Panic

Leopold dropped the cumbersome book and stepped backward, keeping his eyes fixed on his opponent’s advance, until he reached the desk, where he was forced to stop. Pulse racing, he kept his gaze trained on Viktor, while his right hand moved down to his belt and he began to quietly unhook the metal buckle.

The attack came faster than he had expected, and Leopold moved too slowly to avoid Viktor’s huge fist as it co

Fresh oxygen returned to Leopold’s lungs, and he lashed out hard with his right leg as Viktor relaxed his grip, catching him at the knee and toppling the enormous man to the floor.

Viktor growled and got to his feet. He attacked wildly with both arms, blindly flailing in an attempt to land a lucky hit as one side of his face swelled and obscured his vision. He stepped forward and lashed out, but Leopold sidestepped him and aimed another kick to the back of his leg, forcing the commander to his knees. Leopold summoned the last of his strength and grabbed hold of the heavy desk chair, hoisting the ornate frame above his head before slamming it down hard on to the soldier’s skull. The shock left his arms feeling numb.

Viktor crumpled to the floor and didn’t move again. Leopold felt his forehead throb, suddenly dizzy. He sat down on the chair he had just used on Viktor. He was surprised it had survived the impact.

“Leopold!” shouted Mary, stepping through the doorway. “Are you okay?”

Leopold nodded but didn’t speak. Jerome entered behind Mary and nodded in appreciation at Leopold’s handiwork. The battered consultant groaned and got to his feet, stumbling slightly. Mary caught hold of his arm and steadied him. She looked worried.

“I’m fine,” croaked Leopold. “Just a little dizzy. We need to keep moving.”

Mary reluctantly agreed and helped him back out into the hallway, where he began to feel a little steadier. She let go and drew her gun. Jerome did the same.

“I didn’t hear any shots,” said Leopold. “What happened?”

“Jerome took his guy out pretty fast,” Mary replied. “After that, it was two against one. No need for guns.”

“Stark must be upstairs,” said Leopold. “We need to take him out before he realizes he’s outnumbered and does something desperate.”

Chapter 41

The next floor was deserted, and Jerome swept through quickly, checking for traps. Nothing. Leopold kept his eyes wide open, now fully adjusted to the dark, and watched for any sign of movement. As they reached the next flight of stairs Leopold felt his pulse quicken. They were nearly there, just a few seconds away from Stark and Christina. The last set of stairs ended at a closed door, the master bedroom. A perfect place from which to run tactical operations and keep Christina close by. Jerome reached for the handle. It was locked.

Leopold heard a muffled voice, barely audible, coming from inside. It sounded like a woman’s voice. Jerome shook the door but it wouldn’t budge. He told the others to step back, and he used his shoulders to slam the frame, eventually crashing through the door on the third attempt.

The room was brightly lit and spa

Jerome seemed to hear it too, and crossed the room in a few long strides. He attempted to slide the closet door open, but it wouldn’t budge.

“What’s the problem?” asked Leopold, walking over.

“There’s something behind here,” replied the bodyguard, checking the seals around the panel with his finger tips. “Something that’s supposed to stay hidden.”

After a few seconds, Leopold heard a soft clunk as Jerome found a release catch, and the wooden panel slid into the wall, revealing a heavy, metallic door in the space where the closet should have been.

“What the hell is that?” asked Mary.

“Looks like a panic room,” replied Jerome, rapping his knuckles against the metal. “Logan had a secret hideout up here. Guess he should have used it a little sooner.”

“These things are quite common in my circles,” commented Leopold. “Some of the wealthier home owners tend to be a little paranoid, so they have them installed. Most of them never get used.”

“This one’s been used – I can hear someone in there,” said Mary. “It’s got to be Christina. How are we supposed to get through?”

“It’s nothing fancy, just a steel shell and a heavy door. These basic models only lock from the inside, so it was probably left open to allow Stark access.”

“Good,” said Jerome, pulling on the recessed handle. “I’ve seen enough modern technology in the last twenty four hours to last me a lifetime.”

The bodyguard swung the heavy door open with little effort, and Leopold stepped forward into the darkness. Inside the fortified room, itself the size of a studio apartment, sat a young blonde woman bound to a steel chair. She was naked except for her underwear, which was stained with her blood and sweat. Her mouth was gagged with duct tape but her eyes were wide and alert, screaming out for help and welling with tears. Her skin was slick with perspiration and criss-crossed with cuts and scratches, as well as several deep gashes in her arms and legs that had been stitched up. She had clearly been tortured, then given medical treatment to stop her passing out from blood loss. Someone wanted to keep her awake.

Jerome untied her and knelt down on the floor. Leopold heard him ask whether her name was Christina, and she nodded weakly. The bodyguard gently removed the tape and helped her to her feet, putting his jacket around her.

 “He isn’t here,” she said, her voice thin and quiet. “I heard him going downstairs. Then you came up.”

Jerome turned to Leopold, who caught the worry in his eyes. “We must have passed right by him,” said Jerome.

“Mary, check the stairs,” said Leopold, turning to face her.

Mary stepped over to the broken door and peered into the gloom. Leopold heard her gasp, and Stark emerged from the doorway, one large hand on her shoulder and the other holding a gun to her head. He was standing behind her, using her body as cover.

“Don’t move,” said Stark, pressing the gun hard into Mary’s temple.

Leopold stepped to the front slowly, hands up at shoulder-height, palms forward. “It’s over Stark. There’s nowhere to run.”

He took another step forward, keeping Jerome and Christina behind him and out of harm’s way. He caught the sound of thunder in the distance, as the storm outside intensified. Stark held his hostage tighter and pointed the gun at Leopold. Then he fired.

The bullet screamed into Leopold’s shoulder, twirling him around and knocking him to the floor. The pain hadn’t hit him yet. The bodyguard drew his own weapon, faster than Leopold could follow, and fired back, shoving Christina to the floor with his free hand. Stark cursed loudly and dropped his gun. Mary dropped to her knees and swiveled, aiming a punch at her attacker’s groin, but he was too fast and landed his right boot heavily onto her face. She hit the ground and Stark rolled, avoiding Jerome’s second shot.