They skirted the east main building, started for the cover of a short laurel hedge.It was a gamble—crossfire from the buildings could pin them down for mop-up.Henderson was obviously trusting Rowan’s acuity.
Henderson froze.Delgado went to one knee, instinctively grabbing Rowan’s wrist.She let out a short, sharp sound.
They hit the ground, Zeke’s leather jacket creaking.All save Rowan, whose knees had locked.
A small flicker of light showed in the north building.
Flashlight.Something’s not right.
“Trap!”Rowan might have thought she was screaming, but all that came out was a choked whisper.“Go back!Goback!”
The sound of the choppers got louder.Henderson was already scrambling backward, cutting for the edge of the south building that would shield them from being seen and also let them access the transport net through a hatch—Delgado knew this, because it was whathewould do.
Cath ran after him, followed by Zeke, who moved sideways, a gun in each hand.Brew and Yoshi were twin shadows.
Del curled up to his feet.He yanked on Rowan’s arm, felt her stumble.She was trying to do something, as if lifting a massive weight with her mind.Pushing, with all her strength.
There was a sharp cry from the north building, and Rowan let out a soft sound of pain.
“Leave them!”he whisper-yelled at her, yanking her along savagely.She stumbled again, he righted her, and something zinged across the quad.
Del didn’t hesitate.He pushed her hard along the escape path and almost returned fire before Henderson hissed a sharp command.Rowan stumbled around the side of the building, almost fell into Zeke’s arms.The massive man grabbed Del’s shirt and hauled him in just as more bullets chewed the air.
“Let them think we’re unarmed,” Henderson said, brief and clipped.
Delgado swallowed the instant flare of rage.He wanted to sink his hands in the throat of the man who had shot at her, wanted to hold him down and use a knife, wanted to?—
Justin!I need you.She was fighting something huge, little hitching sounds of effort as she wrestled.
He threw every spare ounce of power he had into the link, his hand clamped around her arm and Zeke dragging from the other side.The scarf came free; her pale hair trailed on a faint chill breeze as the sound of choppers roared overhead.
Henderson reached the hatch, knelt, and keyed in the security code.Miracle of miracles, it opened, a round slice of metal.The old man covered them as Catherine scrambled down into darkness.So did Yoshi, followed by Brew, Del pushed Rowan at Zeke.
“Get her down!”he said, and glanced up just as the choppers roared overhead.
Rowan half-fell into the access hatch, and he knew she was safe.Zeke followed, then Henderson.
Glaring white poured down, blinding him.Delgado dropped into a crouch, then rolled as bullets dug into the frozen earth.Clumsy, sloppy.I’d take that kid to the range and make him practice.
He felt Rowan’s instinctive horrified cry and her talent coiling, striking like a snake.The light above yawed, and Del saw Henderson vanish down the hole.
“Comeon, Del!”Henderson’s voice crackled over the commlink.
“Go,” Del said.The chopper veered off, but another one was coming.He could see what they couldn’t, a line of dark shapes on the quad, lit by the backwash of glare from four choppers sweeping in from the west.“I’ll cover you.Get to an exit.”
“Del, get your ass down here.That’s an order!”
“Hurry up, old man.Get Rowan out.”Del’s night-eyes had just begun to come back after the assault of searchlight.The chopper that had spotted them veered crazily toward the field.
Justin!Her mental cry was sharp and despairing.Every cell in his body wanted to turn back, go down the hole.But a quick calculation of the numbers told him the Sigs would pour down after them, and it would become a desperate fight in the dark.
Go, angel.I’ll see you soon.He kicked the access hatch shut, sent a round into the keypad, and took a deep breath.The Sigs were almost around the corner—even he could sense them now.
Justin!Stop it, come on!
“Can’t even if I wanted to, angel,” he muttered, bending almost double and running for the building.“Go.For God’s sake, old man, get her out.”
He reached the back door just as the first Sig took the corner, spraying the area around the hatch with gunfire.Del slipped into the darkness, leaving the door open slightly, gun held ready.
