They made it to the lifts and Simon dragged her close after pushing the down button. He didn’t want to lose sight of her for a minute.
“Do you need a ride?” Adam asked but Simon could already hear the sound of his fingers pounding on keys. Adam was smart and fast. He would be out in the ether of the web looking for anything about Chelsea. He would have some kind of answers by morning.
“No, I’m calling a cab if I need one. Thanks.” He was calling Jesse as soon as he hung up. Now that he thought about it, it would be better to have Jesse with him anyway. They could take Jesse’s car and trade it for Simon’s extra. Jesse was his partner. While he could call on anyone at McKay-Taggart, he preferred to use Jesse. Jesse was loyal to him. Jesse was his closest friend. Certainly there was the problem of his itchy trigger finger, but Simon wouldn’t trust anyone above him.
Simon hung up the phone.
“Where are we going?” Her eyes were up, watching the lights above the lift, her expression tight.
“Someplace safe.”
“Do you happen to have a name for this magical safe place?”
Sometimes her humor eluded him. “A motel full of prostitutes and criminals.”
“Awesome. I’m really excited about the way the whole day’s gone. I should have stayed in Europe.”
The door dinged and he prepared to get in. He’d lose the signal in the lift so he’d have to call Jesse when he got to the bottom. He’d have Jesse drive her around town for hours if he needed to, though he should ditch Jesse’s Jeep as soon as he could get to his secondary vehicle.
The doors opened and a man was standing there. Tall and lean, there was no question of who he was looking for. Even if there had been, all questions would have been answered as he lifted his gun and fired.
* * * *
Chelsea had only a second to react as the elevator doors opened revealing the next asshole who was trying to kill her. Unfortunately for him, he was also trying to kill Simon. Simon immediately pushed her aside and she hit the wall.
Pure adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her leg gave out and she fell, her ass hitting the floor. Pain flared but she forced herself to her knees. Time was of the essence. She wasn’t fast, but she had to be for Simon’s sake. He wouldn’t do the smart thing. He wouldn’t leave her behind and save himself.
The big guy was dressed in head to toe black. He strode out of the elevator, leveling his gun, a Ruger she was pretty sure, right at Simon’s head. Terror pulsed through her system. She wouldn’t be able to handle watching him die. She couldn’t stand the thought of that big, gorgeous man silent and still forever.
Simon was on top of it. Before she could even struggle to her feet, he turned and put a slug in the man’s torso. She heard a second shot blare through the hallway. The other man slammed back into the elevator and out of her view. Simon was on top of her. He pressed the SIG into her hands.
“Time to go, love.” He hauled her up and into his arms without showing a single sign that her weight bothered him. “I’m afraid this is going to be the quickest of our options. Can you protect my back?”
She was nestled in his arms as he began to jog down the hallway to the stairs. She hated it, but he was right. Even carrying her, he was faster than she was without any impediments at all. Because of her stupid leg she would have to watch both their backs. He carried her high against his chest, allowing her to look over his shoulder.
He opened the door to the stairs and wasn’t even showing the strain of carrying both her and his go bag. “There’s a service lift at the end of each hall. I’ll take us down a few floors and then cut over to them and we’ll try to sneak out of the back entrance.”
Even though he kept his voice low, it reverberated through the empty stairwell. The lights cast everything in shadows and her heart was still pounding. “I’ll feel better when we’re in a car.”
“Can’t take the car now, love. That’s why I’m avoiding the parking garage. They very likely identified my vehicle and we know how much these men love a good bomb.”
“Shit.” She hadn’t even thought of that. He was going to lose that gorgeous Audi. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Just reach into my pocket and grab the burner. Call Jesse. When he answers tell him I need a ride to the airport and then hang up. It’s code for him to get his arse here and quickly.”
They seemed to have codes for everything. She wasn’t sure why when they could just as easily say what they wanted, but then she wasn’t the cool spy chick. Chelsea did as Simon asked, dialing the number from memory. Charlotte had forced her to memorize the team’s numbers in case she found herself in a bind—or with a death squad on her heels. Jesse answered on the second ring and Chelsea gave him Simon’s code.
“Understood.” The code seemed to mean something to Jesse as he hung up.
“He was a little abrupt. Does that mean he’s coming to get us?”
“Yes. He’ll drop whatever he was doing and get here as fast as he can. If he was at home that should only be a few moments. He’s two blocks down from here.” Simon made quick work of the stairs but that was when they heard the door open above them. Simon stopped and flattened against the wall.
“It won’t do any good, Weston,” a voice from above said. “I’m not alone and while you’ve got great aim, those bullets you’re using won’t get through the vests we’re wearing. We’re far better armed and protected than any army you’ve come against before.”
“Shit,” Simon cursed under his breath.
“Fortunately for you, we’re also more reasonable than most armies,” the should-have-been-dead man said in a flat, Midwestern tone. “All we want is the package Mr. Krum sent to your girl and we’ll be more than happy to live and let live. As long as she hasn’t opened it, of course. To tell you the truth, we would greatly prefer to employ Miss Dennis than to fight with her.”
“You’re with The Collective.” Simon’s arms tightened around her. He had his back out, shielding her from any bullet that might come their way.
She looked up at him. They’d dealt with The Collective a couple of times before. Just a few days ago, she’d been working on an op in Europe involving the shadowy organization made up of some of the world’s most powerful companies and wealthiest men. They’d formed a sort of star chamber that oversaw the interests of the companies involved from corporate espionage to murder for hire. They seemed to love recruiting former intelligence agents.