A Chip and a Chair (Seven of Spades, #5)(61)
“Okay.” Levi gave him a small, soft smile.
From the corner of his eye, Dominic saw Martine jogging toward them. He popped the locks so she could jump into the front passenger’s seat.
“A couple of patrol cars are going to follow us to the medical center,” she said. “I told them not to run lights or sirens. We may need the backup, but we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”
Nodding, Dominic pulled out of the parking space and turned left on East Harmon. Two silent patrol cars fell in behind them as they sped down the street.
Martine drew her gun and held it in her lap. “Are you armed?” she asked Dominic.
“Heavily.”
Levi made a disgruntled noise. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
“If anyone gets hurt, it’ll be because of Utopia, not you,” she said.
Fortunately, enough time had passed since the initial attacks that the city’s core streets were no longer as congested as those on the outskirts; the official evacuations had been completed, and most people who’d decided to spontaneously evacuate were already on their way out of town. Their other advantage was that the route from the substation to the medical center was a straight shot down one broad roadway. Dominic was easily able to weave around the other cars, driving as fast as he could without attracting notice.
The helipad in question was at ground-level, in the center of a cluster of medical buildings. It was surrounded by a parking lot and further enclosed by a low chain-link fence. Within five minutes of leaving the substation, Dominic barreled into the lot and pulled right up to the gap in fence, the squad cars flanking him on either side.
The chopper was waiting for them, its rotors whirling. Dominic saw no threats in the surrounding area, but they couldn’t be more exposed here-there was no landscaping anywhere around the helipad, obviously, and the chain-link fence was useless. The only cover was their own cars.
They’d just have to move fast, then.
Dominic drew his gun and silently checked in with Levi and Martine. In unison, they jumped out of the car and sprinted for the chopper.
The four cops from the squad cars closed ranks as a rear guard, and Dominic was unsurprised to see Jonah Gibbs and Kelly Marin among the group, both stone-faced and determined. Their feet pounded along the ground as an FBI agent leaned out of the helicopter and beckoned them frantically.
Sudden panic on the agent’s face and the squeal of multiple tires were the only warnings they got before a hail of bullets chewed through the cement in front of them. Dominic recoiled, crouched down, and scrambled backward along with everyone else, instinctively yanking Levi behind him.
They’d been betrayed.
It could have been anyone; there’d been too many people around when they made their plan, too many potential leaks. Goddamn it.
More bullets sprayed the helicopter, ripping through the FBI agent. Staying low, Dominic spun around to see that two large SUVs had pulled up beyond their own cars, past the fence. Men were hanging out of the open windows, firing semiautomatic rifles.
Firing around their group, not directly at them-cutting off their means of escape and herding them backward.
They need Levi alive.
“Back to the cars!” Dominic shouted. Yes, it was where their attackers wanted them, but they had no other choice. They’d be shot down if they tried to run in any other direction, and at least the cars would offer minimal coverage and the slim chance of escape. But they needed to get there before these men decided to risk harming Levi in order to take out his guards.
They raced toward the edge of the helipad, opening fire as soon as they were within a feasible range for their handguns. Several of the enemy ducked into their cars or behind the open doors, but the rest continued shooting. Their firepower was far superior, and the only thing that kept Dominic and his group from being wiped out in seconds was Utopia’s demand that Levi be brought in alive.
Kelly cried out as she was winged, but shook it off and ran even faster. Seconds from the cars, one of the other cops took a bullet to the leg and went down screaming. Gibbs grabbed him under the arms and dragged him the last few feet.
They were all still alive when they hunkered behind the makeshift barrier of their three cars and persisted in returning fire. As Dominic changed out his magazine, he remembered that Levi wasn’t armed.
Dominic drew the small Glock from his ankle holster and pressed it into Levi’s hand, asking the question with his eyes: Can you handle this?
Levi firmed his grip on the gun, popped up, and fired, his eyes cool and clear as he brought down one of the men.
Of course. Levi might not be able to use a gun to defend his own life, but he’d never had a problem using one to defend others.
The cops were aiming for center mass, as they were trained to-but now that Dominic was stationary and within range, he went straight for headshots. He took out the driver of the nearest car first, shattering the windshield, then got a guy who made the mistake of turning to his dead buddy in shock.
Minor successes aside, this wasn’t sustainable. They were outgunned and outnumbered, with a limited supply of ammo. Enemy reinforcements could show up long before a law enforcement response. Or a rival group could come along and turn this into a three-way nightmare.
Their one small hope was to flee in Martine’s car before it took too much damage. Dominic swiveled, intending to tell Levi to get in the car-just in time to see one of the cops abruptly turn his gun on Martine.