Toys

Chapter 85

Minutes later, I was crouched down at the border of the dark wasteland. I had a stun-gun carbine in my hand and was tensing my legs for a sprint to the filtration plant where the Agency had isolated Lucy-I was the point man in her capture. I sucked in one more deep, measured breath. Then I jumped forward, racing in long, springing strides.

I lunged straight up as I reached the building’s granite walls, catching the ledge below a window with my free hand, throwing the carbine to my shoulder with the other.

This was it, life or death. For me, and for Lucy.

I rammed the rifle barrel through the window and aimed. Right now, this instant, I had to be the best marksman I could imagine.

Very slowly, I squeezed the trigger.

Shot of my life.

And Lucy’s too.

Lucy and her men spun around toward the shattering glass. I had fired the most deliberate and careful shot-three inches off her left shoulder.

The stun blast cracked with a flash like a lightning bolt, and Lucy went reeling. But she stayed on her feet. I figured that she would.

So far, so good.

But then they didn’t run for the tunnels. The three of them stumbled away in the wrong direction-farther into the plant. What was she doing? This made no sense.

Maybe I’d cut the shot too close, jolted her completely out of her senses?

I swung myself boots-first through the window and dropped in a driving rain of glass to the floor below. I needed to save Lucy, somehow-with McGill watching my every move.