Part 42 (1/2)

One down.

Nate continued to listen as the second prisoner and then the third were put back in their rooms.

When the door to the third cell shut, he clicked his radio once. Be ready.

The fourth cell opened. Ja.n.u.s and one of the guards took the last prisoner inside.

Click-click.

As soon as the message was sent, he stepped out to where he could be seen. ”Hey, I hear you're looking for me.”

__________.

QUINN COUNTED OFF five seconds after the double click before he pulled the door open as quietly as he could.

”...looking for me.”

As expected, the three guards in the hallway had all turned in Nate's direction and were not paying attention to the door. Quinn, Orlando, and Daeng moved inside and spread out.

The guards, all eyes still on their escaped prisoner, began unslinging their rifles.

Quinn's target was the farthest guard, Orlando's the middle, Daeng's the nearest. Within a second and a half, they each pulled their triggers. Like dominos, all three guards fell to the ground, dead.

The open cell was the one nearest Quinn and the others. The guard who'd been inside stepped out to see what was going on. A bullet to the forehead from Quinn's gun sent him cras.h.i.+ng back inside.

Nate jogged down the hall, stopping fifteen feet on the other side of the open door. ”Ja.n.u.s! Come out!”

A scuffling of feet, then nothing.

”Ja.n.u.s!” Nate yelled again. ”Give it up. Come on out. This is done.”

”Nothing is done. I think you will let me go.”

”You think wrong.”

A laugh, then Ja.n.u.s appeared in the doorway. But he wasn't alone. He had Peter in his arms, and was holding him high enough to protect his own head and chest.

Peter grimaced. ”Just shoot him.”

Ja.n.u.s peeked around Peter at Nate. ”Well, Quinn, you are pretty good. You bring help?”

”Put him down,” Nate said.

”Go over with your friends or I break his neck. You know I can.”

”I don't care if you hit me,” Peter said. ”Shoot him!”

No one pulled the trigger. Peter was-if not quite a friend-someone who'd been an important part of their lives for a long time. They weren't about to shoot at him if they could help it.

Quinn motioned for his old apprentice to join them. As soon as Nate did, Ja.n.u.s eased out of the room, turning to keep Peter between them and him at all times.

Quinn searched for a shot, anything that might disable Ja.n.u.s and allow them to get Peter free, but Peter was unintentionally doing a pretty d.a.m.n good job of s.h.i.+elding the other man. Quinn might be able to shoot Ja.n.u.s in the foot, but it was iffy at best.

Ja.n.u.s started backing down the hallway in the direction Nate had been hiding. Nate took a step forward to follow.

”Don't,” Ja.n.u.s said. ”I will kill him.”

”Kill him and we'll kill you,” Nate said.

”Peter here will still be dead, and I might still get away.”

Ja.n.u.s took another step back. This time Nate didn't move.

”Good boy,” Ja.n.u.s said, not stopping.

”Shoot him!” Peter yelled.

Ja.n.u.s momentarily freed up a hand and punched the former head of the Office in the face. There were no more outbursts.

”What's going on?” Lanier called from his cell.

”Yeah,” Berkeley said. ”What's happening out there? Are you here to get us out?”

”Everyone shut up,” Quinn said.

”Come on, man,” Berkeley said. ”What's going on?”

”What's going on is that we're going to leave you here if you say another word.”

Ja.n.u.s had reached the turn in the hall. ”Don't follow me,” he ordered, and then disappeared.

Quinn and Nate immediately ran after him. As they neared the corner, they heard a grunt and a thud. Then running feet, heavy and fast.

They sprinted the rest of the way to the end, and whipped around the corner, their guns ready.

Peter lay motionless on the ground about halfway between the corner and the far door, but Ja.n.u.s was gone. They raced over and knelt down. Quinn checked Peter's pulse.

”He's alive,” he said.

Nate glanced at the hallway beyond them. ”Ja.n.u.s can get to the top of the wall that way. If he does, he'll warn everyone. That could be a problem.” He stood up. ”I'm going after him.”

”I'll be right behind you.”

With a nod, Nate took off.

Quinn put Peter over his shoulder in a fireman's hold, lugged him back to the others, and transferred him to Daeng's shoulder.