Memory Zero (Spook Squad 1)

He pulled her roughly to her feet. “Terry, get those bodies out of the elevator. Eddie, you ready?”

Acid burned up Sam’s throat. Sweat trickled down her forehead, dripping into her eyes, stinging. She blinked and met Gabriel’s gaze. His eyes were intense, full of anger, and yet she sensed that even now, he was holding himself in check, waiting. For what? His gaze went to the clock, then back to her. Frowning, she looked at the clock. One minute to four. It would take less than a minute to go down in the elevator. He’d asked her to wait until four before she moved. He was asking her to hold back again.

Against all reason, something deep within her trusted Gabriel. For the moment, she’d do as he asked.

Jack jerked her forward. Pain leapt like fire through her muscles, making her knees go weak. She staggered a little, trying to keep her balance.

“You’re dead meat, Kazdan.” Gabriel’s voice was flat, holding no emotion, no anger, and was all the more frightening because of it.

Jack laughed harshly. “No. You’re the meat. See that bomb? It’s primed and counting down. You have less than two minutes to say your prayers.”

Jack thrust her into the lift. She hit the wall and slid down, struggling to breathe as the bright lights danced before her eyes.

But her gaze caught Gabriel’s as the elevator doors closed, and she knew she was not alone. Somehow, he would come after her.

* * *

THE DOORS WERE BARELY CLOSED when the dead came to life. The four Feds rose, three moving across to the stairwell door and the fourth to the bomb. Flint rolled to one side, his shape shifting, re-forming, as he moved. Stephan, in his Byrne identity, got to his feet.

“I thought he was going to shoot your fucking head off,” Stephan said as he knelt beside Gabriel and dug a medi-kit out of his pocket. “You don’t know how close I came to shooting the bastard right there and then.”

“Glad you didn’t,” Gabriel said between clenched teeth. “Sethanon will be around here somewhere. We might just catch him if we let this whole thing play out.”

Stephan’s blue gaze was dubious. “And he might just let Kazdan kill Sam.”

He shook his head. “Kazdan needs her.”

“You’d better hope so.” Stephan tore the dressing open and placed it on the lid, ready to use. Then he dug the knife out of the kit and glanced up. “This will hurt.”

“Having a bullet stuck in my leg is not exactly pleasant either, believe me.” Why the fucker hadn’t blasted right through, given the close range, was beyond him. Maybe his shapechanging bones were tougher than he thought. “As the ad says, just do it.”

Stephan nodded. Gabriel moved his hands from his leg. Blood pulsed from the wound and ran freely down his thigh. Stephan cursed and slashed Gabriel’s trousers open. Then he did the same to Gabriel’s leg.

Gabriel hissed as the knife plunged into his flesh, gritting his teeth against the bellow that tore up his throat. Sweat beaded his brow and ran down his back, and yet his skin suddenly felt as cold as the arctic.

He slammed his head back and closed his eyes, trying to think of something, anything, other than the feel of the blade digging into his flesh. He saw Sam’s eyes, and the trust so evident in their shadow-ringed blue depths.

He couldn’t let her down.

“Got it,” Stephan muttered, and then, mercifully, the digging stopped. Something metallic clattered across the tiles.

He opened his eyes. With the silver bullet out of his leg, he could at least shapechange and go after Kazdan. Stephan sprayed on an antiseptic sealer, slapped on the dressing and quickly bandaged the wound.

“This isn’t going to hold for long if you insist on running around on it.”

He ignored the concern in his brother’s eyes. “Help me up.”

Stephan grabbed his arm and held him steady as he clambered upright. “At least wear one of the vests. It saved our lives. It might save yours.”

“I haven’t got the time. Besides, you may yet need it. Stopping the clone won’t be easy.” He glanced across the room. “Is that bomb safe yet?”

“Safe as houses,” the Fed said with a smile, and tossed it into the air.

“Then it’s time for me to go.”

“Try to make sure you come back alive,” Stephan said softly.

His smile was grim. “I can’t exactly come back dead, can I?” He squeezed his brother’s shoulder and headed for the stairs.