“Sorry, boss. No audio.”
On the monitor, Peters shook his head. Dickinson stepped forward and put his hand on Natalie’s arm. His fingers curled tight. Cooper fought an urge to punch the wall. The group began moving again, heading toward the elevator.
The janitor shut off the floor buffer and straightened. By his posture, it was clear he was asking them what they were doing. Without releasing Natalie, Roger Dickinson turned, pulled a gun from inside his suit, pointed it casually, and shot the janitor in the head.
At this distance, through the door, the bullet sounded like a firecracker.
On the screen, blood and gray matter spattered across the clean marble floors. The janitor crumpled.
Cooper was almost to the door before he realized he’d started moving. But Shannon was in front, wrapping her arms around him and planting a shoulder in his chest. “Nick, no!”
“Get out of my—”
“No. He’s dead, and if you go out there, so are your children.”
Cooper put a hand against her shoulder and—
Two men in front, ready. They’ll be the first. Slide on the floor and fire, they won’t be expecting it, you can take both.
Then stand up, run to the corner, take aim on…
Dickinson, a gun in his hand, standing beside your family?
Peters, behind them?
Two additional shooters in widely-spaced positions?
—let it slip down her arm. He took a deep breath. Facing them now was suicide. Hell, that was probably even part of the point; Dickinson knew he was nearby, wanted to goad him into a stupid move.
“Cooper?” Quinn asked dryly. “We good?”
“Yeah.” He shook himself free of Shannon, but gently, and she let him. “Yeah. What’s happening?”
“Rear guard is moving on the body. Everyone else is heading for the elevator.”
“All right.” He took another breath, turned back to Quinn. His partner had cycled the images to follow the group’s motion. The time code read 9:46. “You’ve got full control?”
“Just as God intended.”
“Good. You can call the ball from here. Do you have a layout of the office?”
Quinn turned to the laptop, pulled open an architectural drawing, and made a few motions. “Hingepoint Productions. A graphic design firm. Their tagline is ‘Technology folds into art.’ Cute, huh?”
Shannon said, “You can get a floor plan of any place? Just like that?”
“That’s why we’re Equitable Services, sweetheart.”
Cooper leaned in. The diagram was simple enough, showed an open-plan office, rows of cubicles, the basic layout. “Can you pull it up on the cameras?”
“No. Building security covers common areas only. But I was able to remotely unlock the door.”
“Okay. Shannon, you go up the stairs, I’ll take the elevator. They’re expecting me to be alone. They’ll be keyed up and focused on me. Should make it easy for you to do your thing.”
“They’re heading up.” Quinn typed in the air, and the whole screen filled with the inside of an elevator. The two shooters in front, then Natalie and his children, with Peters and Dickinson in back. One of the shooters pressed the button for the tenth floor.
There was no predicting the janitor. But everything else is going as you hoped. With Quinn watching from here and Shannon walking through walls, you can turn a losing situation into a winner. Let them get into the office and take position. You go in, draw their attention. Shannon gets behind, turns the tables. You finish it.
Drew Peters, you die tonight.
The elevator rose, the numbers changing. Second floor. Third. Fourth.
One of the shooters leaned forward and pressed a button.
The elevator stopped on the fifth floor.
“What are they—”
The two shooters stepped out. One turned and gestured to Natalie. She shook her head. The shooter drew a pistol. Pointed it.
At Todd.