“I told you to go this way,” she said with clear amusement in her voice.
“Don’t tease me, my wife.” We rushed around another corner and I pushed us both against the wall, trying to ascertain how close they were. “Keep a look out.”
“I’m looking. You just need to figure out how to get us out of here.” She yanked the magazine from the assault rifle, determining how many shots were left before shoving it back inside.
“Me, huh? Since you’re so smart, where are we going?”
Another sound drew my attention. The fuckers were getting closer.
As I took deep breaths, I rubbed sweat from my face and glanced behind me. I could see myriad offices, but no sign of another exit. The small building was like some freaking maze.
Backing away, I wasn’t certain what to tell her.
Where the fuck were we supposed to go?
“Senhor, por aqui.” The man’s voice was insistent. The priest telling us to come this way.
What the hell? He was more than just a priest. That much I’d already ascertained. Given I’d pulled in a couple of favors, I’d realized the friend I’d contacted had faith in the priest. Thathad raised my hackles and at this point, beggars couldn’t be choosers. We needed all the help we could get.
Emmeline squeezed my arm and we followed him, surprised to see that he was taking us behind a hidden wall panel.
What the hell?
Once behind the thick panel, he swung a metal bar across the doorway. No one was getting inside without being allowed in. The room itself was larger than I’d anticipated, two walls covered with what appeared to be security and communications equipment.
Who in the hell were these people?
The two witnesses, a man and a woman, had changed, all three now wearing fatigues. You bet I’d called in a few favors, asking an old buddy of mine who worked for the CIA for assistance in finding a safe church and how to go about getting married on the fly.
We’d gone back several years, the one time I’d helped law enforcement solve a crime and in doing so, I’d saved not only his life but also that of his family.
While some might say he owed me, burning this connection hadn’t been necessary.
Although at this moment, I was more than grateful he had.
“I’m not going to ask,” I said to the priest.
“Don’t, Mr. Giovanni. It’s best you don’t know. But I’m Francoise Barnett. Sorry for the clandestine operation. We were hoping you hadn’t invited additional guests to your wedding.” He was grinning while nodding to the two others.
Snorting, I glanced at the others, still tense from what we’d just experienced. “I assure you they weren’t on my side of the family.”
“They always blame the wife,” Emmeline barked in her cute way.
Francoise laughed. “You can trust the other two. They’re highly trained operatives. Aren’t you guys?”
“Yeah, yeah,” the male tossed out. “More skilled than you are, buddy.”
It was obvious they’d worked together for some time. I’d yet to tell my lovely wife that while I’d been out, I’d made a phone call to someone I’d had a feeling could help us, both by fulfilling the promise made and with a heightened level of protection. I was damn glad I’d made the call.
Why I’d been hesitant I wasn’t certain, but it was good to have friends all over the world.
“You’re from the company,” I said, using the euphemism my buddy had used more than once.
The three of them looked at each other, which prompted Emmeline and me to do to the same. “We’re more highly trained than the usual operatives.”
“You knew we were being chased,” Emmeline said.
“We had an idea.” The priest grabbed a set of keys. “Under the church there’s an old secret hideaway built a long time ago. Sometimes it floods even after the waterproofing done but we’ve been dry lately. You can go through the tunnel, you’ll end up about two miles from here. There’s a small building. When you walk out, you’ll be in a parking lot. There’s a specialized Charger you can use to get away. Mostly bulletproof. There’s some cashinside, fake passports, and other identification to help you get out of the country.”
