Coulter grabbed a defibrillator and hit the power. The unit primed, a hushed whine curling around him as he lunged at the guy. Pressing the button, Coulter jammed the paddles against either side of the man’s head.
The merc jerked, arms thrashing, head thrown back before crumpling to the ground, legs still twitching. Coulter kicked his side, waited to see if he’d push through before dropping the paddles and tugging Neve into his arms when she shimmied out from behind the cart.
He cupped her face, kissing her hard on the mouth, then grabbed her hand. “Exit. Now.”
He spun, wove back through the maze of machines and debris only to hit another fire wall, the slatted metal pieces refusing to budge. Neve tapped his arm, pointed to the far side where a stainless-steel hatch gleamed orange against the fire’s glow.
He darted over, used the hem of his hoodie to lift the metal door then stared into the gaping hole behind it. “Looks like a laundry chute, but I can’t tell how far down it goes.”
Neve shrugged. “Beats burning.”
“Until we break our necks from the fall. Or land in the middle of a whole squad of Fraser’s cleaning crew.”
“I’m not sure we have a choice — we can’t stay here. It’s already so hot, I can barely breathe. Any more smoke, and we’ll be dead before we make up our minds.”
“I’ll go… shit.”
Coulter shoved her aside as the guy he’d shocked barreled across the room, slamming into the wall as if he’d been unable to stop. Bouncing off it, he took a swing at Coulter, stumbling a couple steps when he missed.
Coulter fisted the guy’s shirt, tossed him back toward the flames. “Go, I’ll be right behind you.”
Neve hesitated, her hand hovering over her sidearm, when one of the other tanks blew, spewing a ball of fire into the air. She gripped the edge of the opening, climbing into the chute before wedging her body against the side.
Her boots whined against the sheet metal until she vanished from view, leaving that black hole staring back at Coulter. He focused on the guy, the heat so damn intense Coulter thought it would blister his skin as they circled each other, both looking for an opening, a weakness.
The merc blinked, eyes not quite focused, his movements jerky, as if the proper signals weren’t getting through despite the strength in his strikes. How he kept going no matter how many times Coulter connected — knocked him on his ass.
Time counted down, more of the ceiling engulfed in flames when Coulter got him in a headlock, arm tight around his throat, the other cinched across the back of his neck. The man lashed out, landing a few punches before his strength finally waned, his body going limp a moment later.
Coulter dragged him over to the chute, lifted him up then shoved him inside, used him as ballast as he heaved himself up — rode that guy down two floors, landing on top as the merc smacked into the floor, blood pooling beneath his head.
Coulter rolled off, sweeping the area with his Sig, smoke already creeping down the chute and across the ceiling. An eerie silence smothered the dark room, only a hint of light seeping in through a couple of narrow, transom windows along the top of the walls.
The hairs along his nape prickled, and he dove for cover as a knife sliced through the air, hitting the wall behind where he’d been standing. Footsteps tapped the floor, a lone figure moving across the room.
The guy chuckled. “Ya know, when I found Neve in here all alone, I knew you wouldn’t be far behind. You’re like a damn cockroach. Impossible to kill.”
Fraser’s voice bellowed through the space, the emptiness throwing it back at him.
Fear punched Coulter in the gut, but he pushed it down. “Where is she?”
Fraser gestured toward a darkened alcove. “Resting. I’ll admit, the girl hits hard. Even landed a strike with her knife, but…” He flipped the blade in his hand. “I thought for sure she’d risk blowing us all up and take a shot, but… Don’t worry. I didn’t kill her, yet.” He took a step closer. “I want to show her your lifeless eyes, first. Prove I’ve always been the better warrior.”
“Then, I hope you’ve got more men, or have I killed all of them?”
Fraser shrugged. “The rest weren’t worth saving.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because they were like you, not me.”
Coulter inched around a generator, a couple fuel drums making him acutely aware of how much the temperature was rising. How it wouldn’t be long before the liquid ignited, took the rest of the building with it. “Guess they were smarter. You do know that drug’s a death sentence, right? That you’re a ticking time bomb?”
“We’re all going to die. It’s what you do before that matters. And right now…” His voice trailed off before he appeared insanely close. “I’m a god.”
He struck, tossing Coulter across the room as if he weighed nothing, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. He rolled, gained his feet in time to block Fraser’s next strike in the cross of his arms, that knife only inches from Coulter’s chest.
Fraser leaned in, mouth curved into a smirk. “What’s wrong, Barrett? I thought you Tier One guys were hardcore. Built like tanks.”
