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Monk noticed the cap of steel on the back of the wolves' skulls. Hunters from the underground city. Scouts. There could be more.
Monk quickly gathered Konstantin and Kiska. Marta appeared, with Pyotr riding her back. Monk collected the boy and pointed.
Run! he whispered.
They took off together. If there were other hunters on the trail behind them, they would have to get past the bear. It offered some protection.
Monk glanced back as the battle continued amid roars and howls. The bear had reacted with swift and deadly aggression, responding with a blind hostility that bordered on fury. Did the bear have experience with these wolves? Had the soldiers hunted the woods with them? Or was it something more fundamental, a reaction to an affront against nature. Like a lioness swiftly killing off a deformed cub.
Either way, it bought Monk and the children some extra leeway.
But for how long?
2:28 P. M.
Agra, India
Gray herded everyone across the shattered restaurant. Without a clear target, the continual barrage from the sniper had died down to bursts, enough to keep them pi
Moving in a crouch, Gray aimed for the fire exit. The stairwell opened beside the elevator. They dared not use the lift. Whoever arranged this ambush surely had people posted in the lobby, watching the front exit and elevator bay. To call for the lift would only alert any men posted below. They'd be trapped. The only hope was to use the stairs to reach another level of the hotel and hole up in one of the rooms and regroup.
Their route to the stairwell was confounded by the rotation of the floor, but
Gray knew the motion had also saved Dr. Masterson's life. That first bullet had been meant for the back of the professor's skull. The rotation of the floor must have thrown off the sniper's aim, turning a fatal shot into a grazing wound.
Gray had to give the old guy some credit. After the initial shock, he seemed hardly fazed. He pressed a cloth napkin against his ear, already soaked with blood. He had somehow managed to grab his white hat and had it perched aslant on his head. Rosauro kept to his side, bearing the man's ivory-handled cane.
Gray and Elizabeth reached the stationary lobby of the restaurant, followed a step behind by Rosauro and Masterson. The stairs, Gray said.
On it.
Rosauro dashed across the lobby in two ru
Gray heard it immediately. Boots pounded up the tile stairs. Many boots.
Seven to ten, Rosauro assessed.
They were too late.
Hold them back, Gray ordered and rolled over to the elevator.
Noting his destination, Elizabeth reached for one of the call buttons, but Gray blocked her before she could press it. According to the lighted display above the doors, the cage was still waiting at the lobby level. It was surely under watch.
Gray scooted over to one of the restaurant's service stations and found a carving knife and an armful of folded tablecloths. He returned to the elevator and slipped the knife between the doors. He levered the blade enough to get his fingers and the tip of a boot through the gap. With a single heave, he shoved the doors open.
As he did so, the crack of a pistol blasted followed by a cry of surprise and pain from the stairwell. A short spat of gunplay followed. But Rosauro had the higher ground. Gray didn't know how long that advantage would hold out. If they rushed her post, she'd be swamped.
They had to move fast.
Beyond the open doors, the elevator shaft was pitch dark. Two oily cables dangled. There was also a metal service ladder to one side.
They'd never have time to climb.
Gray passed the tablecloths to Masterson and Elizabeth. He showed them how to bundle them between their hands. It's only a short step, he assured them and pointed to the cables. Hang tight and brake with your shoes. Try not to make too much noise when you get to the cage below. Wait for us there.
He got a worried nod from Elizabeth and a roll of the eyes from Masterson. But the gunfire discouraged any dissent. Elizabeth pressed forward first. She reached out with her wrapped hands and leaped to the cables. With a small cry, she slid down the shaft.
Once she disappeared into the gloom, Masterson followed, securing his cane under his pant belt, like a sword in a scabbard. He was tall and long-limbed enough to reach the cables by stretching his arms out.
Down he went.
Go! Rosauro called to him. She did not turn but fired two quick shots. I'll be right behind you.
The elevator latch
Go, Pierce!
Gray knew better than to argue with a woman especially one with a gun. He bundled his hands, leaped, and mounted the cable. He slid down with a shout back to Rosauro.
Before he even finished his yell, she appeared at the lip overhead, limned against the brightness. She swung to the service ladder, yanked the inside latch, and closed the elevator doors. Darkness swallowed Gray as he slid down the cable. He felt the line shake as Rosauro joined him.
Gray's eyes quickly grew accustomed to the gloom. Weak light filtered through each level's doors. As he slid past the floors, counting them down, he made out the shadowy elevator car below. Two figures huddled together at one corner.
A tiny flicker of flame ignited below.
Elizabeth's cigarette lighter.
Gray braked his descent and landed lightly atop the elevator.
A moment later, Rosauro dropped next to him.
Gray found the service hatch. He removed his own weapon and opened the hatch enough to peek through. The cage was empty below, the doors closed. He motioned the others to remain on top.
Gripping the edge of the hatchway with one hand, Gray swung down and dropped into a crouch, his weapon up. He reached for the button that opened the doors.
He heard shouts and panic coming from the lobby. The gunfire had stirred the sleepy hotel into a beehive.
Just as well.
The chaos could serve them.
Gray hit the button, and the doors parted. He darted out as soon as there was enough space and ducked to the left, where a waist-high planter supported a dwarf palm tree.
The lobby churned and milled with people. Management yelled in both Hindi and
English.
Steps away, Gray immediately picked out two people who looked too calm, wearing jackets despite the heat. Hands in pockets. He noted earpieces in place.
They spotted him, too.
But his sudden and unexpected appearance caught them off guard. Despite the crowd, Gray had no choice but to react quickly. A prolonged firefight would only threaten more lives.
With his weapon already raised through the palm leaves, he squeezed the trigger and dropped the first man with a headshot. Pivoting on his toe, he squeezed twice more in rapid succession, knowing his aim was not as fixed. The first shot struck the man's shoulder, spi
The gunman fired through the pocket of his jacket, but Gray dropped to the floor as plaster blasted behind him. Lying on his shoulder, arms extended, he fired again, a few inches from the floor. The assailant's ankle exploded, and he toppled face forward and hit the marble floor hard with his chin, shattering bone. He didn't move again.
Gray turned to the elevator in time to see the cage doors slip closed.
The bystanders in the lobby, stu
Gray stabbed the button.
Nothing.
He glanced up to the lighted display. The elevator had been called.