Pandora's Box Read online

  Skinner broke down then and began to cry. Harsh sobs wracked his body. He shook uncontrollably. Madison stroked his spine in an effort to get him to finish the story. She needed to collect the details.

  After a few moments of quiet sobbing he continued.

  “He spun me around so they couldn’t see I had the file in my arms, and then he whispered for me to leave. He told me I should get out of the building as fast as I could and keep running. Go somewhere safe. That’s what he told me to do. Go somewhere safe, but don’t trust nobody. Then he put his hands up in the air just like they told him to do.”

  “What happened?” Madison asked. She glanced in Tyler’s direction, saw his sour expression before returning her attention to Skinner. “What happened to Warner?”

  “They shot him!” Skinner wailed. “”They shot him right between the eyes. I had turned around to look at him again. I wanted to tell those people that I had nothing to do with it and I wanted to give them the file, but they shot Warner and his blood splattered all over my face.”

  Agent Warner had been missing for months. Foul play suspected. The story had been spread across the newspaper every single day until the next big thing came along.

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  “I ran. I screamed and ran as fast as I could. They chased me and they shot at me, but they missed. Good thing I’d worked in that building for so many years. I know every nook and cranny of that place and I hid myself until they were gone.” He nodded at Tyler. “Agent Law was working late that night too. He helped me get away from them and then he hid me here and he’s kept me safe every day since.” His expression turned bitter. “Until now.”

  Madison told Skinner to relax. She wasn’t going to do anything to put his life in further jeopardy. Now that she knew the truth she would work with them to help bring the bad guys to justice—whoever that was. But first there was one thing she needed.

  “I want the file,” she said. “I need to see it with my own eyes.”

  “No deal,” Tyler said in a gruff voice, taking a step forward, a scowl on his handsome face.

  “I wasn’t talking to you,” she said.

  “Skinner doesn’t have the file. I do.”

  “Then let me see it.”

  “No.”

  Madison jumped to her feet and stalked across the floor to him. She’d had just about all the interference from him that she was going to put up with. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure out what side Tyler Law was really on. She wagged her finger at him, ready to chew him up and spit him out.

  Whatever she was going to say would have to wait. Before she could utter a single syllable, the door flew open and three people charged in. The first gunman inside fired his gun at Skinner. The bullets hit him squarely in the chest. Skinner fell on the coffee table.

  Madison kicked the gun out of the second guy’s hand. It flew across the room. She grabbed a lamp from the end table, ripped the cord out of the wall, and threw it at him. It hit him square in the head. He yelped. Before he could recover she executed a flying kick, feet to chest, and sent the guy speeding through the air. He hit the wall hard. Guy number two was down for the count.

  In the meantime Tyler went after the first man. He hit him several times before throwing him into the entertainment center. The entire thing fell on top of the guy. He was pinned like a bug under a heavy book.

  Unfortunately the third gunman was the Blond Assassin. She filed in last, gun raised and ready. With a cheeky smile she pointed the gun at Madison’s head, not giving her a chance to fight.

  “I think you both know what I want,” she said. Her eyes were on Madison, but she spoke to Tyler. “If you don’t give me what Skinner took, I’ll kill her.”

  “He isn’t giving you anything,” Madison said.

  “For your sake, you’d better hope you’re wrong.”

  “You want the file?” Tyler picked up a manila folder. “Here.” He threw it at her.

  The Blonde Assassin lost her focus for a moment. Her eyes dropped sideways to the scattered papers on the floor near her expensive shoes. Madison spun around, leg swinging high in the air and she kicked the assassin, sending her sprawling sideways. The gun fell from the blonde’s hand. She scrambled for it.

  Madison tried to get it first.

  Tyler jerked on her arm. “No time for that. Let’s get the hell out of here!”

  He grabbed her hand. Their fingers automatically slid in to place as if they’d been holding hands for years. He pulled her through the door to the empty hallway, passing the elevator in favor of the stairs and practically dragged her behind him up every step. She’d expected him to go down to the street.

