Stalked - By Allison Brennan Page 0,109
knife on his belt.”
“Do you have a shot?”
Lucy wasn’t a sniper. Being a good shot at the target range was completely different from being a good shot at a moving target.
“If I miss—”
“We’re moving to room two-oh-three. Stay alert.”
Kip screamed at the phone, “I will bleed him dry! His blood will stain the floor. Unless you bring Peter here now, two minutes, I will kill him.” He walked over to the window. “I see you.” He fired out of the window with the rifle.
Lucy bit her tongue to keep from shouting out. Sean wasn’t in the southwest corner, but DeLucca’s men were exposed.
“A-ha!” Kip shouted. “One down, more to go.” He fired again.
Lucy pulled out her gun. She couldn’t use this vent; the openings were too narrow. And if she shot through the ceiling, she risked injury, loss of bullet velocity, and a skewed trajectory. She had to move to the larger vent in the center of the room.
She crawled as quickly as she dared.
“Status,” Noah demanded in her ear.
“Getting in position,” Lucy whispered.
The air-conditioning rumbled off.
Kip stopped shooting out of the window.
Lucy stopped moving. She was still three inches from the vent. She needed one more good slide to get into position.
She risked the sound.
She looked out the vent. Kip was staring at the ceiling, his expression alert.
Then she noticed this vent was too small to get her barrel through.
“I’ve been spotted,” she whispered.
Kip aimed his rifle toward the ceiling. Lucy punched out the vent with the barrel of her gun, aimed at him, and fired. The first bullet hit him in the shoulder. He fired his rifle three times into the ceiling. She fired again and hit his hand. He dropped the rifle and grabbed his nine millimeter. He didn’t aim at Lucy but at Charlie Mead.
She fired again as the door below burst open and Noah and Joe entered. They fired simultaneously at Kip. His body jerked and he stumbled backwards and tripped over a desk.
Joe rushed to Kip and kicked away his weapons, then checked his pulse. “He’s dead,” Joe said.
“Lucy!” Noah called.
“I’m okay. I might need a Band-Aid.” Or four or five. Her arm burned, but she didn’t think she’d been hit.
Noah pulled a desk over to the vent and jumped on it. Lucy saw the top of his head. She handed him her gun. He put it in his waistband. Then grabbed her by the arms and pulled her out headfirst. He held on to her as he scrambled off of the desk. He put her in a chair. “Were you hit?”
“No. I think it’s splinters from the ceiling tiles. Or maybe I cut my arm on the vent. Stupid. But he was going to shoot Charlie.”
Joe had untied Mead and was calling out for both a report and an ambulance.
Peter came in and rushed over to Charlie Mead. “Charlie?”
Charlie smiled. “You’re okay.”
“What about you?”
“Nothing broken.”
“Why are you here?” Peter asked.
“When Rogan left, I was worried and wanted to make sure you were safe. I took the first flight, went to your apartment and that guy grabbed me outside.”
“I’m sorry.” Peter hugged him.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
“An ambulance is on its way,” Joe said. “I have one man down.”
Noah swore. “Status?”
“Doesn’t appear life threatening. I’m waiting for confirmation.”
Four cops rushed in. Joe ordered two to stand guard over Kip’s body, and two helped Mead out of the building. Noah picked up Lucy.
“I can walk,” she said.
“You’re bleeding.”
She frowned, feeling light-headed. “I’m okay. Just woozy. I think from the dust.”
“You’re black with dust and soot.”
Noah carried her down the hall, down the stairs, and out to where Sean and Suzanne were standing with another team of agents.
“What happened?” Sean demanded.
Noah put Lucy down on the small strip of grass separating the street from the sidewalk. “You did good, Kincaid,” he said. He stared at her and Lucy wished she knew what he was thinking. There was something odd in his expression. Then Noah turned to Sean. “She’s all yours. Make sure the paramedics check her out thoroughly.”
“I will,” Sean said.
Suzanne leaned against her car while Noah walked away to coordinate the Bureau and NYPD. Sean sat next to Lucy and sighed in relief.
“I’m fine,” she said. “A bullet grazed me, that’s all. Maybe some splinters.”
“You’re going to the hospital.”
“I will on one condition.”
“You will on no conditions.”
“Bossy, aren’t you?”
“Luce, I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Me, too,” Suzanne said. “Another case together. Maybe you’ll get assigned to New York when you graduate.”
“I’d like that,” Lucy said, then glanced