Justice (35 page)

“
And a million other things I don’t regret.
”

“
He
raped
a woman, Grace. He killed a child.
”

“
In a war, there is always collateral damage.
”

“
You really are insane, you know that right?
”

She closes her eyes, shaking her head sadly. I push the panic button on my bracelet.
“
You wouldn’t make that statement if you ever knew true, unabiding love like I have. I would do
anything
for him, as he would me.
”

“
So, what? You’re going to shoot me to avenge him?
”

“
Oh, honey,
”
she chuckles.
“
You wish.
”

That’s when it dawns on me.
“
He’s still alive, isn’t he?
”

“
And
so
looking forward to seeing you again.
”

Someone crashes through the door, jolting us both. Justin rushes in.
“
Grace—
”

Without missing a beat she points and fires the gun twice, hitting Justin in the forehead. I scream as he crumples to the floor. I’m too shocked to move, but she isn’t.
“
That should buy us about five minutes,
”
she says, gazing down at my lifeless friend. She holds her huge diamond ring up to her mouth.
“
My love, plan fucking B.
”
She grabs me, gun pressed right at my head. She pushes me forward.
“
Move it.
”
We step over Justin’s body into his blood and I get a chill. I know he’ll heal, but this is still a bit much.
“
Open the door,
”
she says.
“
Then put your hands back up.
”

More guns greet us when we step out. Harry, Geoff, and three other officers dressed in tuxes wait outside the door. Other officers try to corral the rubbernecking party goers, attempting to get them out of the line of fire.
“
Drop the gun, Grace,
”
Harry says.
“
You’re surrounded.
”

Grace presses the hot muzzle even harder into my temple.
“
Don’t think so. You’re going to let me and your dear Joanna make our appointment.
”

“
Or we could just shoot you right here,
”
Harry says.

“
I wouldn’t advise that. You see, if you touch one hair on my head, James will blow this hospital sky high.
”
All the men’s faces fall.
“
Oh, yeah. We’ve planted charges all over. We both do so love a party with a
bang
!
”
she shouts that last word and we all flinch. Grace chuckles, causing a shiver down my spine.
“
So, you have two options. Well, really only one. Joanna comes with me, and you don’t follow. If we see even one cop or Justice in there, kaboom. Got me there, handsome?
”

Harry stares at her with utter contempt, gun shaking in his hand. He wants to shoot her, and I think he might.
“
It’s okay, Harry,
”
I say. He looks at me now, fear overshadowing his eyes.
“
Let us go.
”

“
Listen to your girlfriend, Harry,
”
Grace says.
“
For once, an intelligent comment has escaped her lips.
”

He looks at me again, eyes begging. There’s nothing he can do and we both know it. He lowers his gun and the others follow suit.
“
Fine.
”

“
Got yourself a smart one, Joanna,
”
she says.
“
Now back off and we’ll be on our merry way.
”
She pulls me back and the men part. We walk backwards down the hall past frightened bystanders hugging the walls. Bitsy yelps and crouches down, covering her head as we pass.
“
Hello, Bitsy. Love to the family.
”
Bitsy squeals in fright, and Grace chuckles. We reach the elevator and she pushes the button with her elbow. Harry takes a step toward us, but Grace cocks the gun for effect.
“
Don’t worry, Harry. I promise you’ll get her back.
”
I feel her body move when she shrugs.
“
Might be in pieces, but still.
”
The elevator doors open and she moves us in.
“
Remember, gents.
Kaboom
!
”

The door shuts. She pushes me away and I spin around, hands still up. With her free hand, she presses the button for the top floor.
“
Well, that got complicated,
”
she says with annoyance. She holds up her ring.
“
Honey, I’m in the elevator. Hope you’re in position.
”
She looks back at me.
“
You. You have five seconds to lose any weapons or bugs on you. If I search and find one, I’ll replace it with a bullet, get me? So where are they?
”

I glare at her.
“
Gun, right thigh. Necklace, panic button and tracking device.
”

“
Good girl.
”
She rips the cameo right off my neck, then stomps on it before lifting up my dress and pulling off my .38. She tosses it on the floor too.
“
Knew we were coming?
”

“
Knew if he was, it’d be tonight.
”

“
Didn’t see me coming, though,
”
she says with pride.
“
Or this.
”
She pulls the emergency button on the panel and we jerk to a stop between the twenty-second and twenty-third floors. Before I can even register this, there’s a thump on the roof. Grace stays as calm as ever, gun never leaving me. The hatch on top opens, and one of the guards from Grace’s apartment peers down.
“
Up you go, Jo.
”
Having no choice, I take the man’s outstretched hand. He pulls me up into the elevator shaft with little effort, then Grace. She points the gun again.
“
Up the ladder.
Now
.
”

I climb with Grace right behind me. I’d kick her, but I can’t risk the gun going off. About three floors up, I’m greeted by another guard, the former Independence linebacker, half in and out of the open door on the floor above us. He yanks me up the rest of the way. The twenty-sixth floor is the future site of the recovery wing. It’s deserted, just a storage area that used to be a research lab. A familiar face greets me. Alkaline, without a scratch on him, is dressed in his old dark green costume and trench coat. He holds out his hand to help me up.
“
Nice to see you again, Joanna.
”

I bat his hand away and stand on my own.
“
Fuck you. How the hell did you survive?
”

“
Ran like the wind and was fortunate enough to find a sewer hole. Disgusting, but it saved my life. I was so happy to hear you made it as well. Touch and go there for a moment.
”

Grace is hoisted up by the linebacker, who then pulls out his gun and points it at me. Grace brushes the dust off her dress.
“
Did you hear what I told them? About the bombs?
”

Alkaline takes her in his arms and kisses her deeply.
“
Convincing as always, darling.
”

“
There are no bombs?
”
I ask.

