He glanced out through the open space.This had to be good enough to use against them.He didn’t want to stand out there for much longer.
“I think we should get her friend to help us draw her out.And the boyfriend too,” the deep voice suggested.Micah decided that the man with the deep voice sounded like the smarter of the two men.At least he was attempting to problem solve their dilemma rather than sitting back to let the police handle things.
Considering they’d already murdered one man, there was no reason to stop now.In the army, they didn’t stop until the mission was accomplished.
“You just won’t let it rest, will you?”The snide voice sounded annoyed now, and Micah wondered if they always argued like this.They weren’t teammates the way he, Rex, Di, Mac, and the others were.“If you think that will work, then go for it.Give her a call along with detailed instructions.She’s not too smart, you don’t want her to mess this up for us.”
Her?Micah glanced at Bryn.She nodded at the unspoken question in his eyes confirming they were both thinking the same thing.
Gwen or Tabitha.Either one could be involved, but his gut leaned toward Gwen.It made sense that if these two men were hired by Richard, then they’d know Gwen was on their side.His gut clenched at the thought of Gwen telling these two that Bryn and Micah had been there to see her.He had no doubt Gwen would throw Bryn to the wolves to save herself.
Whatever.Micah decided they’d heard enough.They’d gotten what they needed, and they’d already been standing there longer than he’d planned.There was no reason to risk being caught.This audio recording would surely be enough to exonerate Bryn.
Glancing at her, he silently gestured for her to back away from the opening.She took one step along the wall, then another.Soon they were several feet from the doorway leading into the office area.
After getting that far, he gestured toward the opening leading out to the back of the building.The goal was to retrace their earlier steps, going out the same way they’d entered the structure.He thought there was probably additional exits out of the data center located on each of the opposite ends of the structure, but there wasn’t enough time to find them now.Better to take the familiar path.
Time was of the essence.Now that they’d found something useful, he was on board with the idea of going to the closest police station.The sooner they were able to get this recording heard by those in law enforcement, the better.
That thought had him realizing he needed to send it to Rex now.He pulled out his phone and ended the audio recording.Then he sent it to Rex via a text message, including the information that there were two men involved and that they were currently at the data center construction site.
After he sent the message, he noticed Rex’s earlier message had been to inform him that the license plate of the SUV belonged to a rental car.Rex added that he was still trying to get the identity of the person who’d secured the rental.
Micah swallowed a groan, knowing he shouldn’t have been surprised.Of course, the two gunmen had rented a car after he’d disabled their original ride.
He glanced at Bryn, then decided to fill her in later.They needed to get out of there.He held her gaze, then gestured toward the opening on the other side of the room.Then he tapped his watch to indicate they were running out of time and needed to move.
She frowned but then reluctantly nodded.He knew how badly she wanted to put a face with the voices they’d heard, but this wasn’t the time.
He waited, hoping that the two men would start talking again.They would be less likely to hear them sneaking out of there if they were busy discussing the planned execution of him and Bryn.
“She’s not picking up the phone,” deep voice said.
“Keep trying,” the other man replied.“She’s probably avoiding you on purpose.”
“She wouldn’t dare,” deep voice said.
This was exactly what he’d wanted.Hoping they stayed engrossed in their task of talking to Gwen about setting a trap for Bryn, Micah stepped forward, taking the lead.He intended to get out of there as swiftly and quietly as possible.
They’d barely gone ten feet when the sound of a nail skittering across the floor had him freezing in place.He turned and glanced back at Bryn whose face had gone pale.
“Did you hear that?”Even though they were farther from the office now, the raised voice was clearly audible.“Someone’s out there!”
He frantically waved at Bryn to run, even as he turned to face the opening, holding his gun up in two hands.But rather than sprinting across the opening and leaving the building, Bryn darted straight for the opening.
No!Micah’s unspoken cry locked in his throat.He stared in horror as she offered herself up like a lamb to the wolves.
“I hear you’re looking for me,” Bryn said loudly.“Here I am.I think I deserve to understand what’s going on here before you kill me.”
What was she doing?He wanted to scream in frustration.Various scenarios spun through his mind, but none were good.He swiftly moved back to the wall.He wanted to call 911 but didn’t want the two men to know he was out there.
He texted Rex with one hand, asking him to notify the police, while holding his weapon in the other.
Their chances of getting out of there alive were slim to none.But he wasn’t going down without a fight.
Micah grimly acknowledged he might die there today, but if that was the case, he would make sure to take at least one of the other gunmen down with him.
And he silently prayed he’d find a way to save Bryn from suffering the same fate.
