or warn her, or tell her to hide. She just said one word.
‘Turtle.’
That was it.
One word, loudly and clearly.
And with that, she hung up, sliding her phone back into the pocket of her suit.
‘Turtle? What was that?’ Archer asked.
Katic ignored the question.
‘Can you drive faster, please?’ she asked the driver, as they moved fast down 2 Avenue and past 20 Street.
‘We’re almost there, miss,’ the guy said politely. He didn’t need anyone to tell him how to do his job but he also didn’t want to sabotage his tip.
Katic nodded, her leg jiggling as she released nervous energy. The streets flashed past outside the windows as they moved on downtown.
18.
16.
‘What the hell is going on, Archer?’ she asked him, anxious. The cab driver could hear what they were talking about, but she didn’t seem to care.
‘Siletti. Had to be.’
‘But why?’
‘He’s tying up loose ends. Parker was his partner. Siletti’s covering his tracks. Maybe even the idea that Parker knew something was enough for what happened in the bathroom to happen.’
She looked at him, her face pale. Archer chose to save the rest of the conversation for when they were out of earshot of the driver.
Soon enough, they arrived on East 13. The driver turned left, and headed across towards 1 Avenue. They hit a red at the end of the road, but it didn’t matter. Katic told him to pull up where they were and paid the fare. She and Archer stepped out, shutting the doors, and the taxi sped off, the driver happy with the tip they gave him.
Katic went to walk forward, but Archer grabbed her arm and held her back. He stepped to the left, into the shadows, with her beside him.
‘Wait,’ he said.
Her maternal instincts were screaming at her to just cross the street and get to her daughter as quickly as possible, but she held back. Just ahead of them, 1 Avenue was busy, people out enjoying the Saturday night. Across the street though, 13 looked quiet. Archer had his Sig back in his hand in the pocket of his coat, and Katic had her own pistol in the holster on her hip. The game had just changed. Any rules that were in place had just gone out the window. If they kept trying to play them, Katic knew it could be the two of them next who would be pushed face-down into the bathtub.
Satisfied that no one was about, the pair of them crossed the street quickly and headed down 13. Katic said she lived at Number 20, which was within a stone’s throw from the cross street and on the left side. The street looked pretty empty. Archer scanned the interior of any cars parked in the area, looking for anyone sitting inside, or anything that seemed unusual. But it looked clear. Besides, they’d be in and out in a couple of minutes. The sooner they got on with it, the sooner they would be safe and could hole up somewhere.
Katic walked quickly up the steps and up to the door as Archer double-checked the street, watching a man walking his dog pass them by. She’d already pulled a key from her jacket and she slotted it into the lock, pushing the door open. Archer turned and ran up the steps, moving inside and closing the door behind them.
Inside, out of sight of the street, Katic pulled her pistol from her holster, checking the safety was off. Archer lifted his Sig from his pocket.
They both stood there in silence, waiting, listening, looking at each other. The building was old, lots of old wooden floorboards, and the two of them were standing next to the lines of letterboxes.
Archer closed his eyes and listened.
Nothing.
‘Which floor?’ Archer whispered.
‘Third.’
They approached the stairwell and moved up the flights swiftly. Archer let Katic take the lead. Behind her, he was impressed. He’d already seen that she was tough, but the idea of anyone doing harm to her child seemed to have given her an added layer of resolve that made a protective mother the toughest fighter in the world. Her dynamic with Archer had subtly shifted too. She had gone from ordering and commanding him to engaging with him and they were now working as a pair. For the time being, they were partners. She needed his help as much as he needed hers.
He needed to clear his name.
And she needed to make it through the night alive with her girl.
The stairwell was empty and they moved up the