Bryn and Gunnar followed him into the hallway, bruised and bloodied, but standing.Behind them, a shattered window marked the end of Russo’s reign and the beginning of a huge pile of paperwork.
Chapter Twenty-One
The road nearest the cathedral had been blocked off and was now a chaotic scene lit by flashing lights.Bryn sat on the edge of a gurney inside an ambulance, wincing as a paramedic taped his ribs while Gunnar paced nearby.
“Hold still,” the paramedic said.“You have extensive bruising and I’m making an educated guess that you have some cracked ribs.If you had a run in with one of those monsters, you’re lucky that’s all you’ve got.”
“Lucky is my middle name,” Bryn said, then caught Gunnar’s glare.“What?It could have been worse.”
“It shouldn’t have happened at all,” Gunnar said.“You’re turning my hair gray.”
Before Bryn could respond, Agent Bell appeared in the doorway, looking like he’d been through a blender.His suit was torn and there was dried blood on his shirt.A black eye was blooming and his lower lip was swollen.One arm was in a sling.
“What happened to the arm?”Gunnar asked.
“Someone tried to rip it off,” Bell said.“I was lucky.The agent that intervened has a skull fracture.”
“What about Beth?”Bryn was worried.She’d taken a hard hit.
“She has a headache and a sprained wrist, but she’ll be fine.She asked after you two, actually.Wants to thank you for drawing that enhanced bastard away from her.”Bell pinched the bridge of his nose.“Doc wanted to sign her off but she said she types with one finger anyway.”
Bryn nodded.“Good.That’s good.I thought everyone typed with one finger.Except Emmett, of course.”
“What was the body count in the cathedral?”Gunnar asked.
Bell’s expression darkened.“Fifteen casualties, but it could have been much worse.I have a lot of walking wounded.We managed to take down four of the super-soldiers, though it took everything we had.Two escaped in the confusion after Russo…fell…out of that window and stopped giving orders.”
“Escaped how?”Gunnar’s voice carried a dangerous edge.
“They just…ran,” Bell admitted.“Faster than we could chase them.We had perimeters set up three blocks out and they still got through.”He shook his head.“We’ve never dealt with anything like this before but we’ll track them down.They don’t exactly blend in.”
“What about the Kozlovs?”Bryn asked, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
“That’s…complicated.”Bell glanced around, then lowered his voice.“Katarina Kozlova saved half the people in that cathedral.She’s a damn good shot.When Russo’s men came through the doors, she was first to react, almost like she was expecting something.She bought time for her family to escape and for our people to get into position.She didn’t make it, but she passed knowing Russo was dead.I told her.”
“The rest of her family?”
“Kozlov senior had a massive heart attack.He’s dead.Three other family members are in critical condition, but they might survive.The organization will be in a mess, but not extinct.They won’t be causing problems anytime soon.”
The paramedic finished prodding Bryn and stepped back.“You’re done.Take it easy for the next few weeks, and if you experience any difficulty breathing or sharp pains, get to an ER.You’re not showing any sign of a punctured lung so x-rays aren’t necessary.Cracked ribs don’t always show up anyway.”
“Thanks,” Bryn said, awkwardly pulling his shirt back on.
Bell’s phone buzzed.He glanced at it and sighed.“That’s my boss.I need to get back and start writing reports that no one will believe.”He paused.“We’ll be dismantling what’s left of Russo’s operation over the next few weeks.Those two guys that got away are a priority, but we also need to shut down the remaining drug labs and round up his lieutenants, if they haven’t already hopped flights to Bogota.”
“What about the Thanacrine formula?”Gunnar asked.
“We should be able to recover new samples from the bodies here.Our scientists are already working on analysis from the raided labs, trying to figure out how to counteract it.If we can develop an antidote or neutralizer…” Bell shrugged.“It would level the playing field.Best case scenario is that the drug has died with Russo.”
“Let’s hope that’s the case,” Gunnar said.
Bell nodded.“Before I go, I want to say that was good work today.All of you.If you hadn’t confirmed the truth about Russo’s plan from our informant, we’d be looking at a body count in the dozens.”
After Bell left, Giles appeared.“Ready to go home?”he asked.
“Where did you disappear to?”Gunnar asked.
“Went to call Warden.I gave him a quick update.”
