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But the mayor sealed his lips and shook his head fervently, his sweaty, dark hair shifting above his tanned features. “Whoever did this is dangerous. And the guy they hired has already killed; and he will kill again. Now, I don’t know who you are. For all I know, you work for them. You’ll have to sort it out with the lawyers.”
There was something almost apologetic in his inflection now.
And it took Cora a moment to realize why, but then she spotted the way he was reclining. Her eyes on the way his head kept bumping backwards.
There were guards downstairs, in the backyard, in the front, and a helicopter overhead. A guard posted in the hall outside the mayor’s room. It made sense that he would have a silent alarm.
But her suspicion was quickly replaced by certainty as the door to the bedroom slammed open. Men with guns charged into the room, shouting, “On the ground! On the ground, now!”
Cora didn’t hesitate in moments like these—thinking gave way to instinct. Not even a thought could outrun a bullet. But for the moment, she stood on the opposite side of the bed. The gunmen risked shooting the mayor, but for the moment, someone was calling, “Hold fire!”
As they moved into the room, attempting to surround her, she didn’t hesitate. She burst forward, racing towards the window. A burst of bullets riddled the wall. She kept low as she moved, trying to keep as close to the bedframe as possible. And then she lunged through the window. She hadn’t had time to scout out this section of the house. She hadn’t even known which room the mayor was staying in. Normally, an exit route was just as important as an entry one. But after the silent alarm, things were clear that improvisation would be in order.
The glass shattered around her as she plummeted through the window.
Bullets streaked above her. She didn’t yell and didn’t shout out. A second later, she realized she was heading straight towards the roof of a police car.
She braced, neck to the side, head up, and shoulder first.
Shouting, gunfire. Impact. She hit the roof of the car. Unlike the movies, it didn’t dent beneath her. Rather, it gave only a small amount, and then her body absorbed the rest of the impact. Thankfully, the ten-foot fall from the second-floor window wasn’t too devastating, but it would leave a bruise. Her shoulder ached and her ribs protested. She rolled off the roof of the car and landed on the ground.
She took shelter as more bullets and glass shattered in the vehicle.
Shouting police from the front of the house. The helicopter was redirecting, and she watched the way the spotlight began to move.
She cursed. Gasping, bruised, and breathing heavily, she reached through the window of the car and turned the keys.
“He’s stealing the car!” someone shouted.
She heard footsteps. More gunfire.
She opened the door and floored the gas pedal but flung herself back.
The car shot off like a rocket, but without additional pressure, slowed. Thankfully, they were on something of an incline. The vehicle continued to roll.
For her part, she had bolted for the opposite side of the road.
Half of the gunmen were still tracking the car, thinking that she had managed to slip inside. Others, though, had noticed her bolt.
At least she had managed to cut the bullets seeking her in half. It was far easier to redirect the gun than dodge lead.
She flung herself over a metal railing, hitting the grass on the other side of the road.
More shouting. Sirens now.
She glanced up. Two police cars were racing down the road towards her. Behind her, she realized, she was facing a golf course. The helicopter was churning up the small pond in the middle of the golf course as it rushed towards her.
She cursed, glancing one way, then the other.
She reached a quick decision.
She needed to find trees. Cover. Anything to obscure the helicopter. A parking lot. A large building. A shopping center.
She moved hastily forward now, through the golf course. Occasional spurts of weaponry caused tufts of grass to explode at her feet. Mud speckled her shins.
She hastened forward, faster.
Something hot ripped across the side of her neck.
