Atlantis

Chapter 34

“Everybody get down!” Willis shouted.

Avery felt him shove her hard in the back and she hit the floor, her breath leaving her in a rush. The windows exploded in a shower of glass and the sound of gunshots boomed all around. She struggled to her feet, brushing glass from her hair. Willis had shoved the sofa against the front door and now peered out of one of the shattered windows.

“There’s at least four of them. They’ll probably come at us from both sides, and have another man guarding the door.”

Krueger shoved a stack of notebooks into Avery’s arms.

“As soon as I moved in, I cut a bolt hole in the floor of the bedroom closet. Move the shoes aside and pull up the carpet. It’ll take you down into the basement, which runs the length of the building. You should be able to get out that way.”

“We’ll all get out that way.” Willis flinched as the kitchen window shattered. “Come on.”

“Somebody has to stay here, or else they’ll know we’ve gotten away.” He reached behind a bookshelf and drew out an assault rifle. Avery was no expert, but she knew an AK-47 when she saw it. “Those notes can’t fall into the Dominion’s hands, and you’re more capable of getting the ladies out of here than I am.”

A burst of gunfire shredded the front door, and Krueger fired back.

“Go!” he shouted. “Or else this is all for nothing!”

Willis hesitated for a split-second before ushering Avery and Sofia toward the back room.

Avery found the bolt hole, yanked it open, and dropped down into the cool, dark basement. Above her, the gunfire continued. She heard another window shatter, Willis return fire, and a man cry out in pain. Good!

Sofia dropped down next to her and Willis followed a moment later.

“I’ll get you away from here, and then I’m going back for Krueger.” They dashed down the length of the basement, passing storage cubes made from two-by-fours and cheap chicken wire, each labeled with an apartment number, and ending in a laundry room.

Willis held up a finger for silence and then slipped out the door. He returned moments later.

“We can’t get to the car. There are too many of them.”

“I saw a couple of motorcycles in one of the storage cubes,” Sofia said. “Too bad we don’t have the keys.”

A wicked smile split Willis’ dark face. “I don’t need keys.”

“Can you not squeeze so tight?” Avery grunted. They were roaring south along the Extraterrestrial Highway atop a freshly-hotwired Honda Shadow. Willis had wanted them to take both bikes, but not only had Sofia never ridden one, she was deathly afraid of them.

“I’m not letting go.” Sofia’s voice quaked. “We don’t even have helmets. What if we crash?”

“We’ll definitely crash if you suffocate me.” Avery felt Sofia’s python clutch ease a little. “I don’t get it. You’re an outdoorsy girl. You SCUBA, you climb, what’s so bad about a motorcycle?”

“What’s bad is flying down the street with nothing between me and death but the clothes on my back.”

“Fair enough. Just hang in there. Willis should catch up with us soon.”

Ten minutes later, a man on a motorcycle appeared in her rear-view mirror. She recognized him immediately and pulled to the side of the road. Willis stopped alongside them and cut the engine.

“I called Tam. She says it’s too dangerous to try to make it all the way to Vegas. She’s hooking us up with a flight out of a little airfield about a half an hour from here.” He grimaced.

“We wouldn’t have had time to hit the casinos,” Avery chided.

“Naw, it’s not that. It’s Krueger.”

“What happened?” Avery had noticed Willis was alone, but didn’t want to broach the subject.

Willis shook his head. “Right after you left, Krueger’s gun went silent. Must have run out of ammo. They were hauling his stuff out of the apartment. I would have gone in, but there were more of them than I thought, and they were better armed than me. Besides, I needed to get the two of you out of here.”

“Going in there would have been a suicide mission. You’re not Bones; you’re smarter than that.”

“If you say so,” Willis sighed. “Anyway, Krueger’s either dead or their prisoner.”

“Which means,” Avery said, “the Dominion might soon know about the Hall of Records.”