Templar's Quest

87

Cædmon yanked open the door at the top of the steps, motioning for Kate to precede him.

‘Ladies first,’ he said, his lips twisted in a semblance of a smile.

Kate wasn’t fooled for a minute – he was in a tremendous amount of pain. The bandage on his head was completely saturated with blood and his right jacket sleeve had a large bloody splotch. She had no idea how Cædmon had come by his wounds, but it was obvious that he needed immediate medical attention.

Free and clear of the stairwell, the two of them sprinted across the low-lit mezzanine. Two shadows charging through the penumbra.

Heart pounding, Kate pushed herself to keep up with Cædmon’s long-legged stride. Although the temperature inside the atrium was downright frigid, she was heated from the exertion. Stress, combined with lack of food and sleep, was sapping what little energy she had left. To prevent herself from stumbling, she focused on keeping her arms and legs coordinated.

Worried that Finn might run into trouble, she spared a quick glance over her shoulder. She hoped to God that Dr Uhlemann’s associates didn’t send armed reinforcements to ambush him. She didn’t know a lot about pipe bombs other than the fact that they were incredibly volatile and dangerous to handle. If he got caught in a firefight, it might trigger an unintended explosion.

As if to prove that very point, a loud blast suddenly thundered in the level below them, Kate feeling the reverberations in her spinal column. A few seconds later, a second bomb detonated. And then a third.

‘Excellent!’ Cædmon exclaimed. ‘McGuire has ignited the first three bombs.’

A few moments later, they arrived at the exit door, both of them slightly out of breath.

‘Bloody hell! Who puts a security lock on both sides of the door?’ Cædmon gestured to the numeric pad affixed to the right side of the door jamb. ‘Luckily, I have the access code.’

He keyed in a six-digit number.

‘Damn … I must have mis-keyed.’ He tried again, slower this time.

When nothing happened, Kate asked the obvious question. ‘Why isn’t the door unlocking?’

‘I have no idea. Not to fear.’ Cædmon absently patted her arm. ‘I have two other codes. I’m sure one of them will work.’

Despite his assurance, she literally crossed her fingers as she watched him carefully key in a second numeric code.

Six attempts later, Cædmon turned to her and delivered the bad news. ‘It would appear that we’re locked in.’

Kate gasped. Swayed. Saw spots in front of her eyes.

They were trapped inside the facility!