the same steady pace. Heavy gray clouds loomed close above them, lit by the city lights just as they had been on the night Hawker arrived. Perhaps it was the quarter-mile ascent to the roof, but the clouds seemed much lower to Hawker than they had when he’d stood on the tug in the harbor.
Ordinarily no one in their right mind would risk flying around skyscrapers under such conditions, but if Hawker was right, Ivan’s pilot would do whatever Ivan ordered him to do. And if Ivan wanted this kid back as badly as Hawker thought he did, the helicopter pilot would make the attempt even if the visibility dropped to zero.
He walked to the edge.
God, it was a long way down, and with not even a fence or a wall on this roof, just a sharp, flat edge, like some infinity pool. He pulled back feeling dizzy from thefalse sense of movement created by the uplighting and the sheets of falling rain.
“Where is our ride?” Danielle asked impatiently.
Hawker listened through the rain. He heard nothing, until the muted sound of a distant explosion echoed through the night. A slight vibration was felt even on the roof.
She looked at him and then turned away. They both knew what that meant. Petrov had used the grenade, either on himself or the guards or both.
“At some point they’re going to realize our elevator is not stuck at the bottom floor,” she said.
“You think they’re smart enough to pop open a door and look up?” Hawker asked.
“Sooner or later.”
As if to affirm her thought they heard the sound of heavy machinery whirring, slow at first, then louder and faster. The second elevator car was moving.
“Looks like they chose sooner,” he said.
“I hope you have a backup plan.”
He looked at her blankly.
“Great.”
Hawker pulled a pistol from the satchel, took cover behind a huge air-conditioning unit, and waited. Danielle crouched down beside him, pulling Yuri close and pressing the carbine into her shoulder.
The elevator pinged.
He could see the light beneath the doors. He raised the pistol, aiming. The doors opened … to nothing. The car was empty.
“Put down your guns!” a booming voice shouted from behind them.
Hawker cringed. The stairs.
He dropped his weapon and heard Danielle’s rifle clatter to the rooftop.
“Turn around.”
Hawker turned slowly to see three guards flanking a heavyset Chinese man. He didn’t know him by sight, but Kang’s head thug was a man named Choi. Hawker guessed that’s who he was looking at.
“Get on the ground!” Choi shouted.
As Hawker put his hands on the rooftop, he caught the sound of a reverberation. As he lay flat, the sound grew rapidly until a sleek, European-built helicopter came roaring up over the side of the building.
He looked up just as shots began to rain down from the open door of the helicopter.
Two of the guards went down. Choi and the other scrambled for cover.
The helicopter swept past and turned around.
Hawker grabbed his weapon and began firing, pinning down Kang’s people in the stairwell.
The helicopter had turned and was coming back. It trailed a steel cable. As Danielle took over the firing, Hawker dove for the wire and grabbed it.
“Come on!” he shouted.
Danielle raced toward him, dragging Yuri.
The helicopter hovered, but shots rang out and sparks could be seen where shells hit the fuselage.
“Hurry!”
Hawker clicked in and then locked Danielle and the kid in as well.
The helicopter peeled off as Choi and the guard came out of the stairwell firing.
Hawker fired back, just as the slack was used up. With a jolt they were yanked off their feet, flung over the edge of the tower and falling.
The three swung through the air like jumpers on some absurd thrill ride, arcing toward the water, accelerating forward like a giant pendulum. It was an insane rush, racing at a hundred miles an hour through the dark and the rain with nothing around them, and the waters of Victoria Harbour a thousand feet below.
They swung forward
Ordinarily no one in their right mind would risk flying around skyscrapers under such conditions, but if Hawker was right, Ivan’s pilot would do whatever Ivan ordered him to do. And if Ivan wanted this kid back as badly as Hawker thought he did, the helicopter pilot would make the attempt even if the visibility dropped to zero.
He walked to the edge.
God, it was a long way down, and with not even a fence or a wall on this roof, just a sharp, flat edge, like some infinity pool. He pulled back feeling dizzy from thefalse sense of movement created by the uplighting and the sheets of falling rain.
“Where is our ride?” Danielle asked impatiently.
Hawker listened through the rain. He heard nothing, until the muted sound of a distant explosion echoed through the night. A slight vibration was felt even on the roof.
She looked at him and then turned away. They both knew what that meant. Petrov had used the grenade, either on himself or the guards or both.
“At some point they’re going to realize our elevator is not stuck at the bottom floor,” she said.
“You think they’re smart enough to pop open a door and look up?” Hawker asked.
“Sooner or later.”
As if to affirm her thought they heard the sound of heavy machinery whirring, slow at first, then louder and faster. The second elevator car was moving.
“Looks like they chose sooner,” he said.
“I hope you have a backup plan.”
He looked at her blankly.
“Great.”
Hawker pulled a pistol from the satchel, took cover behind a huge air-conditioning unit, and waited. Danielle crouched down beside him, pulling Yuri close and pressing the carbine into her shoulder.
The elevator pinged.
He could see the light beneath the doors. He raised the pistol, aiming. The doors opened … to nothing. The car was empty.
“Put down your guns!” a booming voice shouted from behind them.
Hawker cringed. The stairs.
He dropped his weapon and heard Danielle’s rifle clatter to the rooftop.
“Turn around.”
Hawker turned slowly to see three guards flanking a heavyset Chinese man. He didn’t know him by sight, but Kang’s head thug was a man named Choi. Hawker guessed that’s who he was looking at.
“Get on the ground!” Choi shouted.
As Hawker put his hands on the rooftop, he caught the sound of a reverberation. As he lay flat, the sound grew rapidly until a sleek, European-built helicopter came roaring up over the side of the building.
He looked up just as shots began to rain down from the open door of the helicopter.
Two of the guards went down. Choi and the other scrambled for cover.
The helicopter swept past and turned around.
Hawker grabbed his weapon and began firing, pinning down Kang’s people in the stairwell.
The helicopter had turned and was coming back. It trailed a steel cable. As Danielle took over the firing, Hawker dove for the wire and grabbed it.
“Come on!” he shouted.
Danielle raced toward him, dragging Yuri.
The helicopter hovered, but shots rang out and sparks could be seen where shells hit the fuselage.
“Hurry!”
Hawker clicked in and then locked Danielle and the kid in as well.
The helicopter peeled off as Choi and the guard came out of the stairwell firing.
Hawker fired back, just as the slack was used up. With a jolt they were yanked off their feet, flung over the edge of the tower and falling.
The three swung through the air like jumpers on some absurd thrill ride, arcing toward the water, accelerating forward like a giant pendulum. It was an insane rush, racing at a hundred miles an hour through the dark and the rain with nothing around them, and the waters of Victoria Harbour a thousand feet below.
They swung forward
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