Midnight Fever (Men of Midnight #5)(66)

His SUV was lying on its side like a wounded animal. But ASI vehicles were armored. Maybe if the vehicle could be pushed onto its wheels, it could still function. It had the opposite of a soft underbelly. The chassis was hardened, the tires run-flat. If whoever had remotely pulled the trigger thought he'd taken out whoever was in the shack and had destroyed transportation for anyone who survived the bombing, they were in for a surprise.

He lifted the rifle to his shoulder, then frowned. What was that noise? Like … the rustling of leaves, only there was no wind. And it was regular. What the fuck-

Metal's voice came over his comms unit. "Nick! Get out of there! Fuck, it's a sniper drone, too! Gogogo!"

"Negative, Metal," Nick said calmly, shouldering the rifle.

"Fuck, man! That drone's big enough to carry a chain gun –one of those bullets catches you, you'll bleed out in seconds."

"Kay's in the Grange. Would you leave Felicity there with the possibility of another missile strike? And with a strafing gun on over-watch?"

Silence. "Okay, man, I hear you. Knock it out of the sky."

"Roger that." Nick put his eye to the scope. Someone rich and powerful was after Kay. Someone with the potential to do immense harm to a lot of people. That was Nick's usual target but this guy's real mistake was going after Kay. He'd have to get through Nick, and he'd have to get through the entire ASI team first.

Nick knew that if he was killed, Kay would be protected by ASI, and they would pull out all the stops. She was Felicity's friend and she was Al Goodkind's granddaughter. They wouldn't let anything happen to her.

But it so happened that Nick wanted to live and take care of Kay himself. They were both going to live through this and then he'd go after the fuckers with everything he had. He'd-

There it was!

Circling back slowly like an oversized eagle. When Nick put his eye to the scope, the drone jumped, looking as if it were right above Nick's head. The optics were very clear. While the shooting lobe in his head set up the shot, the analytical part of his brain was drawing in info.

It was a pity that the scope didn't have a camera, because he'd love to be able to study the underbelly once they got back to HQ. But it didn't. He only had time to see that there had been two missiles attached, only one remaining. The drone was circling back.

Suddenly, a whap whap whap! sound came from the bushes again. The drone was clearing the terrain with bullets before letting fly another missile. 

Whoever was operating the drone wasn't seeing signs of life, but the motherfucker wasn't taking chances. This guy wanted Kay dead.

Not on my watch, motherfucker.

Nick slowed his breathing, finger tight but not too tight on the trigger. Breathing slowed, he slowed his heartbeat, watching the silver bird circle around to him. The bullets chewed up the undergrowth but didn't interfere with his view of the drone itself.

Closer, closer.

His heart was beating steady and slow.

The drone filled his scope. He tuned out the sound of the bullets chopping down trees, digging up the earth, striking the SUV, coming closer. The bullets so close now he could see shards of wood fly up.

He slowed his heartbeat more. Thump. Pause. Thump.

Between one heartbeat and another, Nick pulled the trigger. And watched the drone blow up.

The bullet had 220 footounds of force. The drone was made of lightweight metal to increase its flying time. No way it could withstand such an impact.

Nick crouched behind the tree trunk for ten seconds, waiting for all the hot shards of metal to drop to the ground, then took off for the secondary exit at a run.

"Excellent shot," Metal said in his ear. "The FBI didn't destroy your aim."

Nick ignored him as he ran. "Felicity," he said urgently. "Any other drones?"

"No." She paused. "But I can't guarantee that this guy doesn't have satellite access. Can you find the entrance that's under the camouflage netting?"

Nick swerved. Yes, there was another exit that had been placed under the cover of the netting. "Entering now. I want to exit as fast as possible with Kay. Find us a path out that's not open to eyes in the sky."

Clickety-clack. "Metal's taking care of that right now," Felicity said. "He and Jacko will be contacting you. I'll stay on over-watch."

A minute later, Metal was on comms. "Nick, make it to the very end of the second server farm. Matt will be waiting for you."

The third exit also had a ramp, and Nick hit it running, figuring he could run down the four flights faster than the elevator could take him. He exited into another section, but he had the floor plan in his head. A minute later he was placing his hand on the wall outside the safe room.

"Nick!"

Kay was sitting at a desk, still working at the computer, but at the sound of the door opening, she looked up. And her face changed. It was as if him walking into the room brought her Christmas and Easter and her birthday, all at once. In the midst of death and danger, her world falling to bits around her, he brought her joy.