Private Moscow

Chapter 110

The crowd scattered as the firefight intensified between members of Kavanagh’s entourage and the Marine guards and Secret Service agents. Screams filled the air, punctuated by semi-automatic gunfire. Jack and the two Marines with him were released and the men who’d been holding them captive joined the shootout.

“Fuller!” Jack yelled. “With me!”

He set off with Fuller in pursuit. The other Marine who was with them took a couple of paces, and was shot in the shoulder.

“Help him,” Dinara said to Hector, who nodded and rushed to the fallen man’s side.

Dinara ducked as she set off after Jack. He and Fuller ran round the seating area, behind the podium and down an access corridor that led away from the auditorium. They were chasing Kavanagh and Veles, who was being slowed by dragging a struggling man at gunpoint. A Secret Service agent was also chasing them. The agent was twenty or thirty paces ahead of Jack and Fuller, and Dinara was twenty paces behind them.

“Stop!” the Secret Service agent yelled.

Veles opened fire in reply, and hit the man in the leg. The agent went down as Kavanagh reached a security door. She opened it with a swipe card, and Veles unleashed a couple of wild shots, forcing Jack, Fuller and Dinara to take cover behind columns that lined the corridor walls.

When Dinara broke cover, Kavanagh, Veles and the hostage were gone, the security door was closed, and Jack and Fuller were beside the fallen Secret Service agent.

“Veles,” Dinara observed as she joined them.

Jack nodded. “And Kavanagh. I think they’re going for the servers. Can they switch the system on from in there?”

“I don’t know,” Fuller replied. “We can’t wait here to find out, but if someone doesn’t stay with this man, he’s going to bleed out.”

The sound of gunfire crackled along the corridor, rising above a bed of screams and commotion.

“I have to finish this,” Jack said.

Fuller studied him for a moment, and then nodded. He handed Jack his sidearm. “Take this.”

Jack rose, and Dinara made to follow.

“No,” he said.

“What do you mean, no?” Dinara replied haughtily. “You think I’m sitting this out after what they did to Leonid?”

Jack thought for a moment, and quickly relented.

“Here,” the wounded Secret Service agent said, and he handed Dinara his pistol.

“You’ll need this.” Fuller gave Jack his swipe card, and then set about using his belt to tie a tourniquet around the injured agent’s leg.

“Come on,” Jack said.

He ran down the corridor; Dinara followed. She checked her pistol as they came to the security door.

Jack paused, gave her a confirmatory nod, and she replied in kind. He swiped the key card and the pressure door unlocked with a clunk and a hiss. He pulled it open, and Dinara followed him inside.