Malcolm watched the darkness out of the corner of his eyes.
He hated these back alley meetings with a passion, but it
was the only way the sub-commissioner would meet with him. The fact that he was bending to the whims of petty criminals was upsetting. Trouble was coming because he was being reckless and he knew it. He would do anything to find Claire, and his enemies were counting on it. He just hoped he could stay ahead of them.
The rough wall dug into Malcolm’s skin as he shifted away from it. Martin walked through a back door of a shop that led out into the alley with a look of apprehension and fear.
“I’d prefer to meet with the woman,” the man said with an anxious tone, “Senor Cage.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” Malcolm greeted calmly. “What do you have for me?”
“I managed to get the address of the woman you seek, but it’s going to cost you extra. One hundred thousand.” Martin fingered the manila folder in his hand with increasing worry.
“That’s double, Gonzalez,” Malcolm said threateningly. “Why is that?” His patience was wearing thin and his jaw hurt from clenching it so tightly. “Because you didn’t tell me what I was getting myself involved in. I’m pretty sure someone is following me now,” he said fearfully as he glanced around.
“Fine,” Malcolm said softly as he reached into his jacket pocket. “Will a check work for you?”
“No,” Gonzalez said quickly. “Cash only.”
“You think I walk around with seventy-five thousand in cash?” Malcolm asked sarcastically. “I brought the original amount with me. You can either take a check or the other twenty-five thousand now, and I can get the rest to you later. You are not leaving with that folder.”
The chief hesitated and then shook his head violently. “Bring me the rest later or you won’t get this folder at all!” he exclaimed.
“I see,” Malcolm said darkly. He clenched his fist tightly as his nostrils flared. He took a step forward as a bullet screamed past him. He ducked instinctively and watched as the sub-commissioner was cut down by a hail of bullets.
He dived deeper into the alley, deftly picking up the folder as he ran. He dared not turn around to determine who was shooting. He focused on running deeper into the darkness, dodging flying molten lead as he moved. A sharp sting on his arm caused him to grunt in pain and he nearly stumbled. He ducked around a corner and sprinted for the street only to see two more men appear with automatic weapons. He dived behind a dumpster as they opened fire and flinched at the sounds of the ricochets.
There was a fire escape above him that he imagined he could reach if he jumped. Tucking the folder away in his jacket, he quickly leapt up to the ladder and ascended as fast as he could. Bullets clanged off the metal guard surrounding the ladder as he climbed. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, urging him to go faster.
He reached a catwalk that led to another ladder. The men below kept shooting at him but they couldn’t get a clear shot and were missing Malcolm by a hair’s breath. As fast as his feet would take him, he climbed up to the roof, ignoring the growing pain from his arm. He didn’t know how serious his wound was and he didn’t have time to check.
All he could do was run.
Up on the roof, he was blasted with piercing light from the sun above. There were no clouds in the sky to offer protection from the harshness of the sun’s gaze. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the increased brightness. He took off running toward the other edge of the building, and didn’t hesitate to jump to the lower rooftop across another alley.
He rolled as he landed and glanced behind him. The voices of the men chasing him were coming; they had climbed the fire escape after him. He ducked around a tall pile of bricks and stayed quiet. Now, it was his turn to go on the offensive.
The man looked over the edge where Malcolm had jumped and took the same course of action. The gap was only a few feet wide, an easy task for them. Malcolm could tell they were military trained by the way they moved with extreme caution. He would need to use every ounce of his wits to get through this. He knew he was being too irresponsible, and this was the price. The only good news Malcolm could find in this situation was that the bullet had only grazed his shoulder, doing more damage to his clothes than to his body.
The breath of a man was practically down Malcolm’s neck when he pounced. He took the man by surprise, disarmed his automatic rifle and let loose three burst shots into the man’s chest. The man was wearing a bullet proof vest, but at the point blank range, he was still taken off his feet. Malcolm didn’t hesitate as he shot once more into the man’s head, killing him instantly.
