She was in one of her moods where she wasn’t asking. It’d be best to just do it, or they’d be here until the guys with guns showed up. One set or the other of them.

  It was vaguely warm against her skin, and she tried not to be irritated by it. Or by how much the gift seemed to warm her inside.

  ‘Take care,’ said Lydia. ‘Or run free. Which I guess is what you’ll always do.’

  Then she turned and walked away. Not even a kiss on the cheek.

  It didn’t take long for Lydia to merge with the stream of pedestrians. Penny turned to her ghosts, and growled at them. ‘I hear one comment about that from any of you, I make you tell me your most embarrassing stories.’

  Then she strode off, passing straight through Innes as she went. If she was stuck with them for the rest of her life, it’d damn well be on her terms.

  Okay, what next. A phone number for Euclidean should be easy to find, but how would she get hold of someone there who knew what she was talking about? They couldn’t all be part of the cult. That’d be impractical. Most of those places had a high turnover of staff. She’d used that for getting into places before. They’d hardly trust everyone with their secrets. They likely chose their true members carefully, otherwise the information would be more widely known by now, even if just as urban myths.

  She had to assume they could trace calls, so a fresh burner she could use on the move would be the best bet. Then she just had to hope they’d be interested in acquiring the Gun without causing a scene.

  How much could she ask for? Not too much, or it’d be more economically viable to cause a scene over her dead body. Too little and they’d suspect a trap, and do the same. Was a million dollars too much to go with? It wasn’t much these days. Certainly not to multinationals. They might spend more on toilet paper for a year, so it’d be a reasonable cost to avoid making a mess.

  That was for the negotiation phase. She could get a read from whoever she was talking to as to whether she was right. Although it wouldn’t be good to change it too quickly. But one million felt right to start with. And getting them talking meant they should be less inclined to come for her with guns.

  For the first time since this began, things were starting to look up.

  Which was when she felt the gun in her back. Because of course she’d had to jinx things by thinking that.

  Who was it this time?

  Penny stopped where she was, even as a prod from the gun urged her on. They were still on a relatively busy street.

  ‘Go towards the van,’ said the woman’s voice. A partial glance back showed her it was her dance partner from the restroom.

  It was a black van, of course. A guy stood beside it, dressed in black. Was that one of the guys from the terminal? To be honest, she’d forgotten what they’d looked like apart from the black.

  ‘I don’t suppose you’re willing to negotiate?’ asked Penny.

  How had they found her so fast? The Gun hadn’t been back with her more than five or ten minutes. Had the bus happened to be close by when it shifted? Or had Kilbourne sold her out? While it wouldn’t be unexpected, she was sure he’d have waited until he was certain Lydia was nowhere near, and they hadn’t long parted.

  ‘Inside the van,’ said the woman. She didn’t sound impatient yet, but there was an alertness to her tone.

  ‘I feel like I’d lose my leverage in there.’

  Penny glanced around for anything she could use. There were no cops in sight, of course. They wouldn’t be when they might actually be useful. She wasn’t sure they’d be enough unless in numbers anyway. And if Kilbourne was right about the Euclideans’ alliances with the authorities, that wouldn’t offer more than a brief opportunity.

  The street had high-end type places, with art galleries, specialist grocers for the middle classes, and jewellers. But the only places with security guards who could maybe be spooked into confronting the armed crew were too far down the street to do much before she was manhandled into the van.

  ‘Please move,’ said the woman. ‘We could drag you in, but I’d obviously sooner you went freely. And so would you.’

  ‘Not sure I would. Aren’t you going to promise I won’t be hurt?’

  ‘No. Why would you believe that?’

  Penny glanced back. ‘Because you’ve got a believable voice.’ And anything to delay getting in the van.

  ‘Then believe me when I say that I’m giving you five seconds to decide,’ said the woman.

  Penny believed her. There was no nervousness in her face, only a calculated gaze that’d determined the optimum sequence of events to follow. She wouldn’t be caught off guard so easily this time.

  Except maybe by the shot that sent a ripple along the street. It hit the wall behind them, and the woman moved to cover Penny from any more coming their way.

  More men in black emerged from the van, armed, moving to cover them as the woman dragged Penny towards the van. Which, while safer in the short term, she wasn’t sure would be any better for her in the long term. Not that she often considered the long term, but in this case the long term probably wouldn’t be that long anyway.

  More gunfire followed them. A glance showed more men in black on the opposite side of the street, firing from cover.

  The woman dragging her jerked against her. She’d been hit in the back. Her grip was loosened by the impact. The only opportunity Penny was likely to get.

  Penny yanked herself free. Kept her head down as she ran for the nearest doorway covered by the van.

  It was an art gallery. Staff were trying to take cover. Even a couple of customers, though she’d withhold comment on the pieces they must have been looking at. It was the bland art even Lydia used to mock with her. She’d probably have no problem with these pieces being enhanced by stray bullets.

  Rounding a corner out of the line of fire, Penny grabbed one of the cowering staff. ‘Back door?’

  The girl pointed towards a doorway leading to a corridor.

  ‘Then why don’t you use it, idiot?’