  They traveled five flights to the roof. Only then did he release her hand. He shut the metal door behind them and set a concrete block in front of it. “Well, that won’t keep her out forever, but maybe it will buy us a few seconds.”

  The chilled wind whipped at their clothes.

  Madison said, “You realize once she figures out we didn’t go downstairs, she’ll come up here to shoot us, right? I hope you have a plan, because I’m beginning to think you’ve just lost your mind.”

  “Patience.”

  The solitary word hung in the air, unnerving her. He walked to the edge of the building, glanced over the side. Then he systematically took several steps backwards, counting each one. He stopped before he reached the other side of the roof.

  “Do you have a plan or not?” She glanced at the closed door. So far she didn’t hear anyone on the other side. “It isn’t too late for us to make a run for it. We’re sitting ducks up here.”

  Tyler pointed at the building next door. “It’s a bank that rents out offices on the top floors to financial institutions. There are security cameras and a state of the art security system everywhere including the rooftop. If we make the jump, we’ll trip the alarm. Police will be here in seconds.”

  “That’s your plan?” She gaped at him. He really had lost his mind. “Don’t you think we have enough to deal with without explaining ourselves to the police? They’ll ask too many questions.”

  “Don’t worry about them. They’ll do their job, scare the assassin off, and then they’ll leave. No harm. No foul.”

  Madison shook her head. If he hadn’t lost his mind, then he was a total idiot. The last thing they needed to deal with was the police. On the other hand, the assassin was going to figure out where they went eventually, and she would come straight up after them. Both of them had lost their guns downstairs.

  Tyler added, “We can’t trust anyone. You heard Skinner. Whoever has the implants can put them into anyone, use anyone to kill us. They could turn our closest friends against us.”

  The facts sank in slowly and Madison knew she couldn’t trust a living soul. She hadn’t wanted to trust anyone before. But now, knowing she couldn’t trust anyone, she wanted the option back.

  Something else occurred to her and she froze. What if she was the one who couldn’t be trusted? She remembered how a couple hours of her life had vanished into a black void. She wondered if she should tell Tyler. What if she had an implant already?

  Tyler smiled, no clue what she was thinking. “Don’t worry. With those long legs you’ll make the jump easily.”

  He thought she was scared.

  She shrugged. “Okay. Let’s jump.”

  Tyler’s arm slid around her waist. He pulled her close and kissed her hard on the mouth. “For good luck.”

  Her lips tingled in the frigid air, bereft.

  He went to the place on the roof where he’d stopped counting and ran full speed toward the building’s edge. Madison cringed, not wanting to look but unable to stop herself. She watched Tyler launch himself into the midnight sky. He hit the other roof hard and rolled.

  Her turn.

  She’d forgotten to mention how much she hated heights. It wasn’t really a fear. More like a healthy respect.

  She removed her coat and dropped it on the roof.r />
  Madison started in the same place he’d been moments before. She bounced up and down three times, trying to build courage. A fierce growl sprang to life somewhere deep inside her. It climbed her throat to tickle her tongue and escape through clenched teeth. And then she was running.

  She ran as fast as she could across the flat, cement roof.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw the metal door open. The Blonde Assassin burst onto the roof, gun in hand, but she didn’t pull the trigger. Instead she lunged at Madison. Her entire body flew through the air, intent on blocking Madison’s escape. The assassin hit the cement hard. She reached out with a desperate cry. Her fingers touched Madison’s ankle, causing her to lose her balance.

  Madison stumbled. She readjusted quickly. Should she try to jump or should she turn and fight the assassin?

  It was too late to stop. The edge lay mere inches in front of her. There was no turning back now. She tried to add an extra burst of speed to her flight. She pushed off the edge with one foot and flailed her arms wildly. Her body careened through space.

