Page 134 of Hard Rain

The sensation pulled him back to the state championship game his senior year. He’d taken a helmet square beneath the chin in the third quarter. The world hadn’t gone black. It had simply slowed for a while, every sound arriving a beat late until the dizziness passed.

This felt different.

Chemical instead of concussion.

Whatever they’d used was wearing off.

He opened his eyes to the dull glow of emergency lighting.

Power outage.

The concrete pressed cold against his cheek, carrying the faint damp smell older buildings never quite lost. Underneath it sat something sharper. Bleach. Fresh enough to notice through whatever they’d pumped into his system.

Somewhere beyond the walls, a generator hummed with the steady rhythm of industrial equipment instead of commercial HVAC.

The sound reminded him of an abandoned mill outside Bend they’d searched years ago. Same constant vibration through the floor. Same echo when voices carried down unfinished concrete corridors.

Concrete reflected sound differently than drywall.

Whoever was talking wasn’t far away.

And beyond all that was gunfire.

Gunfire rolled through the concrete like distant thunder.

Boone would be building a perimeter.

Axel…

Axel would be trying to tear one apart.

Whip rolled onto his back before easing himself into a sitting position. His stomach protested the movement, but the room stayed steady. Whatever they’d used was wearing off faster than they’d expected.

It looked more like a forgotten meeting room than anywhere meant to hold people. Beige walls, commercial carpet, a folding table, two stackable chairs, and a heavy security door with reinforced glass.

Amateurs.

He snorted and crossed to the door to test the handle.

Locked.

It wouldn’t matter. He’d gotten out of tighter spots than this.

Keys rattled nearby.

His gaze swept around the room. The folding chair in the corner wasn’t much, but the steel frame would do more damage than his fists since the drug wasn’t yet out of his system.

He picked it up, weighing it once before stepping beside the door where whoever was entering wouldn’t see him immediately.

Keys jangled again.

The lock clicked, and the handle turned.

Whip tightened his grip and waited for the door to swing wide enough.

He swung the chair against the man’s head.

The guy dropped like a stone with a soft thud.