  There was a noise from the front door. The woman came in after her. Her face was grim, but it seemed a bullet to the back wasn’t enough to slow her down.

  Penny ran, the only option she had. The woman behind her kept pace. She was probably fitter than Penny, though may not have the fear-enhanced adrenaline. Also whatever protective gear she wore must weigh something, and she had just been shot in the back. That had to count.

  There was no time to think about her. Penny needed to focus on her escape route. What did she know of the streets? Not enough for comfort. She’d focus on putting distance between her and them, and worry about a destination later.

  The fire exit was marked ahead, and she barely slowed as she crashed into and through it. She grabbed the door in passing and shoved it closed, without slowing her flight.

  It was an alleyway with only one way out, but as soon as she fixed on the exit she was grabbed from behind, spun towards the wall.

  A man, in similar black clothes to the other idiots. He must have been just behind the door, and now had her in a firm grip. She tried elbowing him in the face, but he ducked and punched her in the gut.

  It took the struggle out of her for a moment. Staying upright was an effort.

  He grinned the type of smile that asked to be punched. It didn’t reach his eyes, which mirrored his steely-flecked hair in severity. He shoved his gun, a Glock 22, into her side, with no care for her discomfort, and released his hold so his hand could pat her down for the piece.

  The door burst open, and the woman emerged. She spotted them, met the man’s gaze, and there was a definite animosity there. Not on the same side.

  He tried to bring his gun around as the woman charged, and Penny ducked aside. The pair collided before he could fire, and Penny hesitated only long enough to see them tumble to the ground.

  Then she ran. As the one person here without bullet-resistant clothing, it was only reasonable to get the hell out of the line of fire while they struggled over a gun.

  She felt slightly easier on rounding the corner, especially as they were still fighting. She didn’t slow down. The gunfight was still going on in bursts, but that didn’t mean they were all occupied.

  First order of business was to find somewhere to dump the Gun. Ideally on some kind of transportation that would lead them away.

  Then she’d contact Euclidean. To arrange a deal before anyone caught up to her.

  Who were the other lot? One of the other factions Kilbourne had mentioned? It didn’t matter. She didn’t know enough about them to guess their actions. They were simply another group of arseholes to be avoided.

  Was she really so unlikeable? Possibly.

  And how come the ghosts were still walking nearby and yet keeping up with her? They never seemed to vanish and reappear when she was looking at them. Nor did they appear as winded as she was getting.

  The bastards. She was glad she’d killed them.

  Chapter 14

  The shooter’s identity at least offered a name, if little else. Penny Hitch. A small-time crook, who was suspected of far more than she’d been charged with. So presumably competent.

  She seemed to be doing well so far, and must have realised they could track the Gun. Hence choosing to hide it on public transport. A bus in this case, though it vanished from there by the time Karla’s squad determined where it was. She’d just been about to catch it at the next stop and try to perform a surreptitious search.

  Hardly what she’d been trained for, but the worst she’d get would be odd stares and possibly thrown off the bus. Or asked to leave the bus, at least. All of which would be preferable to a fight or losing the Gun again.

  But the Gun had other ideas. As though it were aware and messing with them. With her. Which, given how little they truly knew about it, and how weird most of this stuff was when you considered it, wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities.

  The signal didn’t relocate far. Only about ten minutes away. And then it started heading their way.

  ‘Let’s see out front,’ she said to Wexler, who had the laptop.

  He switched from the street maps to show them the view of the streets outside. There were two cameras, one to the top of each side of the front of the van. Built into the frame, so they weren’t obvious. There were also a pair on the rear, but their target was approaching from ahead.

  He turned the cameras to cover the sidewalks, and they skimmed the faces of the pedestrians. Looking for dirty blonde hair or something covering their head first, and discounting everyone as quick as possible.

  It felt too public, even if the public couldn’t see them in here. And if they did spot her, it’d be a public place. With lots of innocent targets for the Gun to hit. Not that any target would be good, operationally, but Karla and her team were paid for the danger.

  Would Hitch be so indiscriminate in public? Nothing in her record indicated otherwise.

  So unless they could be sure of getting her without trouble, they should just follow.

  ‘There,’ said Wexler. He pointed at someone just coming into view.

  It was her, stood talking to a woman.

  What did they do?

  ‘Pull in up ahead,’ said Karla.

  The van pulled in to the nearest gap, about thirty feet ahead of the pair. Wexler shifted the view to the rear camera.

  ‘As soon as she moves off, I’ll follow on foot,’ said Karla. She was still in the light protective gear that’d be hidden under her jacket. Penny would recognise her, so she’d need to stay out of sight. ‘Follow behind, and be prepared to intercept if I say. I’ll try and sneak up on her, get my Somnos on her to encourage her along quietly, so we don’t draw attention.’

  She checked the Somnos, ensuring it had a charge. She turned it to the lowest setting, so the beam it fired would only reach a few feet. She’d need to be close, but it would only put the woman to sleep, with no gunshot to draw attention. Too much attention anyway, since they’d still have a collapsing woman. It may see the police notified, but that could be handled. She removed the holster and put the Somnos in her pocket.

  The woman left Penny. Penny waited till she was out of sight, then turned and walked away.

