Frozen Dream: A Cole Maddox Action Thriller by Ted Galdi

Author:Ted Galdi [Galdi, Ted]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2023-12-04T16:00:00+00:00

32

Cole flips on the radio on his hip. No sound comes from it. Now that his enemies know he has a walkie-talkie, they must’ve been smart enough to switch the channel they talk on. The long corridor is empty. A series of shadows crosses the rug in the spaces between the wall lamps. But the hall won’t stay vacant for long. On the new channel, the blinded one must’ve gotten a message to the pair to the east that Cole is in the spa.

He needs to hide out in a guest room, but the west wing’s first-floor ones will be the first the terrorists check, shooting their way in from outside. Third-floor rooms would be hardest for them to access, but the elevator and stairwell are at the other end of the hall. If Cole went over there, he could run into the hostiles approaching from the east.

He darts through the spa and finds an exterior door that leads to the northwest courtyard. It has a pool, covered for the winter, and three active Jacuzzis, each under a pavilion shielding it from the weather. A few empty beer bottles sit on the edge of a hot tub. The hotel’s cleaning staff must’ve been taken hostage before having a chance to collect them.

Avoiding any bombs on the ground, Cole climbs to the top of the spa door, hoists himself via the gutter onto the one-story roof, and scrabbles up to its ridge. The warmth he had inside is lost, replaced with a deep chill.

The west wing rises to three stories toward the intersection. If he can traverse the icy, slanted roof there, he can climb balconies to a third-floor suite and break in. He starts moving, his hands and feet buried in the snow, negotiating shingles. Chunks of ice and roof spray into the air inches in front of him. The noise of a rifle shot reverberates from the east.

Cole drops his body and swings it the opposite direction. Clinging to the ridge with one hand, he lifts the binoculars to his face with the other and searches for the threat. Inside, two terrorists aim rifles at him through a shattered window.

Cole ducks his head and lets himself slide down the roof. But before he’s out of the line of fire, another round roars this way and rips through his left forearm.

He tries to ignore the searing pain, focusing on not falling to the ground and landing on an explosive. His legs fly off the roof. His uninjured arm swipes at the gutter. He clasps it, his fingers crushing the ice on the edge. Though his left arm aches, it’s still somewhat functional, so he grabs the gutter with it, too.

Blood streaks down the sleeve of his white shirt. The two riflemen are sure to be running over here, ready to finish off their wounded target. Based on the length of the corridor, and an athletic running speed, Cole estimates they should arrive in no longer than twenty seconds.

He looks toward the room balconies.

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