“
Of course not,
”
Grace says as if I’m a dunce.

“
We’re not
monsters
, Joanna,
”
Alkaline says.

“
Matter of opinion,
”
I say with my best shit-eating grin.

Alkaline shakes his head at my insolence. He and Grace spin around when the second guard pushes himself out of the shaft. He pulls out a little black box with a switch on it.
“
All breaks disabled, sir, and the charges are set.
”

“
Good. Everyone step back,
”
Alkaline orders. The bomber pulls out the door jam and the elevator door closes. I’m yanked by the linebacker a few feet as the other guard presses the button.

“
Kaboom,
”
Grace says with a smile as the explosion rings out.

The metal door crumples from the blast and smoke spews from the cracks. I can hear the elevator fall, the screeching of twisted metal like nails on a chalkboard making me cringe. A second later there’s another boom as the elevator crashes to the ground.

“
That should keep them busy,
”
Alkaline says with a satisfied smile.
“
Let’s go. Rio awaits.
”

The linebacker and bomber exchange guns, so now the linebacker has the pistol and bomber the shotgun he then roughly pulls me along with the small crowd. The bomber leads the way, gun at the ready. Alkaline and Grace walk hand in hand behind him like they’re strolling in the park, with me at the back.
“
So, that’s your plan? Take me on vacation?
”
I ask.

The bomber opens the stairwell door, going in first while we wait.
“
Oh, you’re coming with us,
”
Alkaline says.
“
Though I doubt you’ll enjoy yourself that much.
”
The guard waves us in. We run up the stairs, all the bad guys looking up, down, and sideways for bogies.
“
You see,
”
he says as we go,
“
I don’t plan to kill you.
”

“
Not unless you make him,
”
Grace adds.

“
But I am going to melt off as many of your appendages as I can and mail them to your friend. You should be able to survive to return to him, so for the rest of his life he can look at you and know he’s failed.
”

“
Don’t worry, though. We’ll keep you so doped up you won’t know what’s going on,
”
Grace says.

“
How thoughtful,
”
I say through the rising bile.

We keep running up the stairs, and the panic rises with each footfall. I don’t know what to do. He must have a helicopter waiting up there to whisk me off to visit Dr. Mengele in South America. I only know one thing. There is no way in hell I’m getting on that chopper. They’ll have to shoot me first.

The bomber opens the door at the top and a gust of cold wind bursts in. I get goose bumps and shiver, but not from the weather. I’m dragged outside, the wind whipping my hair around. The angled chain-link fence surrounding the perimeter of the rooftop vibrates and rattles in the wind. We gaze up at the empty raised helipad.
“
Where the hell is it?
”
Grace asks. They scan the horizon and spot it in the distance, descending like the angel of death. There’s just one more flight of stairs, well a ramp, between me and pure hell. I always wanted to go out fighting.

The linebacker’s attention, like all the others’, is on the approaching helicopter. Now or never. With every inch of my strength, I spin at the waist and cold-cock my captor square in the nose. Involuntarily, he releases me to touch his nose. Not missing a beat, I knee him in the groin while grabbing the gun. I take aim at the others as they spin around. Grace fires first, but I’m too fast for her. I leap behind the stunned linebacker, and she hits him instead. As I sprint back toward the door, and I fire back. Their bullets miss me by centimeters. I leap through the open door, and push it closed just as two slugs hit it, leaving indentations on my side of it. Better it than me.

There’s no way in hell they’ll let me get away that easily. With no way to lock the door, I race down the stairs, reach the landing, duck under the corner of the railing and taking aim back up at the door crouching low. The moment it opens again, I fire. The door shuts just as I hear Grace shriek,
“
Just leave her!
”
Guess she’s had enough.

I wait a second. No storming down, just the faint sound of the whirly bird. Another second passes and I can breathe again. I can’t just stay here. No matter how much I want to, I can’t run away. He’ll keep coming after me until he has me. I’ll be looking over my shoulder, we all will, for the rest of our days. I have seven bullets left. He’ll get on that chopper over my dead body.

I’m about to storm up the steps when I hear a noise below. Without thinking, I swing the gun toward it. The moment I do, there’s a flash of movement on the stairs below. Before I can register this, Justin appears in front of me, blood on his cheeks and shirt from the now healed bullet wounds. He throws his arms up.
“
Don’t shoot!
”

I lower the gun and throw myself down the two steps into his arms.
“
About time.
”

We squeeze each other tight, but only for a moment.
“
Are you okay?
”

“
Fine. He’s out there.
”

“
How many?
”

“
Three at least.
”

“
Bombs?
”

“
A lie.
”

He nods.
“
Thought so.
”

“
Plan?
”

“
You cover me from the door.
”

“
No way. We go out together.
”

“
I work alone.
”

“
Fight together, or die alone. I know which one I choose.
”