Page 10 of Until the End

Gary prattled on, spouting more lies, trying to squeeze any juicy nuggets from her, but she barely heard him. Her attention was focused over Gary’s shoulder, hooked on a man strolling in their direction with a folded newspaper under his arm. Dressed in drab cargo pants, a nondescript utility jacket, and shades, nothing about him screamed violent intent. But something did make her gut clench and set a shrill alarm dinging in the back of her head. He walked with a dark sense of purpose yet never glanced directly at her, didn’t acknowledge her staring in the slightest. Way too nonchalant.

With the ball cap and shades, she couldn’t be sure, but…was that Delta?

A creepy sensation tickled the soles of her feet and crawled up her ankles, swarming the backs of her legs like hundreds of spiders. She jumped up and spun toward Constitution Avenue.

“Hey!” Gary called after her. “Where are you going?”

She ignored him, making a beeline for the street.

Maybe she was paranoid. She had the right to be. After witnessing the massacre of her Outlier family, reading the news about how the Lair had burned to the ground, and unable to go back to her condo, it was no wonder her nerves were threadbare, but she wasn’t taking stupid chances.

Gary had insisted that they meet face-to-face and she’d chosen this park for one reason. On the other side of the park across the busy avenue was a U.S. Capitol Police guardhouse. If she made it there, within seconds, she could be surrounded by law enforcement and she’d be safe.

Not that she preferred to be in the hands of cops, faced with questions she either couldn’t or wouldn’t answer, but it was better than dying.

She tried to resist the urge to look behind her and failed, stealing a glance over her shoulder. Mr. Nonchalant swooped up behind Gary, who had risen from the bench with his hands thrust out toward her in a questioning gesture. The man swiped something from the folds of the newspaper, stuck Gary in the back of the neck, and kept walking without breaking his stride.

Crap! She whipped her head forward and quickened her step, heartbeat picking up tempo. Too bad she hadn’t popped a propranolol the second she’d spotted Gary in the park.

Gripping the strap of her bag, she glanced back at Gary. He clutched his chest, face twisted in pain, and dropped to his knees. Mr. Nonchalant was definitely Delta. He was gaining on her, chewing up the distance between them in long, fierce strides.

Her entire body tensed, her pulse hammering. If she ran and made it close enough to the Capitol Building guardhouse, her screams might catch the attention of the police. She’d have to time it just right. Delta was closing in and if he started sprinting first, he’d overtake her in a blink.

She unsnapped the side compartment of her bag and flipped off the safety lock on the pepper spray. The gusty wind tearing through the park was as likely to blow the harsh chemicals back in her face as it was to immobilize Delta, and then it’d be game over for her.

Using the spray would have to be a last-ditch move.

On the corner of Delaware Avenue, in the direction where she’d waited for Gary, a small parking booth sat parallel to the park. Maybe the attendant inside could radio for help.

Kit changed course, hustling toward it, and scanned her surroundings for any more unpleasant surprises.

When she refocused on the parking booth, she stopped short.

The attendant inside was slumped over as if unconscious. Another man came around from the side of the small structure, cutting off her path.

Oh no. Despite the ball cap, she recognized him for certain.

Bravo.

Her options went up like flash paper put to a lit match.

Blood rushed from her head and her chest tightened, insides bouncing. Urgency spiked through her. She whirled to the right, heading west, pressing on across the center patch of lawn toward the concrete Taft Memorial, speed-walking to…dang it, she had no idea where to go. But she needed an escape route and safe destination.

If she wanted to reach the Capitol Building through the park, she would have to go through Bravo. Nope, not going to happen.

Delta was still inbound, on a trajectory straight for her. Both killers were closing in. They could outrun and outmuscle her with little effort.

A frisbee sailed in front of her. The dog charged after the green disc, driving past her to nab the flying toy before it landed. The hunky dude whistled, and his dog sat on the grass smackdab in her path a few feet away.

Kit sidestepped around the dog and spotted the stairs leading out of the park down to New Jersey Avenue. Maybe if she cleared the steps quickly, she could bolt down the street to the Capitol Building before Bravo made it out of the park and intercepted her. Once she set foot on the grounds and created a spectacle, an officer would make her his business pronto.

If only she had time to pop another pill. After sprinting, she’d need it.

A hulking shadow swept up beside her, swallowing the sunlight in her peripheral vision, and a strong hand grabbed her by the elbow. Her heart somersaulted to her stomach. She jerked away but the big guy with the dog tightened his grip and towed her forward.

Her mind tripped, stumbling to catch up.

“Shit, you’re one of them?” Panic sliced through her. She swung, launching a fist at his face. It was like punching granite. She yelped and winced, agony exploding in her fingers.