Read Online Rogue Angel 51: The Pretender's Gambit by Alex Archer - Free Book Online
Authors: Alex Archer
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well. He just managed to stay ahead of a swath of bullets from the two gunmen standing outside the wrecked door.
Traffic had been held up by a red light at the intersection. At the sound of the shots, the drivers panicked and began trying to pull around each other. Failing that, many of them got out and ran or stayed in their vehicles.
Rao ran, his head low, and knew that the gunmen pursued him.
* * *
A NNJA FELT THE shock of adrenaline hitting her system, but concentrated on examining Bart. He’d been hit by the man’s bullets. That was all she knew.
She reached for him, gazing at his chest and expecting it to be a bloody ruin. It wasn’t. Three bullet holes showed in his shirt, one of them piercing his coat as well, but there was no blood.
Vest , Annja thought frantically. He’s wearing a protective vest.
Then she was aware of the swarthy man beside her. He grabbed her roughly by one elbow and shoved the hot barrel of the pistol against her neck. The barrel was so hot that her flesh seared. She almost fought back, but she knew that would only fail. All the man had to do was squeeze the trigger and the fight would end before it started.
“Move,” the man ordered in a harsh voice.
Annja stood, looking down at Bart. His eyelids flickered, but he was almost unconscious, barely aware of what was going on around him. Even with the vest, his ribs could have been cracked. One of them might have punctured a lung.
The man yanked her again, guiding her toward the back door. Annja knew she had a chance to escape then. The man wasn’t paying strict attention to her. He didn’t know what she was capable of.
But there were too many people around. The innocents would get hurt. She didn’t want that. She held herself ready and waited.
Through the door, outside in the cold air of morning, horns blaring at the traffic jam that had taken shape in the intersection, Annja strode down the sidewalk as the man guided her. They were walking away from the building where Maurice Benyovszky had been killed, walking past the other door to the diner now.
Police would arrive quickly. She knew that. She concentrated on her breathing, keeping it smooth and regular, and she paid attention. There had been two men inside the diner, the guy who held her captive and the man who followed them that had wielded the machine pistol.
The Asian man had vanished, but the two armed men sprinting through the stalled traffic gave Annja a good idea which way Nguyen Rao had gone.
If that’s even his name . Anger flared up in Annja then. She wasn’t sure who to blame for Bart getting shot. From the way the guy who was holding on to her had acted, he’d chosen to shoot Bart as soon as Bart had tried to leave with the Asian man.
They definitely weren’t working together. The Asian man had been asking about the elephant piece, but that didn’t mean the guy holding on to her was interested in that.
“Annja Creed,” the man said in that hard voice as he looked around.
She didn’t respond.
Angrily, the man shook her. “You will speak when I speak to you.”
“All right.” Annja took note of the neighborhood. Pedestrians had been drawn to the diner, thinning out of the alley and the streets. The smart neighbors and passersby stayed in their homes and watched.
“Where is the elephant?”
Okay, so all of this is connected. Everybody has an elephant on their agenda. Annja took a breath and stepped off the curb, keeping pace with the man at her side. “I don’t know.”
“Does the detective have it?”
“No. The elephant wasn’t in Benyovszky’s apartment.”
The man cursed in Portuguese. Annja understood enough of the man’s invective to understand he was mad and scared.
“What is the elephant?” Annja asked.
“None of your business. If you do not know, it is better that you do not learn.”
Annja kept walking, but she was aware that the man was no longer as focused on her. He was looking for a way out now, a way through the
Traffic had been held up by a red light at the intersection. At the sound of the shots, the drivers panicked and began trying to pull around each other. Failing that, many of them got out and ran or stayed in their vehicles.
Rao ran, his head low, and knew that the gunmen pursued him.
* * *
A NNJA FELT THE shock of adrenaline hitting her system, but concentrated on examining Bart. He’d been hit by the man’s bullets. That was all she knew.
She reached for him, gazing at his chest and expecting it to be a bloody ruin. It wasn’t. Three bullet holes showed in his shirt, one of them piercing his coat as well, but there was no blood.
Vest , Annja thought frantically. He’s wearing a protective vest.
Then she was aware of the swarthy man beside her. He grabbed her roughly by one elbow and shoved the hot barrel of the pistol against her neck. The barrel was so hot that her flesh seared. She almost fought back, but she knew that would only fail. All the man had to do was squeeze the trigger and the fight would end before it started.
“Move,” the man ordered in a harsh voice.
Annja stood, looking down at Bart. His eyelids flickered, but he was almost unconscious, barely aware of what was going on around him. Even with the vest, his ribs could have been cracked. One of them might have punctured a lung.
The man yanked her again, guiding her toward the back door. Annja knew she had a chance to escape then. The man wasn’t paying strict attention to her. He didn’t know what she was capable of.
But there were too many people around. The innocents would get hurt. She didn’t want that. She held herself ready and waited.
Through the door, outside in the cold air of morning, horns blaring at the traffic jam that had taken shape in the intersection, Annja strode down the sidewalk as the man guided her. They were walking away from the building where Maurice Benyovszky had been killed, walking past the other door to the diner now.
Police would arrive quickly. She knew that. She concentrated on her breathing, keeping it smooth and regular, and she paid attention. There had been two men inside the diner, the guy who held her captive and the man who followed them that had wielded the machine pistol.
The Asian man had vanished, but the two armed men sprinting through the stalled traffic gave Annja a good idea which way Nguyen Rao had gone.
If that’s even his name . Anger flared up in Annja then. She wasn’t sure who to blame for Bart getting shot. From the way the guy who was holding on to her had acted, he’d chosen to shoot Bart as soon as Bart had tried to leave with the Asian man.
They definitely weren’t working together. The Asian man had been asking about the elephant piece, but that didn’t mean the guy holding on to her was interested in that.
“Annja Creed,” the man said in that hard voice as he looked around.
She didn’t respond.
Angrily, the man shook her. “You will speak when I speak to you.”
“All right.” Annja took note of the neighborhood. Pedestrians had been drawn to the diner, thinning out of the alley and the streets. The smart neighbors and passersby stayed in their homes and watched.
“Where is the elephant?”
Okay, so all of this is connected. Everybody has an elephant on their agenda. Annja took a breath and stepped off the curb, keeping pace with the man at her side. “I don’t know.”
“Does the detective have it?”
“No. The elephant wasn’t in Benyovszky’s apartment.”
The man cursed in Portuguese. Annja understood enough of the man’s invective to understand he was mad and scared.
“What is the elephant?” Annja asked.
“None of your business. If you do not know, it is better that you do not learn.”
Annja kept walking, but she was aware that the man was no longer as focused on her. He was looking for a way out now, a way through the
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