"Mr. Kendall?"
"Jones?" Kendall answered.
"Yes, sir. Are we leaving now?"
"Not yet. We're waiting for my partner and an important contract. They should be here momentarily, so get it started. I'm going to leave as soon as possible after they arrive."
"Yes, sir." The pilot—who was likely Nash since Kendall didn't seem to know him—started his pre-flight check.
Since Kendall had to ask if the pilot's name was Jones, she figured he'd accepted that his usual pilot had sent a substitute. At least he wasn't questioning Nash. She wanted to make eye contact with Nash, if for no other reason than just to feel some encouragement that she wasn't about to die, but she knew better. She didn't want to do anything to cause Kendall suspicion.
And to Nash's credit, he played his part well. He acted like his passenger holding a woman at gunpoint while bleeding from his leg was an everyday occurrence.
She considered a few options of what to do when Knox came to the helipad with the contract and Fernando. But so much would depend on how Kendall and Knox decided to handle the trade-off.
The minutes dragged on. The wait was painful. Her giant captor never loosened his grip on her arm. He just stood there, stoic and bleeding, staring at the door where they both hoped Knox and Fernando would soon emerge. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened. Fernando walked out first, Knox behind him.
"The bomb's disarmed?" asked Kendall.
Fernando waved off his question like it was silly. "Yes, it's fine. Let's get out of here."
"Where's my contract?" said Kendall.
"Right here," Knox said, holding up a stack of papers. "I told Drakos to stay inside. He handed it to me on the stairwell. We don't need any more innocent people up here. Now let Allie go."
Kendall huffed. "Send Fernando over with the contract. I have to see it first. Then I'll let her go."
Knox set his jaw. His features looked like chiseled stone. "Let Allie start walking and I'll let Fernando start walking with the contract."
Kendall gave a sickening laugh. "You don't have the upper hand, and you're not giving me orders. I'm the one with the girl. You start Fernando walking this way with the contract, or I start hurting her."
To make his point, he twisted her arm behind her back. She tried not to whimper, but she gasped, and she knew Knox could see the pain on her face.
"All right!" he roared. "Let her go!"
Kendall loosened the tension on her arm a degree. Knox shoved the contract into Fernando's chest. Fernando clutched it and started walking toward Kendall. She could hear Nash walking up behind them.
"We're good to go, sir," he said, as if nothing dramatic was happening on the helipad. Cool as a cucumber, this guy.
When Fernando reached her and Kendall, Kendall shifted his weight, and she realized he was holstering his gun so that he could take the contract from Fernando. Fernando handed Kendall the contract and hopped into the helicopter.
Kendall glanced over the contract one-handed without losing his grip on Allie. She saw him fumble for the last page to make sure Drakos's signature was on it. He turned around and handed the contract into the helicopter to Fernando, then he grabbed the side of the helicopter and started to pull Allie inside.
Allie and Knox both yelled at the same time. Kendall's gun reappeared by Allie's side. Knox was running up to the helicopter but froze when he saw the gun.
The helicopter was ready to take off, and the rotor wash was whipping her hair in every direction. Kendall yelled over the roar of the rotors. "I need her. To make sure you don't shoot us out ofthe sky. I don't trust you. But you don't want any harm to come to this chopper as long as she's inside."
He lumbered his large form into the helicopter, trying to drag her in with him while pointing his gun at Knox.
She hadn't given him any resistance until now, and she knew he still underestimated her. She needed to take advantage of that, and it was now or never. When he twisted his body to get into the helicopter, he could only keep a grip on her left arm, but her right arm was now free. She didn't hesitate. Jabbing her fist as hard as she could straight into his wound, she heard his painful howl over the whirl of the rotors. His grip loosened just enough for her to pull free.
The second she was free, Knox was at her side. He slammed Kendall's arm against the side of the chopper, causing him to drop his gun. He kicked the weapon across the helipad, and she heard Kendall roaring for the pilot to take off.
Knox pulled her to the door as the skids lifted from the helipad, and practically shoved her inside the building. She knew he was probably worried Kendall had a second weapon and wouldn't hesitate firing at them from the lifting chopper.
But all she heard was the thunderous whir of the helicopter fading away.
Knox cracked the door open, and his shoulders relaxed.
