The man advanced, looming over him like an angry silverback with a grudge.Bryn braced for impact but then the door he had entered through burst inward with a shriek of torn hinges.Gunnar stormed through, his shirt torn and face bloodied.
“Did someone order a rescue with extra violence?”He growled, already moving.
“You’re late,” Bryn croaked.
“I was kinda busy if you recall, and when I told you to get away, I didn’t mean for you to run straight to the enemy,” Gunnar shot back.
Gunnar and Bryn’s attacker collided like wrecking balls.The force of impact as they hit the wall cracked plaster.Bryn dragged himself upright with a groan.“Can you make this quick?”
“Really?”Gunnar shot him an exasperated look between punches.
This wasn’t a gene-enhanced soldier, it was just a man, albeit a huge one.Gunnar made short work of him with a knee to the groin followed by a hammer punch to the back of the neck.The guy went down like a felled tree.
Across the room, Russo paled.He spun toward the door only to find someone already standing in his path.Giles.The man didn’t walk into a room, hearrived, all cool detachment and immaculate attire.His calm, dispassionate confidence made Russo flinch.
“You’re…also late,” Bryn said, squinting at Giles through a haze of pain.
Giles glanced at him.“You’re bleeding on the floor.”
Russo reached for a weapon.Giles was faster.There was a blur of movement and Giles had disarmed Russo and taken a firm hold of his collar.With the barest effort, he dragged Russo across the office.
“Wait!”Russo shouted.
“Oh, hush,” Giles said and, with less ceremony than if he had been taking out the trash, he hurled Russo at the nearest window.
The strength behind that throw must have been significant because the glass shattered in an explosion of sound and glittering light.A few seconds passed before a sickening crunch sounded from the street below.
Gunnar, his boot pressed into his opponent’s back, stared.“Did he just…?”
“He did.Three floors down.Ouch.That must have bruised.”
“You don’t think holding him for questioning might have been a good idea?”Gunnar asked Giles.
Giles brushed a few bits of glass from his sleeve.“He was boring me.”
Bryn huffed, holding his ribs.“Well, at least that’s one of today’s nightmares over.”
“You’re welcome,” Giles said, eyes flicking to the man on the floor.“Why is this one still breathing?”
Gunnar poked the man with the toe of his boot.“We can interrogate him instead.When he regains consciousness.”
Giles shrugged.“Okay, but the window is available…just saying.”
Bryn limped over to the gaping hole to take a look.Down below, Russo’s lifeless body had attracted a ring of agents and emergency personnel.A red puddle stained the street.
“Gross.Think Bell will want a statement?”Bryn asked.
“He’ll get a shrug,” Gunnar replied, crouching beside him.“Can you walk the stairs?”
“That’s optimistic.”Bryn winced.“I can sort oflean.It’s adjacent to standing.”
Giles picked his way over shattered glass.“You two are incredibly high maintenance.”
“Oh, please,” Bryn shot back.“You haven’t even broken a sweat.”
Gunnar chuckled and put an arm around Bryn’s shoulders.“We done here?”
“For now,” Giles said, already moving toward the stairwell.“We can send the Feds up here to retrieve that pile of meat.”
