I saw us at the end of the hall. Turning, there was a man beside me, wide-shouldered and pug-faced. We both wore suits, and he carried a gun. From this point of view, I could see myself and Regge standing there, surprised. I watched myself back up and reach for Regge. It was odd to see yourself from someone else’s eyes. The second man moved ahead, and I had a clear view of his broad-shouldered back, the short hair, a tattoo on his neck. My heart raced. I froze, dread creeping along my insides. A loud bark of the gun went off and I blinked. In the present again, Regge’s hand was on my upper arm.
“You okay, mate?”
“Trouble.” The hallway was empty but wouldn’t be for long. I ran down the hall, turned the corner, not being careful anymore. I had no weapons though I was pretty sure Regge carried a knife. Which was nothing against two goons with guns. I hoped we could head them off. I found a room with the door unlatched, and we burst in.
The room was empty, but in the bathroom, crouched in the tub and fully clothed, was the old guy we’d rescued days earlier. “It’s okay.” I put my hands up in a disarming gesture. “We’re here to help you.”
The elder babbled something in his strange language. The only clear word was no.
“No, no, no!” He stood up though, surprisingly agile. I backed out of the bathroom.
“Regge, we’re about to get company. Keep a lookout.”
Regge watched the hallway as I urged the old man into the room. Not sure if the guy understood me or not, I gestured outside the door, sayingdanger and bad men.
Situated away from most of the damage, the room was intact and sparsely furnished. The old man had stoppedprotesting and seemed to get the idea of danger because he turned to the closet and pulled out a heavy short sword. He handed it to me. The sword tip hit the faded carpet. Jeez Ozpetek it was heavier than it looked.
“Here.” Regge looked back into the room, holding out his hand. “Trade you.” He grinned as he pulled an ancient knife from his boot.
“I’ve trained with swords,” I said, handing it over and trying not to be insulted.
“You’ve trained with Isabelle.” Regge stepped back into the hall, sword up. “Nothing against Isabelle; she is most fierce for a…” He hesitated.
“For a girl?”
“For a mage, a magicker—her gender has nothing to do with it. But I have trained with Theo.” His perfect amber eyebrows arched up on his forehead.
Damn it. He had a point. Theo North was a fae. And not only a fae but a vanguard, a premier warrior who’d trained Regge for years. Regge could wield that sword as well as I used my gaming console.
I stepped into the hallway, coaxing the old guy out. When he got to the doorway, he stopped.
“Mister, we need to go before—” Too late. The two men from my vision turned the corner and stopped twenty feet away, guns pointed at my heart. Again, Regge pulled me from danger and into the room, slamming the door. Together, we pushed the sideboard in front of it. Gunshots rang out, but nothing penetrated the room. Still, we were trapped.
I checked the window. “It’s locked.”
“Move.” Regge raised the sword and shattered the windowpane with a casual tap. He knocked the shards away.
The old man seemed to come around to the idea of leaving, and he climbed gingerly up on the sill and down over the edge. Reluctantly I followed, my body braced against the chill.
The ledge was almost a foot wide and ran the length of the building to a corner room balcony. Still, we were three stories up. The old man moved with the agility of a much younger man. Following, I held my breath until we reached the corner balcony.
Brick on the lower half and wrought-iron railing on the top, the balcony looked solid enough. I helped the man over the railing before looking back. Regge wasn’t behind us. Instead, one of the gunman appeared, gun brandishing out the window. My hands gripped the railing, the old man urging me over.
Brick mortar stung my cheek at the crack of gunfire. That got me moving, and I scrambled over the railing, flattening myself against the smaller man. Crouching on the floor of the balcony, we listened to a volley of shots hitting the brick half wall.
I reached up to try the glass slider. It was locked. Of course, and only a matter of minutes before the gunman made his way along the ledge. I let out a breath, looking at my companion. The man looked about a hundred, but he could move fast enough when he needed to. Once he got the idea that we were there to help, he’d been much more cooperative. Not that we weren’t going to die anyway.
The slider opened, and Regge grinned at me, helping the elder into the room. I followed and he closed the slider, replacing the security bar in the tracks.
“How did you get past them?”
“Trade secret.” He pulled the heavy drape across.
After checking the hallway was clear, we looped arms on either side of the old man and ran for the stairs. We got to the second floor, and Regge, sword in hand, stepped away to check behind us.
I shuffled the man into a darkened alcove before pulling my phone and dialing 911. “There’s a fire at Hotel Fulbright on Lombard Street. And I think someone’s shooting. Send everybody.”
Now that we were out of immediate danger, the old guy restarted his protest. Regge returned, grabbed his arm, and we hauled ass down the stairs again.