  At the last second she realized she wasn’t going to make it.

  She swung her arms harder like a windmill, hoping to catch the concrete and brick ledge.

  One hand struck the side and pain shot down her left arm. She clawed at it, desperate for a good grip. A startled cry escaped her dry mouth. The concrete cut in to the flesh of her palm. She made a grab for the roof with her other hand.

  A bullet hit the wall near Madison’s face.

  The Blonde Assassin cackled like a witch, safe on the other roof.

  The next bullet struck the part of the edge that Madison was about to grab onto. Reflex caused her to jerk her hand away. She swung from one arm. It wasn’t strong enough to hold her. Her fingers slid off.

  She fell.

  ******

  Chapter Seven

  Madison fell.

  Tyler’s hand shot out. His fingers looped her wrist like a steel manacle and he shouted, “Give me your other hand!”

  She tried to reach him with the other arm, but she couldn’t get it high enough because of the angle. Her shoulder felt like it was being wrenched from the socket. Pain pulled at her, taunting her to just give up and let go.

  “I can’t hold onto you!” he shouted. “You’re slipping.”

  Her hand slid through his grasp and she fell another inch. He tightened his grip on her fingers. He couldn’t hold her very long like that. If one of them didn’t think of something quick, she’d be a broken rag doll on the pavement in a matter of seconds.

  Straining, Madison reached up again. Her bruised fingertips searched for a crack in the brick wall and she kicked at the side of the building with the toe of her stylish boots, praying for a little divine intervention. She made a mental note to wear sneakers next time she running for her life.

  Sirens could be heard in the distance, drawing closer with every breath.

  The Blonde assassin yelled, “I’ll get you next time.”

  Madison’s foot found a small hole the size of a quarter. She pushed hard with her toes and swung her free arm up at the same time. Her fingers landed on Tyler’s forearm. She held on tight. A spark of relief added to her strength. She wasn’t going to die. Not today.

  Tyler grunted as he labored to pull her up the rest of the way. Soon her eyes peeked over the ledge at him. His muscles bunched together under the snug sweatshirt, and his teeth clenched with the effort it took to lift her; she did her part. As soon as she could she swung a leg over the top and used the great strength in her upper thigh to take her higher.

  Sirens wailed in the distance, getting closer by the second. Tyler had been right about the alarm. It must have gone off.

  Madison scraped her stomach on the rough concrete edge. The pain felt good. It reminded her she was still alive. A moment ago surviving hadn’t seemed possible. Now Tyler collapsed on the hard roof, arm slung over his eyes, chest heaving. She rolled onto her back and settled next to him while she tried to catch her breath. The stars above had never looked so sweet.

  “That…was…close,” she said between puffs.

  “You’re telling me.” He turned his head sideways and grinned at her. “That was so bad I saw my life flash before my eyes.”

  Tyler’s cell began to play the rock song that Madison used to like but now found annoying to the extreme. She turned her head and gave him a look meant to convey irritation. He missed it because he was already in the process of answering the thing.

  “Brett, I know I told you to call me later, but this is a really bad time.” He closed his eyes and groaned. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Obviously Brett told Tyler that he wanted to hear it anyway, because Tyler began to explain. “We just jumped from one very high building to another, and there are police downstairs looking for us right now.”

  Tyler winked at her and grinned. “Well if you must know, she has the face of a horse and she’s built like a man.”

  She smiled, reluctantly amused as he continued to describe her to his friend in the most unflattering way possible.

  “I’m sure I saw hair growing out of her knuckles. Yeah, I got stuck with a real gorilla this time…okay…call me tomorrow.”

  He put his cell away. “Sorry about that.”

  “Shouldn’t we get off this roof?” She struggled into a sitting position. The surface of her stomach burned. She lifted her shirt, exposing her flat abdomen. The top few layers of skin had been scraped off in places and dots of fresh blood glistened along the shredded lines. She asked, “What are we going to tell the police? How are we going to explain our presence?”