  Karla slid out of the van and merged easily with the flow of foot traffic. She kept her target in sight, but once the van turned, they could take turns. She could hang back if the crowds got too sparse to offer cover.

  They needed light crowds to risk taking her in public, but they needed surprise more.

  Keeping a steady and unexceptional pace that slowly closed the distance between them, Karla remained alert for any hint of her glancing back. She prepared to hide behind others while making no sudden moves that drew attention. Subtlety was not a comfortable fit on her.

  She closed in on Penny, as the van passed by. The sidewalk wasn’t as clear as she’d have liked, but there was a gap ahead.

  ‘Pull in just before the bus stop up ahead,’ Karla whispered into her comm unit.

  ‘Confirmed,’ came the response in her earpiece.

  Picking up her pace, Karla closed the distance between them, her nerves on edge in case Penny should turn. The woman’s pace remained determined, her head turning only slightly as she walked, presumably scanning ahead for trouble.

  Only a few feet between them, Karla grew calmer as she prepared for action. There shouldn’t be any if this went right, but she was prepared if it didn’t.

  She fell into step behind Penny, the gun pressed into her back without taking it from her pocket. It would work fine through the fabric.

  The woman stopped. Probably running through her options, looking for a way out. Karla guided her, but was sure she be considering whether she’d survive getting in the van.

  Karla wasn’t sure she would, and kind of felt bad about it. But she knew the potential damage the Gun could do out in the world. And none of it really mattered. She had orders. Deciding things was for others. She was a soldier.

  Nobody seemed to pay them much attention. The occasional glance. It didn’t look natural, the two of them talking while she stood at the woman’s back.

  Getting out of sight quickly was the only play.

  If the idiot didn’t get in the van, she’d have to shoot her and risk the attention. The longer she held out, the more likely it was she’d try something. And Karla was tired of repeating the command. They were too exposed out here. She had to shoot.

  Someone else felt similarly. A shot hit the wall behind them. A warning? No time to consider it. She stepped to Penny’s side, shielding her from the largest range of angles until she could determine the shooter’s location and likely target. Her protective gear could take any hit not aimed at her head. Penny had no protection, and dragging a shot woman out of here would create more of a scene. Not that the shot hadn’t done that, but if there was only the one-

  There wasn’t. Even as she guided the now-compliant Penny towards the cover of the van, a shot hit Karla squarely in the back. Even if the material absorbed a good deal of the impact, it felt like that would leave a bruise.

  And it distracted her enough for Penny to break free and run. She was out of range before Karla could fire.

  Karla ducked behind the van first, to check on the shooter. Or shooters. A number of them, dressed similarly. Other private military contractors? Who’d sent them? Few of the factions had the resources.

  A concern for another time.

  ‘Hold them off,’ she said. ‘Be prepared to pull out and intercept.’

  She ran after Penny as they confirmed her orders. Into an art gallery. She had her gun out as she gave chase, altering the setting to give her greater range. Penny was out the back door before she could fire, and Karla held off until she was a few feet from the door. Then she fired in case Penny was waiting to ambush her, and burst through the door without slowing much other than to look around. The Somnos would take a few seconds to recharge.

  Penny wasn’t near the door, but hadn’t gone far. She was engaged with an unwelcome face that grinned as he saw Karla.

  Mullins. Not so much a private military contractor as an out and out mercenary. The type who gave mercenaries a worse name. Not cheap though, so who’d hired him?

  Hardly an immediate concern while he had a gun out and their target in his hands.

  She charged them, closing the distance while they struggled too much for him to take proper aim. He still tried, but they weren’t far.

  Karla hit him just right to carry him away from Penny. The woman would run, of course. But better that than risk another faction getting hold of the Gun. While she didn’t intend dying, mission priorities were keeping the Gun safe from hostiles.

  They rolled on hitting the ground, and Karla pushed him clear. He was slightly taller, with more mass. She was faster. Space to move suited her better, and delayed him. They had connections with the police, while Mullins would want to clear out before the authorities arrived.

  She reached her feet first, but not by much. He knocked her initial jab aside.

  ‘Been a while,’ he said. He still had the Glock in hand, and stepped back as he raised it.

  Karla tossed her Somnos at his face, unwilling to risk it not having charged. Then she spun to the side, caught the hand holding the Glock as he flinched away, and pushed it high.

  ‘Hoped you were dead.’ Her elbow connected with his nose as he struggled for control of the gun. The impact staggered him enough to yank the Glock free and send it flying.

  He recovered quickly, ignoring the pain and gun in favour of grabbing her jacket and charging her back into the wall. The material of her armour absorbed most of the impact to her body, but her head also hit.

  Dazed, she ducked away from the anticipated follow-up. She chose the wrong way, and his elbow grazed her cheek. She had enough sense remaining to roll with the blow. Pushed her way clear, hoping to slow down the next one. Not that she expected him to slow until she was down.

  She kept her steps deceptively unsteady as her senses returned. Seeing his feet close in, she twisted aside. Turned his punch into a glancing blow along her ribs, blunted by her armour. Her own elbow darted in, catching him solidly on the ear.

 

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