Page 22 of Red Zone Awakened

“Yes.You can.”And he’d never been prouder of anyone in his life.She was terrified but still persisting.It was more than some of his military teammates had been able to do.

She slid another step to her left, and Mace pressed his back to the sharp edge of the building as he followed her around the corner.A light beam glanced over them, wavering in the night as the helicopter shifted.They had to get inside before the camera found them—otherwise, his face would be splashed over every newsfeed on the planet.He was a stranger, an unknown entity, out on a ledge with the press secretary of the most powerful governing company in the world.Of course they’d want to investigate him.

Way to go undercover.

He glanced past Keiko and spotted the window they were aiming for, exactly where the floor plan said it would be.“We’re nearly there.Five more steps until we’re past the window.We need to go past it so that I can hold you and break it with my other arm.Then I’ll lift you inside.We can do this.But we need to do it now.If that chopper has an onboard camera, our whereabouts will make the news, then we might as well have an arrow over our heads telling Freedom where you are.”Because he had no doubt that the terrorists were monitoring media coverage over the comm channels they’d left free for their use.

As Keiko took another small step to the left, a telltale itch rippled across his shoulder.It was a sensation he’d become used to over the past three years since he’d woken changed.And it was one that told him their time was running out.

“Nearly there,” he said to Keiko.“Just three more steps and we’ll smash that glass.”

A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he felt a familiar tingling beneath his skin, as though something was trying to break free.No, notsomething.It was his other half.The animal his genetics had fused with while he’d lain asleep for a century.

No!Mace shouted at it.Unsure it even heard or understood.Until an hour earlier, he hadn’t even realized it could talk.

There was no reply.Instead, his back muscles tightened as he fought the sensation of the animal waking and readying to separate from his body.He had to keep his secret contained.This was the worst possible time for it to appear.

We’re on a ledge, asshole,he mentally barked into a silent void.There are cameras searching for us.You need to wait.

His breathing grew shallow.Two steps.Just two more steps to the window.A beam of light slid over them again as the chopper searched for a focus.He held his breath until the light passed.Keiko stepped past the window, and he followed, feeling the frame against his back.

One more step and he was on the other side of the window.He held on to Keiko, his hand still wound tight in her dress as she trembled.The faint murmur of her chanting encouragement to herself wafted on the air.Mace didn’t hesitate at the window.They needed to get inside—now.

He lifted his free arm and rammed his elbow into the glass.It took three bruising blows to shatter it.

“Mace?”Keiko’s voice cracked, signaling she’d reached the end of her resources.

“Nearly there.The window’s gone.Now we can get you inside.”A cold sweat trickled down his spine as his muscles clenched, fighting a war with his own mutant DNA.His animal mustnotget free.Not now.Not here.

As the helicopter light returned to dance across the building near them, Mace knocked out as much glass as possible using his elbow before tugging the cushion covers from his waist where he’d tucked them earlier.He laid them over the sharp edges of the frame.

“I’m going to put my arm around you.I’ll hold on to the window ledge to keep us both anchored, then lift you past me and into the building.”

His hand cushioned by the covers, Mace grasped the inside of the window and held on tight, hoping the glass hadn’t poked through the cloth to slice his hand into pieces.He wouldn’t know if it had; there was so much adrenaline in his system right now that pain meant nothing.He only hoped he wasn’t bleeding, as he couldn’t afford to leave any DNA evidence behind.

“You’re going towhat?”Keiko’s voice was a high-pitched squeal.“Lift me?Over you?Away from the building?Away from the ledge?You want to dangle me out over nothing?”

“Breathe, Keiko,” he snapped.“Freak out later.You know I won’t let you fall.I have a good grip on the window, and I’ll have a good grip on you too.”He uncurled his hand from the back of her dress.

“No,” she screeched.

Mace smacked his hand back onto her body to hold her in place.“Stop it.The hardest part is over.We do this one thing, and then we’re done.”

He felt her fight to control her breathing.“I’m sorry,” she whispered, shattering his cold, hard heart.“I’ll try harder.”

“I’ll be okay,” was all he could manage to say in return.It was a pitiful response to her courage.

Slowly, he released his hold on her dress and moved to wrap his arm around her.

“Nearly there.”His shoulder itched in the spot where his tattoo sat.Or what appeared to be a tattoo.Mace gritted his teeth and concentrated on Keiko.One thing at a time.They had to get off the ledge before they were spotted.

Too late.

The light from the chopper returned, flitting around in the air before steadying on them.They just couldn’t catch a break.Now they were the focus of whoever was in that craft, which meant they were on the news—and there was nothing he could do about it.

The beam of light blinded him, but he was unable to shield his eyes because one hand was holding on to the window while the other was sliding around Keiko’s waist.All he could do was angle his head away from the light and feel his way as he slowly inserted his hand between Keiko and the wall.Once he had his arm around her, he’d get her out of there fast.She weighed nothing, and he had a good grip on the window frame.Within seconds, he’d have her through the window and safe.

He almost had her in his hold when he felt it.