They reached the elevator without meeting any resistance. The bell chimed immediately, the large silver doors opening a couple of seconds later. They entered, and she pressed the button for the second sub level. The doors slid closed, then the unit shook—quickly dropped the two floors. She had her hand palmed on her pistol as the elevator rocked to a halt then opened.
Nothing.
She inhaled, moved out, and started walking. Over two corridors, down a short hallway then left. Ten feet, and they were at the last corridor, the storage room at the end on the left.
A scuff. Faint. From down the hallway. Ellis pressed her back into the wall, glancing at Brett then peeking around the corner. A guard, leaning against the wall, staring at something in his hand. Maybe a phone. Blocking the doorway to the room they needed.
Brett signaled to his knife, brow arched. She knew he could make the throw. Down the guy. But they didn’t have the means to clean up the mess, and leaving a pool of blood on the floor was a death sentence.
She held up her finger, took a deep breath then stepped out. Brett cursed behind her, words barely reaching her. But she was already moving. Striding down the center, muscles tensing.
Five steps and she’d closed the distance to half. Was quietly increasing her breathing—giving her body extra oxygen for the coming battle. Two more and the guard had straightened. Glanced at her over his shoulder. A smile and a nod, and he was nodding back. Eyeing her silhouette. Assault rifle angling toward the floor more as his attention swayed.
She got within a foot then lunged, darting to his left, knocking his elbow out in front of him. Altering his grip on the gun. A hand on his shoulder, a leap and a kick off the wall, and she had her thighs around his neck, was up on his shoulders. He swayed from the sudden shift in balance, and she moved with him, tipping him forward with all her weight.
She twisted, tucking her shoulder and absorbing the impact as they hit hard, before rolling onto her back, legs cinching around his neck. His arms pinned beneath him. A quick rotation and the butt end of her pistol against his head, and he was out. Limp against the concrete.
Brett was already at her side, grabbing the guy and pulling him back—checking his pulse. He eyed Ellis as she gained her feet, gaze fierce. Mouth more of a snarl than a frown. “Jesus, El? What was that?”
“Do I look like I could punch a guy that large? My strength is in my legs. And it eliminated the blood spatter your knife would have left behind.”
“At least, give me a bit more warning next time. I damn near shit my pants when you stepped out.” He jerked his thumb at the door. “This the place?”
“Yeah. Give me a second.”
She pulled out the phone, again. Went through the same process as outside—unlocked the door with a soft swoosh as itslid inward. Brett dragged the guard inside, leaving him behind the door, mouth duct-taped shut. Hands zip-tied.
It only took a minute to find the pass-locked container and open it. Stare at the motherboards stacked inside.
She removed one, getting Brett to hold it while she fished the chip out of her pocket. She held it up, cursing. “It’s a match.”
Brett looked into the box. “How many should there be in there?”
“Six.”
“I count three.”
“That son of a bitch.”
A hand on her shoulder. Firm. Comforting. “El?—”
“We’ll take one with us. Maybe we can use it as leverage…” She paused, searching his face. “You’re frowning. What’s with the frown? We have the chip, the motherboard.”
“Who knows you brought six of those back besides you and McCormick?”
It felt as if all the heat in her body just bled into the floor, leaving her chilled to the bone. “Damn it.”
“That’s what I thought. It’ll be his word against yours. We need proof he’s doing this. Records or some kind of ledger. I wouldn’t put it past the bastard to have all of his operatives lined up to take the fall if this ever gets out.”
“His office. If he’s got anything, it’ll be on his computer, here.”
The muscle in Brett’s temple jumped. “Where is it?”
“Third floor.”
“Christ.” He stabbed his fingers through his hair then checked his watch. “We’re down to six minutes before those cameras switch back to a live feed.”
“Let me grab a couple of things, then, we’re gone.”