  Tyler grimaced when he saw her stomach. “Did I do that to you?”

  “You saved my life. Don’t worry about it. I’ve suffered worse at the claws of my aunt’s cat.”

  Red lights flashed from down below them, and Madison knew it was too late to run. There was nowhere to go, unless Tyler wanted to try the next building, but she had no intention to jump again. She’d rather face the police.

  Tyler stood. He held his hand out to her, mentally taking her back to their first encounter. She’d stubbornly refused his help then, preferring to do it on her own. This time she smiled as she slid her palm over his. He pulled her up beside him. Their eyes locked for a moment and Madison thought about all the things she had yet to discover about him. Would it be worth it? Trusting someone with her heart again?

  And what about DeMarco? She’d thought their relationship had ended long ago, but recently some of her old feelings had resurfaced.

  She pushed those thoughts away and forced her mind back to their current situation. “How do we get out of here? Any ideas?”

  “We walk out,” Tyler said.

  Before she could ask him to explain himself the stairwell door flew open. Instead of uniformed policemen, there was a lone watchman with a flashlight. His gun remained holstered. He smiled and waved them inside. “You must be freezing out here.”

  Tyler slipped an arm around her waist. They went down two flights of stairs to the elevator with the guard right behind them.

  As the elevator doors slid shut, locking them inside, the guard said, “I swear, Law, you are one sneaky son of a bitch. I didn’t know when to expect you, as per the agreement, but I at least thought you’d use the back door or a window.” He chuckled. “I certainly didn’t expect you to land on the roof. Where the hell did you come from anyway? Did you drop in from a helicopter? Or fly in like Superman?”

  Madison frowned. It was like walking in on the middle of a complicated movie. Since she didn’t understand what they were talking about, she kept her lips wisely clamped together.

  “We jumped from the roof next door,” Tyler said.

  The guard gaped at them. “You’re kidding!” He laughed again until his face turned a bright red and his eyes watered. He wiped them with the back of one hand. “Unbelievable. Wait till I tell the fellas what they missed. And you brought a date with you.”

&n
bsp; The man laughed harder, falling back against the elevator wall.

  Tyler winked at her. Then he turned his gaze straight ahead without a word of explanation. The metal doors parted and they stepped into the main lobby. The guard hurried in front of them. He unlocked the glass door, gave it a hearty shove and held it open for them.

  “The police weren’t very happy when I told them we were testing the alarm,” the guard said. “They want a warning next time.” He rolled his eyes. “I tried to tell them it wouldn’t be a test if we knew it was going to happen. They didn’t get it.” He tipped his hat. “Have a good night, you two. Always a pleasure, Mr. Law.”

  Madison shivered in the cold, having lost the warmth of adrenaline. She was on the downhill spiral now, the plunge into mild depression. A deep sort of sadness always followed a near-death experience or a kick-ass mission—and a bit of sexual tension. She was used to it. But the cold night air made it worse somehow. Of course it didn’t help her coat was next door on the roof.

  His plan had worked, she noticed, glancing behind them at the empty street. Their visitors had left, probably at the first sign of police. She wrapped her arms around herself and glanced down the street at the glowing lights. She could use a warm cup of coffee.

  “How did you arrange that?” she asked, nodding back at the building they’d just come from.

  “I’ve done a little work in the private security sector,” he replied. “I rented an apartment for Skinner to use in the building next to the bank on purpose, just in case I needed to make a fast escape. Or if he did.”

  Poor Skinner. A few months ago he was a janitor mopping the floors, maybe secretly daydreaming about being a spy. Now he was dead.

  “Did you install the system yourself?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She frowned, putting the pieces together. “And then you arrange to break in to test the system?”

  “Exactly.” He smiled arrogantly.

  She walked a bit faster, adding bounce to her steps to keep warm.

  “Cold?” Tyler slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.