Fatal Alliance by J.T. Baier

Author:J.T. Baier [Baier, J.T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: First Light Books
Published: 2024-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

23

Jade stumbled through the hallway of the fourth floor, nothing but the emergency lights illuminating her way. She rubbed her hands on her pants as she walked, futilely trying to wipe away the dirt and grease she’d accumulated on them while crawling through that damn vent.

How had things taken a turn so quickly? She’d had Riker! Three guns pointed at him. Hands in the air. He was unarmed. She’d beaten him. And then she’d suddenly found herself flying across the room and felt her back slamming against a wall. There had been no warning –one moment he’d been talking casually, and the next moment he’d been taking out three armed opponents. It had been uncanny.

She swallowed hard, images of Ito and Hodges springing into her mind. She’d heard gunfire from Hodges’ direction–gunfire she was pretty sure had hit Ito–and she’d run. Sure, she’d planned for the contingency of a quick escape through the ventilation system, but she’d never thought she’d actually have to use it.

Guilt coursed through her like a shiver as she considered whether she’d left her two men to die at the hands of that hardened killer Matthew Riker. Ito might have been killed by friendly fire, but what about Hodges? A man like Riker would show no mercy–of that she was certain. Riker was probably torturing Hodges right now, gleefully extracting every morsel of knowledge from the man. Either that, or Hodges was already dead.

Jade hadn’t known Ito or Hodges all that well. They were just dependable, morally-flexible muscle she’d used on a few occasions over the years. But she did know they were close friends. And they’d always done right by her. It was a shame.

But what choice had she had other than to run? Was she supposed to go toe-to-toe with a trained killer who stood more than a foot taller than her and probably outweighed her by seventy pounds? She hadn’t liked it, but she’d done what was necessary. She’d survived. She’d followed the plan so that she could live to fight another day.

And now, to add insult to injury, she was going to have to return to Wilkins empty-handed. Admit she hadn’t been able to accomplish the task he’d given her. She thought back to the threat he’d leveled at her–that she had one chance to get this right or that MMA freak Ellison would make her pay.

Surely he hadn’t been serious about that. Had he?

No. The guy might be impulsive and unprofessional, but he understood how this game was played. This wasn’t some cheesy movie where the bad guy put a bullet in any henchman who displeased him. Wilkins had hired her to do a job. In the real world, if you were displeased with the service you received, you refused to pay. Or you simply severed ties. You didn’t enact violent revenge.

Right?

She reached her hotel room and braced herself as she turned the handle and opened the door. She was unsurprised to find Wilkins and a handful of his mercenary lackeys waiting in the room.

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