The subcompact rocked to one side as Maloney put a knee on the threshold. “Hold still,” he said. Rook’s right shackle popped free, but instead of waiting for the left to be unlocked, he whipped that arm into the center of the car out of Maloney’s reach. “Fucking asshole,” he muttered. “Gimme that cuff.” And he stretched across Rook to grab his arm.
Heat sprang at him with both hands. With one, she jerked his thumb back toward his wrist, and with the other, clawed for his shoulder holster. But it was wedged underneath his left arm, which was trapped between him and Rook’s chest. Nikki pushed with all her might, trying to break his thumb. Maloney yowled in pain, but his nitrile glove kept slipping and she couldn’t get enough purchase to match his strength. “Get his gun!” she shouted. “The holster!”
“I’m trying!” Rook’s left arm was trapped under Maloney’s body. Rook pushed against him to make a gap wide enough to reach the Smith & Wesson. The bullet wound in his right shoulder weakened his leverage, though, and when he did manage to pry open a space, Maloney forced himself back against Rook, closing it.
“Shoot her!” called Maloney. “Fucking shoot her!”
Backhouse fired. But in his frenzy, he fired wild. Nikki heard the 9mm slug sizzle past and slam into the dashboard in front of Rook. “Get closer, dickhead!”
Nikki caught movement to her right as Backhouse stepped up to the window to position himself for a point-blank shot. She let go of Maloney’s thumb, unlatched the door, and shoved it into Backhouse. The Sig went off as it flew from his hands, landing with a clatter somewhere across the crash hall floor. Backhouse landed on the deck, too. She saw him looking over at his shotgun across the room and started out after him. But Maloney snagged her from behind and drew her in, trying to clamp a chokehold on her.
While she clawed at his forearm, trying to break the powerful lock he had on her, she watched Backhouse stumble to his feet. Satisfied that all three were fully engaged in the car, he bypassed his shotgun and darted out of sight in the direction of the control booth.
A klaxon sounded a triple alarm and the lights of the crash hall came up to full brightness. Backhouse had started the launch sequence.
Gasping, trying to butt Maloney with the back of her head and failing, Heat hollered, “Rook, get out! Get out now!”
“I can’t, he’s got me pinned!” Rook started punching Maloney’s back, but with his weak wounded arm, he might as well have been pounding a bag of cement.
The prerecorded voice of a woman who sounded a lot like Siri echoed throughout the hangar. “Caution: Stand clear. Stay behind yellow lines. Commencing test launch sequence.” Another sharp klaxon sounded, and the announcer continued, “Launching in thirty seconds.”
Heat twisted, kicked, and struggled, but couldn’t break the armlock around her neck. “Maloney,” she gasped, “we need to get out.”
His response was to drag her deeper into the car as he tried to crawl back out over Rook.
“Launching in twenty seconds,” said the dispassionate voice.
Maloney’s movement gave Rook an opening to move just a bit. Despite the searing pain in his shoulder, he worked his right hand down into his side coat pocket and fumbled with something inside.
“Launching in fifteen seconds.”
“Rook, get yourself out! Please!”
“Launching in ten seconds.”
Rook’s hand came up from his pocket, clutching his Hemingway Montblanc in his fist—with the cap off—its radiant new nib exposed. He plunged the sharp point into Maloney’s ear. Immediately, his entire body recoiled and he screamed in agony, pulling the hand that was applying pressure to the chokehold on Heat away to grab at the fountain pen embedded in his eardrum.
“Launching in five seconds.”
The instant Maloney’s grip slackened on Heat, she rolled out of the driver’s side just as Rook rolled out the other door. Inside the car, blood pouring down the side of his face onto the seat, Maloney stared at her with the pleading eyes of the doomed. She didn’t hesitate. Nikki reached out both hands. He took them and she pulled to drag him free.
“Launch.”