Chapter 7
The sound of shattering glass and heavy boots filled the executive suite as Rachel, Daniel, and Toby scrambled blindly through the darkness. Guided only by the faint ambient glow of the city lights pouring through the massive glass windows, Daniel threw his shoulder against the latch of the exterior balcony door.
The weather-sealed door resisted for a second before giving way with a loud pop, swinging wide to let in a howling gust of wind and stinging rain from the storm outside.
“Out! On the ledge, now!” Daniel shouted over the roar of the wind, pushing Rachel and Toby through the opening onto the narrow stone parapet that ran along the perimeter of the twelfth floor.
Rachel stepped out onto the slick, narrow stone walkway, her breath catching in her throat as she looked down at the dizzying drop to the street far below. Rain lashed against her face, plastering her red hair across her forehead. She pulled Toby tight against her body, wrapping her arms around the boy to shield him from the wind.
“Daniel, we can’t go this way! It’s a dead end!” Rachel screamed, pointing toward the corner where the ledge narrowed to barely six inches before ending abruptly at a sheer brick drop.
“It’s not a dead end!” Daniel yelled back, following them out onto the ledge and pulling the heavy leather suitcase behind him with agonizing effort. He pointed upward toward a rusted metal service ladder bolted to the exterior facade, leading toward the roof access hatch two stories above.
A flashlight beam pierced the darkness behind them as a tactical operative stepped out onto the balcony, sweeping the beam across the rainy night.
“Target spotted on the west parapet! Move, move!” a voice shouted from the doorway.
“Climb, Rachel! Take Toby!” Daniel commanded, stepping in front of them and drawing his concealed pistol—the first time he had brandished it all night. His hand was remarkably steady as he aimed back toward the open doorway, keeping the pursuers pinned inside the glass suite.
Rachel didn’t argue. She grabbed the first rung of the freezing metal ladder, hoisting Toby up ahead of her. The boy’s small hands found purchase on the rungs, his survival instinct kicking in as he climbed with surprising speed. Rachel scrambled right behind him, using her own body to form a protective barrier beneath him as they ascended the vertical ladder against the howling wind.
Below them, a sharp crack of a suppressed firearm echoed through the rain. A bullet sparked off the metal rung barely an inch below Rachel’s boot, sending a jolt of pure adrenaline through her veins.
“Daniel!” she screamed, looking down.
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Daniel fired two warning shots back toward the balcony, forcing the operative to duck back inside the cover of the doorway. Without hesitation, Daniel holstered his weapon, grabbed the lower rungs of the ladder, and began climbing upward with desperate speed, the heavy suitcase banging against his leg with every motion.
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