I continued to watch transfixed to the screen as Spencer screams and tries to protect the child when of the body guards shoves her yells at her to run then as quick as lightning he is shot by one of the attackers and drops like a puppet with the strings cut. Another woman with dark hair gets out of the car and runs away quickly, dodging between cars, almost getting hit by one she makes it to an intersection and sprints to a bus stop where she leaps onto a bus just as the doors are closing.
Spencer was still trying to shield the little girl but doesn't get far before one of the gunmen runs up behind her shooting her in the back with a machine pistol she drops still covering the girl.
A feeling of certain dread washed over me when I realised who the other victims were, Peter, Lauren and that the girl must of been little Sophie.
The remaining bodyguard is laying down a withering field of fire and one of the attackers falls as he squeezes off a shot while another is pinned down
behind the hood of the nearest Suburban. The bodyguard is hit repeatedly and goes down shooting crumpling against the side of the car.
One of the masked killers who seemed to be in charge was calmly pointing and yelling as the others grabs the little girl walking back to the Suburban cars and helps with wounded gunman into their vehicle before they drive away he raises his gun, aims carefully and shoots the camera down the screen turning to white noise.
"That was extreme! Did you see that one guy?" Mark starts to rave about the shooting
"Shut-up!" he looks at me clearly puzzled by my sharpness and turns back to the screen.
Two driver license pictures appear on the screen the one on the left is Peter the bodyguard I tussled with at Spencer's place the other person is Spencer Carlin herself.
-x-
I jimmied the window from the outside and slowly slide it open, tie myself with rope to the opening and drop head first hanging upside down I reach in grasping the window casement with each hand to steady myself, then gracefully somersault into the room below landing on both feetI creep to the door opens it a crack and peer out to the hospital corridor. Dimly lit and dingy I make my way down it passing a couple of corpse laden gurneys waiting to be taken to the morgue whenever somebody gets around to it, I look into a couple of hospital rooms at patients being warehoused more than healed finally I see room.
I approach the bed where she laid unconscious all hooked up to monitors, her injuries bandaged, I.V.'s running, etc. I took the time to just look at her for a minute trying to control the emotion that built up inside me seeing her laying there broken.
"Sure looks like you pissed off the wrong folks" I whispered softly
I pull open the drawer next to the bedside table and take out her purse going through it only to find it empty. Don't judge I'm looking for information not money "Nurses beat me to it."
I flop into a chair and put my feet up on the hospital bed
"I could of told you if take a header into the deep end when the pool's empty you're gonna go splat it's the law of gravity, even Jesus Christ himself had to obey the law of gravity... for awhile anyway." I smile at my stupid analogy "Well, better you than me I guess." I sigh
I sit up when I hear something out in the hall getting to my feet I press myself flat against the wall through the doorway I see an orderly approaching carrying a tray of meds. He slowed as he passed Spencer's room casting a long look at her comatose form then continues on.
"The one I feel sorry for is that poor woman with the kid she should have told you to stick it like I did but she bought your rant about 'doing what's right'" dumb bitch I thought.
I crossed to the window and lift a slat of the Venetian blinds peering out into the night "and just so you know, I don't feel the slightest guilt about not watching her back, that's one hundred percent on you, hotshot."
My enhanced night vision picks up movement on the building opposite, I look closer to see a figure moving furtively on the roof I watch as the figure removes a rifle from its case and screws on a scope.
I had to get Spencer out I walks over to the bed and begins to manoeuvre it toward the door.
"I probably ought to let them just finish the job at east then you won't get more innocent people whacked on account of your ambition... On the other hand you are kinda cute and you did give that statue to me I was able to fence that for a couple of bucks" I reached the corridor and stopped.
Yanking the toe-tag off one of the other corpses on a gurney and wheel it into the room where Spencer was.
I duck back out and carry on wheeling Spencer down the corridor "I've been wanting to buy myself a new motorcycle" I hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and the glock of a machine gun I enter a room across the hall to hide just as a gunman steps out of the stairwell and sprays Spencer's old room with bullets before quickly vanishing back into the stairwell. Thank god Spencer wasn't in there. After a beat I re-emerge into the hall "I'm thinking maybe the xz12r"
I see an orderly, who comes running at the sound of all the commotion "You take care now." I leave her there and head for the exit.
-x-
I enter Spencer's apartment it's dark and empty I navigate through the darkness to her computer I take at seat at the command central for Eyes Only's information network and log on, accessing her myriad data files.
A file comes up on screen to do with Justine Bibber I click on Employees and associates scrolling through the file of mug shots of enforcers, lieutenants, etc. a generally loathsome crew. Just looking at them makes me want to take a shower then bingo I find the mug shot of the guy across the roof that shot up Spencer's hospital room.
I look up at a sound coming from down the hall listening a moment then push myself away from the console to investigate hearing the creak of a
Floor board I snag a vase off the mantle raises it like a truncheon and continues into the darkness keeping my back against the wall.
Suddenly, a figure lunged at me I ducked catching the assailant by the throat pinning them to the wall I was about to deliver a cranium crack with the vase when I recognize Lauren. "Damn. Are you alright?"
Her red puffy tear stained face looked back at me "I couldn't get to her. It all happened so fast. Spencer had her and I saw him fall then Peter told me to run and then he...and I remember so clearly, thinking it's me they want. If I run, maybe they'll come after me. Maybe they won't think about her... So I ran..." she dissolved into tears.
"They won't hurt her she's the only leverage they have to keep you quiet."
I could tell Lauren wanted desperately to believe me "Can you help me get her back?"
"Look, I'd really like to..." I can't muster the courage to venture a "but" as I looked into the woman's imploring eyes and I'd be helping Spencer then maybe she'd help me find the other kids like me. "...So I will."
Back at the computer console I show to Lauren the mug shot on the screen "That's the shooter who tried to finish off Spencer... He works for Bibber, surprise, surprise. Bruno Anselmo born in 1990, served in Iraq, dishonourable discharge, armed robbery, assault, assault with a deadly weapon, arson, attempted rape he's your basic renaissance dirt bag."
But Lauren is too absorbed by worry to pay attention "If I give myself up in exchange for Sophie would you make sure she's okay?"
"We're not going that route Bibber's not someone you make deals with." I shake my head in thought
"What else can we do?"
"Like I said, this isn't my regular line of work so I'm making it up as I go."
We finally track down the address of a co-criminals mansion where a party is being held that was my way in.
