”
Chika stumbled into the cell, saw Mai and ran over. The two sisters embraced whilst Mai eyeballed Hibiki over her shaking sister’s shoulder.