knee,
carefully holding his weapon at the ready.
“I thought you said they swept the room,” Tommy interjected.
“Why would they come back?”
Sean didn’t like the answer, but he was strangely
comfortable with it. There was only one possible reason the men who had taken
Adriana would come after him. They didn’t know about the key. If they had,
they’d have already taken it and been gone. Whoever was shooting at them needed
information, information they believed Sean possessed.
“They’re here for me,” he said in a grim tone.
Yarbrough frowned. “I thought you said you didn’t know
anything about what your girlfriend was looking for.”
“I don’t.” He shook his head slowly. “But they don’t know
that. I’m betting they think I know something she doesn’t. Or at the very
least, they might want to take me to coerce one of us to talk.”
Tommy pressed his ear to the door, listening for any
movement outside. He jerked his thumb at the door. “They’re outside,” he
mouthed in an attempt to stay silent.
“How many?” Sean whispered, almost inaudibly.
“Not sure. At least three or four.”
“The second we turn that doorknob, they’re going to open
fire,” Sean hissed. The other two nodded.
An idea hit him.
“Yarbrough, get in the bathroom and wait.” Sean pointed
behind where Tommy squatted. The bathroom was immediately to the right of the
doorway. Sean got up and stepped into the toilet. A rack of fresh towels
hovered over the water closet. He grabbed one of the towels and moved back to
the coat closet slightly behind the point of entry. His hands worked quickly,
tying a knot around the handle of the door’s latch, making sure there was
enough slack to reach into the edge of the closet.
“Tommy, hide in here. When I give you the signal, open the
door with this.” Sean handed him the towel, which his friend took reluctantly.
Tommy lowered his eyebrows. “What are you going to do?”
“Create a diversion, and then kill everyone in our way.”
The other two cast a questioning glance at each other,
wondering what diversion he was going to create.
Sean moved as fast and as quietly as he could to the desk
near the television. He stayed low, aware that the sniper could unleash another
volley at any second. When he reached the desk, he slid open the top drawer and
found what he needed. He removed the small box of matches and a note pad, and
then proceeded to the center of the room, squatting down at the foot of the
bed. Tommy watched from the closet, realizing what Sean had in mind.
With a quick strike of a match, Sean held the tiny flame
to the notepaper and raised his hand beyond the top edge of the bed. Bluish
smoke began to drift up to the ceiling and the fire alarm situated over the
bed.
The door latch shimmied for a second. The attackers were
trying to get in. Sean figured they would gain access in less than a minute. He
waved his makeshift torch around a little, causing the paper to burn faster and
produce more smoke. The door’s latch continued to jiggle, harder this time. It
stopped for a moment, bathing the room in an eerie silence. Suddenly, a loud
crash pounded the door, startling Tommy and Yarbrough, but Sean’s hand remained
steady, holding the burning paper in the air, his other calmly gripping the Sig.
The alarm began to sound, beeping repeatedly in quick
succession. The irritating noise was a welcome relief to Sean, but he didn’t
relax. Water began to pour out of the sprinkler system overhead, soaking the
entire room in a matter of a few seconds. It was the diversion he’d needed.
“Now!” he yelled at Tommy.
His friend yanked the towel down and back, jerking the
door wide open in one sudden movement. The three men outside were caught off
guard, looking around at the deluge and stunned by the piercing alarm in the
hallway. Sean squeezed the trigger, plunging two rounds directly into the
abdomen and chest of the man closest to the doorway. He moved the barrel
carefully holding his weapon at the ready.
“I thought you said they swept the room,” Tommy interjected.
“Why would they come back?”
Sean didn’t like the answer, but he was strangely
comfortable with it. There was only one possible reason the men who had taken
Adriana would come after him. They didn’t know about the key. If they had,
they’d have already taken it and been gone. Whoever was shooting at them needed
information, information they believed Sean possessed.
“They’re here for me,” he said in a grim tone.
Yarbrough frowned. “I thought you said you didn’t know
anything about what your girlfriend was looking for.”
“I don’t.” He shook his head slowly. “But they don’t know
that. I’m betting they think I know something she doesn’t. Or at the very
least, they might want to take me to coerce one of us to talk.”
Tommy pressed his ear to the door, listening for any
movement outside. He jerked his thumb at the door. “They’re outside,” he
mouthed in an attempt to stay silent.
“How many?” Sean whispered, almost inaudibly.
“Not sure. At least three or four.”
“The second we turn that doorknob, they’re going to open
fire,” Sean hissed. The other two nodded.
An idea hit him.
“Yarbrough, get in the bathroom and wait.” Sean pointed
behind where Tommy squatted. The bathroom was immediately to the right of the
doorway. Sean got up and stepped into the toilet. A rack of fresh towels
hovered over the water closet. He grabbed one of the towels and moved back to
the coat closet slightly behind the point of entry. His hands worked quickly,
tying a knot around the handle of the door’s latch, making sure there was
enough slack to reach into the edge of the closet.
“Tommy, hide in here. When I give you the signal, open the
door with this.” Sean handed him the towel, which his friend took reluctantly.
Tommy lowered his eyebrows. “What are you going to do?”
“Create a diversion, and then kill everyone in our way.”
The other two cast a questioning glance at each other,
wondering what diversion he was going to create.
Sean moved as fast and as quietly as he could to the desk
near the television. He stayed low, aware that the sniper could unleash another
volley at any second. When he reached the desk, he slid open the top drawer and
found what he needed. He removed the small box of matches and a note pad, and
then proceeded to the center of the room, squatting down at the foot of the
bed. Tommy watched from the closet, realizing what Sean had in mind.
With a quick strike of a match, Sean held the tiny flame
to the notepaper and raised his hand beyond the top edge of the bed. Bluish
smoke began to drift up to the ceiling and the fire alarm situated over the
bed.
The door latch shimmied for a second. The attackers were
trying to get in. Sean figured they would gain access in less than a minute. He
waved his makeshift torch around a little, causing the paper to burn faster and
produce more smoke. The door’s latch continued to jiggle, harder this time. It
stopped for a moment, bathing the room in an eerie silence. Suddenly, a loud
crash pounded the door, startling Tommy and Yarbrough, but Sean’s hand remained
steady, holding the burning paper in the air, his other calmly gripping the Sig.
The alarm began to sound, beeping repeatedly in quick
succession. The irritating noise was a welcome relief to Sean, but he didn’t
relax. Water began to pour out of the sprinkler system overhead, soaking the
entire room in a matter of a few seconds. It was the diversion he’d needed.
“Now!” he yelled at Tommy.
His friend yanked the towel down and back, jerking the
door wide open in one sudden movement. The three men outside were caught off
guard, looking around at the deluge and stunned by the piercing alarm in the
hallway. Sean squeezed the trigger, plunging two rounds directly into the
abdomen and chest of the man closest to the doorway. He moved the barrel
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