Red Awakening (Red Zone 2)

Four blocks from CommTECH Research Center

Houston, Northern Territory

Sandi closed her cell phone with a snap. “The Mercer brothers have arrived.”

Striker tore his eyes from Freedom’s latest broadcast. He hoped to hell that Keiko hadn’t seen her friend die live on TV. That kind of thing could destroy a person, and she needed all of her wits about her to get out of that building alive.

“Did you hear me?” Sandi asked, her eyes flicking to the screens. “CommTECH’s heads of security are here.”

“Jus’ what we need.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. They were working blind, with no idea if Mace was even still alive. He glanced at the screens showing the area around the building. “Enforcement is gathering an army.”

“They’re going to storm the building,” Sandi said.

Friday clutched at his arm. “We can’t let them do that.”

“I don’t think we can stop them.” Even now that more of his team had turned up, they were still desperately outnumbered. Eighteen Red Team Warriors against what looked like the whole of Northern Territory’s Enforcement personnel—those weren’t good odds.

“Stopping Enforcement from getting into the building is the least of our problems,” Hunter said. “They’ve got the place completely surrounded. There are no gaps that Mace could slip through. Whichever way he comes out, Enforcement will be waiting to pick him up.”

“Maybe we can’t stop them from going into the building,” Gray said, “but we could thin the crowd waiting outside some.”

Striker looked at his teammate. “What are you thinking?”

Gray looked disconnected—bored, even—but his answer was sharp. “Right now, the only focus Enforcement has is the research building. If another CommTECH building was attacked, we’d lose some of the force here to other sites. It would create gaps around the building and give Mace a better chance of getting out.”

“We can’t attack another CommTECH building.” Friday was outraged. “We can’t put people’s lives at risk just to get Mace out.”

“He wasn’t thinking about endangering any more civilians, bébé,” Striker said. “Were you, Gray?”

The man shrugged. “I was thinking more along the lines of some strategically placed charges. Big bangs that would attract a lot of attention but cause minimal damage.”

Striker nodded and covered the few short feet to Hunter’s desk. “How many more CommTECH buildings are there in Houston?”

Hunter already had the information onscreen. “Six major ones.”

Striker eyed his team. “Pair up. Make some noise. Gray, you coordinate. Keep Hunter in the loop.”

Gray nodded, and the team dispersed.

Striker watched them with longing as they ran out the door. “I should be out there with them.”

“You can’t.” Friday stroked his back. “You’d endanger them just by showing your face.”

He hated that she was right. Ever since he’d escaped in Bolivia, leaving CommTECH’s head of security dead behind him, Miriam had been desperate to get hold of him. It hadn’t helped that his animal had been caught on security cameras, too, raising questions that the team didn’t want answered.

“It ain’t right,” he said. He was hiding, staying safe, while his team took risks. If ever there was a downside of being on Enforcement’s most-wanted list, it was that.

“I know.” She rested her forehead against his back. “I want to ask you if everything is going to be okay, and I want you to tell me it will. Stupid, isn’t it? You can’t give me that assurance. Nobody can.”

“I can tell you this, bébé. In all the time I’ve known him, there ain’t never been a hard spot Mace couldn’t get out of. This time won’t be no different.”

“I hope you’re right,” she whispered.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The hot water poured over Keiko, mingling with her tears and flowing down the drain beneath her. There was no stopping the tears this time. No pretending they were caused by fear. They were from grief. Soul-deep, agonizing grief.

A sob ripped from her mouth as she rolled her forehead on the cool glass of the shower. She should have been with Abigail. She should have been there standing beside her friend, trying to protect her. Maybe if Freedom had her, they wouldn’t have sacrificed the scientists. Maybe Abigail would still be alive. Was it her fault that her friend was dead? Should Keiko have turned herself in to Freedom? Would it have changed anything?