The other man rounded the corner and opened fire on Malcolm. For Malcolm, it seemed as if time had stopped. He ducked quickly out of the way and aimed his rifle and fired. His shot was true and more blood and brains splattered on the rooftop. Malcolm discarded the weapon without thinking about it, and took off running. He wasn’t out of danger yet. He couldn’t risk leading the men back to the condo. He knew he would need to go to the other safe house. He needed to get word to Victoria but he dared not contact her while being chased.
He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he fearfully pulled it out into view. Worry washed over him when he saw it was Victoria calling. Something is wrong, he thought as he canceled the call. He threw his phone to the ground and crushed it beneath his heel. He couldn’t risk someone tracking his phone now and glanced around to see if anyone was coming.
For the moment, he had taken care of his pursuers, and he kept to the shadows as he moved swiftly through the city. For an hour he kept his pace, living off his adrenaline. Finally he arrived and glanced around to make sure no one was following him. Seeing no one, he stepped into an abandoned apartment building that was due for deconstruction soon.
He climbed the flights of stairs up to the top floor of the old building until he reached the apartment where he and Victoria were supposed to meet for emergencies.
“Victoria!” he said softly as he stepped through the door. He had hoped that somehow she made it here. Relief spread throughout him when the little kodkod was waiting for him at the door.
“Malcolm?” she asked, coming into his view.
He crossed the distance between them quickly and threw his arms around her tightly. “I feared the worst,” he said breathlessly.
“What’s wrong, champ?” she asked with a twinge of fear in her voice. “What happened to you?” she brushed her fingers lightly over his shoulder wound.
“I was just attacked, but I got what I needed,” he said with a grin as he pulled out the envelope. “It’s Elizabeth’s address.”
“You were what?” Victoria asked angrily. “Champ, maybe we need to think about going home. This is getting to be too much. You got attacked in an alley after someone already tried to kill us with a plane!”
He looked at her sharply and his anger grew violently even though he knew she was right to be afraid. “What did you say?”
“Claire called earlier and tried to warn me you were in danger,” she said calmly, trying to diffuse his anger. “I called but you didn’t pick up,” she said quickly, meeting his gaze.
He was stunned by her words and felt his anger evaporate instantly.
“She called?” he asked, the emotion choking the words in his throat.
She nodded. “And told me that she would find a way to contact you again, but that we needed to go back home.”
“No,” Malcolm said quickly. “That’s not going to happen.”
“But you know she’s safe! And that she cares about you. She put herself at a lot of risk to contact you,” Victoria said hotly. “Look at yourself. You just got shot at. How long can you keep getting lucky? What good are you to her dead?”
“You’re right,” Malcolm said quietly. “She did put herself at a lot of risk. I survived this attack, and if Brantford realizes that she contacted us, and thinks she had a part in my survival, he won’t hesitate to hurt her. He’s just that kind of monster.”
“You really think so?” Victoria asked as her brows knitted together anxiously. “But she’s his niece.”
Malcolm shook his head. “It doesn’t matter to him. I know that man, and I know the way he treated his sister when she would defend me.” Malcolm clenched his fist tightly and spun quickly on his heel. “We need to go. Now.”
“Malcolm, wait!” Victoria said with an increased temper. “We need a moment to catch our breath. You need that literally.”
Malcolm turned around with narrowed eyes. “Don’t try to stop me, Victoria.”
“I’m trying to save your life. If you’re dead set on going after Claire, I will be there to help you. Just not like this.” “Like what?” he demanded.
“When you’re a damn mess! Look at yourself,” she said, pointing at him accusingly. “You have barely slept since we got back from the hospital. You’ve been doing the work of ten men trying to hunt down leads, cook for me when you’re home and taking care of me.” She looked at him with soft eyes and sighed. “It’s too much for anyone to deal with, and to top it all off, you just got shot at. You need to slow down and rest, Malcolm,” she pleaded, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. “Just for the night.”
Malcolm knew she was right and glanced away sheepishly. “You make a fair point,” he admitted with a grumble.
“Damn right, I make a fair point,” Victoria said, placing her hands on her hips. “Now. Sit down and I’ll take a look at that shoulder.”