Stone Cold

Only silence greeted this verbal right cross from Gray.

Gray waited a moment and then added, “You also might want to see who else I stumbled on while I was on my way here.”

CHAPTER 91

FINN’S HEART SANK as he saw Milton being marched in between two of Gray’s men.

From behind the concrete parapet on the balcony Stone’s finger eased near the trigger of his rifle. He could take both men out before they could harm Milton. The only problem was he didn’t know where the rest of Gray’s strike team was. He needed to flush them out.

Fi

Gray shook his head. “Actually, Harry, it’s just starting.”

He nodded to his men as he backed out with Simpson. When they reached safety, Simpson called out, “By the way, John, I was the one who ordered the hit on you. No one leaves Triple Six voluntarily. My only regret was we didn’t get you then. But good things come to those who wait.”

From the balcony Stone stared down at the spot where Simpson was speaking from. The senator was smart enough to have put a thick wall between them. For an instant Stone’s mind went blank, then everything clicked back on. He had a job to do and nothing Simpson could say would interfere with that. He raced over to a large powered winch they’d set up earlier.

On cue, Fi

The barrier hit its mark perfectly, landing a foot in front of Fi

Gray’s two men took aim at Milton, the easiest target. Before their fingers could squeeze the triggers, two rounds from Stone’s weapon fired a second apart killed them.

Next to Stone was a long electrical cord attached to a power strip. He hit a button and the entire room went black.

Stone raced down from the balcony. He had memorized the number of steps and turns, so the darkness didn’t slow him much. He dropped on top of a flat roller that they’d found in a storage room, the kind that mechanics use to glide under cars. He slid across the floor of the Great Hall, heading toward Milton. The original plan had been to get Fi

He called out, “Fi

Fi

As he rolled along, Stone blinked rapidly, making his eyes adjust to the absence of light. He hit one dead body, his fingers snagging the NV goggles off the dead man’s belt. As he put them on he said, “Milton!”

“Over here,” Milton answered weakly.

Stone powered on the goggles and looked to his right. Milton was lying there, his hands over his head. The other dead man had fallen on top of him.

Stone asked, “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

Stone pulled the body off his friend and, “double-decking” on the roller, they slid across the room toward the stairs to the balcony while Fi

Stone said to Milton, “I’m taking you to A

“Oliver, I can’t go out that way.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve got claustrophobia.”

Stone sighed. “All right, then you can leave with me.”

“No tight places,” Milton said nervously.

“It’s all tight places in here, Milton,” Stone snapped. “Did you see how many men Gray brought with him?”

“A dozen.”

“Then he has ten left.”

Stone knew that the next part of their escape involved ru

Stone pulled off his goggles, tensed and then hit the button on the power strip again. Lights blazed on all over. He heard voices calling out in pain. Gray’s men. When bright lights came on and you were caught wearing your NV goggles, the result was you wouldn’t be seeing anything except hot stars for at least a minute.

He and Milton ran for it.

No sooner had they gotten behind cover than Gray’s men recovered and opened up with overwhelming firepower. Stone left Milton and raced off again. Fi

With this shield they made their way back to relative safety and collected Milton. They sprinted down the hall and through a series of doors, handing a terrified David off to A

A

“Long story and no time to tell it,” Stone said. “You and David can get out through the ducts. Milton will come with us.”

Fi

Finally Fi

“Dad, they’re going to kill you. They’re going to.”

“I’ve been in tougher spots than this, believe me,” Fi

A

They helped her and David into the duct. Fi

They came to a stop at a secured door. Stone shot the lock off, and Fi

“That’ll take us to the Jefferson Building,” Fi

Stone nodded. “Caleb told me how to get out of the Jefferson without anyone seeing us. Harry, you go first, Milton in the middle and I’ll bring up the rear.”

Milton peered down the long, dark corridor. “Are you sure it’s safe?”

“As safe as-”

Stone never knew where the shot came from. He barely heard it. He never saw Fi

All he saw was the look on Milton’s face. The eyes widened slightly, as though he was only mildly surprised. Then he dropped to his knees, still looking up at Stone. The blood started dripping from his mouth. He only said one word: “Oliver?”

Then Milton Farb dropped face-first to the hard floor, his body twitched once and he lay still, the large hole dead center of his back oozing red.

Stone had seen many wounds just like that one, all of them fatal.

Milton was dead.

Fi

Stone knelt down, lifted his friend’s body up, carried it over to a corner and placed him gently down. He closed the blank eyes and put the small, slender hands over the still chest. Then he rose, clenched his weapon and walked past Fi

Harry Fi

Everything. He saved me, my mother and my son. I owe him everything.

He gripped his gun and raced after Oliver Stone.