The authorities would be here soon.

  61 |

  Charles Palmer Residence

  Doha, Qatar

  Palmer turned to Mary since security was her area of expertise. “What do we do?”

  “I assume the security protocols I set up are still in place?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then as soon as that alarm sounded, Alpha Protocol kicked in. This floor is now isolated.”

  “What does that mean?” asked Kane.

  “It means no elevators will come up to this floor, and all stairwell doors have been electronically locked.”

  “How strong are those doors?” asked Sherrie.

  “Strong, but the right amount of explosives will take them out. It depends on how well-equipped whoever’s coming is.”

  Fang frowned. “If it’s the Chinese, expect them to be as well-equipped as any American military unit. Just like the Americans, we have weapons caches all over the world. We can send in a team and have them fully equipped for any mission.”

  Acton cursed. “So they’ll definitely have explosives?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then the best we can hope for is a couple of minutes’ delay.”

  Kane pulled out his phone. “I’ll see if there’s any way we can speed up that chopper.” He stepped out of the room as Mary led everyone toward the elevators.

  Palmer pointed at the two cases. “Can someone take those?”

  Acton stepped over and picked them up. “What are they?”

  “It’s a deconstructed prototype. Whatever happens, that can’t fall into enemy hands.”

  Laura reached out. “You better give me one of those. You’re going to want to have a free hand in case this turns ugly.” Acton handed one over then drew his gun as Laura did the same.

  Palmer shook his head at the sight. He couldn’t believe this was his little sister. She had changed so much and he was incredibly proud of not only how competent a woman she was, but how confident. And the fact her husband appeared to treat her as an equal warmed his heart.

  He just wished he could have had the chance to get to know them both.

  62 |

  Outside Charles Palmer Residence

  Doha, Qatar

  Niner peered up at the building where Palmer and the others were. It was no Burj Khalifa, but it was pretty damn tall. And with their people on the top floors, he really had no desire to climb ninety flights of stairs. He checked his watch. “That chopper’s twelve minutes out.”

  Atlas frowned. “So, what do we do? It’ll take us longer than that to hike those stairs.”

  The alarm sounding in the building could be heard from their vantage point, and two local police officers were out front, directing people to the opposite side of the street, though they appeared to be taking no action.

  “This place is going to be swarming any minute now. If we’re going in, now’s the time,” said Spock.

  Jagger pursed his monster lips. “Keeping in mind that once we’re inside, the only way we’re getting out is on that chopper or in the back of a Qatari paddy wagon.”

  Niner threw his door open. “That’s paperwork. Let Washington worry about it. Right now, we’ve got a Chinese team in there determined to kill our people. At a minimum, we can be a distraction. Maybe buy them some time.”

  The four of them headed directly toward the front entrance of the building. One of the Qatari police officers spotted them, his eyes bulging at the sight. Niner fired a taser into the man before he could say anything, Atlas doing the same to the second officer. This had the civilians panicking and getting out of their way as sirens in the distance grew closer. Niner reached the front door and pulled it open. Spock and Jagger advanced, breaking left and right.

  “Clear!” they both announced.

  Atlas followed then Niner. They spread out across the lobby, advancing.

  “One DB over here,” announced Spock as he rounded the reception desk. Niner followed Atlas down a corridor to the left as Spock and Jagger took the right. Atlas kneeled beside a body, checking for a pulse. He shook his head. Niner continued toward a scarred door where it appeared a charge had been used to blow the lock. He reached out and pushed the door aside. “Is anyone alive in there?”

  There was no response. Atlas darted across the door, taking up position on the other side. Niner poked his head in for a brief look then jerked back. He had spotted at least half a dozen bodies. He raised his MP5. He didn’t want to take anybody out, but he wasn’t going to die because of mistaken identity.

  “Is anybody alive in there? We’re friendlies,” repeated Atlas in Arabic.

  There was no reply. Niner stepped inside, Atlas covering him, and he slowly rounded the room. Six dead, all wearing uniforms indicating they were private security. A rack of weapons on the wall, untouched, suggested not only was this some sort of rapid reaction unit for the building, but also that whoever had taken them out was well-equipped enough not to bother taking any of the team’s weapons.

  “One-One, Zero-Five. We found a security booth, two staff dead, over.”

  Niner replied to Spock’s report. “Acknowledged, Zero-Five. We found a security team. Six dead. No survivors. Looks like a grenade then automatic weapons fire. Do you have access to the building cameras?”

  “Negative. It looks like they shot up the system after they got whatever they wanted.”

  Niner began checking the bodies. “Look for any type of passkey. We need to be able to use the elevators to get into position.”

  “Roger that,” replied Spock as Niner continued to check the bodies while Atlas stood at the door covering him.

  The big man cleared his throat. “You wouldn’t happen to be looking for that, would you?”

  Niner twisted to see Atlas indicating a lanyard hanging on the wall with a passkey attached, a Post-it note stuck beside it with a six-digit number scrawled on it. “Great security.”

  Atlas shrugged. “Well, at least the password wasn’t 123456.”

  Niner grabbed the pass and the Post-it note from the wall then headed for the elevator. “Zero-Five, One-One, I think we’ve got what we’re looking for.” Spock stepped out into the corridor and Niner held up the pass. “Let’s see if we can get ourselves into this fight.”

  63 |

  Charles Palmer Residence

  Doha, Qatar

  Acton stepped out onto the roof, the warm breeze off the Persian Gulf stiff. Kane and Mary had gone ahead, making certain no one was lying in wait for them, before giving the all-clear. He held the door open and Milton and his family emerged, his poor friend wincing as Niskha quietly sobbed, not understanding what was going on around her only that the adults were scared. Kane and Mary returned to the door and Mary pointed to a spot over to the left where part of the building’s HVAC system stood.

  “Everyone over there and stay low. It’ll provide you with some cover if the hostiles make it to the rooftop.” She pointed to the right. “The helicopter will be landing there. As soon as it touches down, get on board. Don’t worry about trying to stay low. None of you are tall enough for those blades to hit you. Just run as fast as you can and get on board so that we can be off this roof in less than sixty seconds. Understood?”

  Head bobs were the response and Acton led everyone over to their designated waiting area. Milton groaned, driving a fist into his lower back. Acton regarded him with concern. “Are you going to be all right?”

  “My back is spasming something fierce.”

  Sandra frowned. “I haven’t had a chance to give him his proper massage in two days.”

  Acton pointed at the ground. “Then do it now.”

  Milton’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you nuts?”

  “The chopper won’t be here for seven minutes. In those seven minutes, she can provide you with some relief just in case you have to run.”

  Sandra shrugged, looking at her husband. “He’s right. Even just a few minutes could help.”

  Milton cursed and Niskha giggled. “Daddy swore.”

  “Sorry, sweetie.” Milton lay down on the ground and his wife straddled him, going to work on his lower back, having taken the proper training after he had been shot. He groaned in relief. “You have no idea how good that feels.”

  “Jim!”

  Acton turned to see Kane beckoning him. Acton put the case down beside Laura. “I’ll be back in a sec.” He joined Kane by the door. “What is it?”

  “Sherrie, Fang, and I will be holding this door. Your job is to make sure the civilians and those two cases get on the chopper.”

  “What about Charles?”

  “He’s Mary’s responsibility.”

  Acton’s eyes narrowed as he looked about. “Where the hell is he?”

  “He’s still downstairs doing something. I’m not sure what. Mary went to check.”

  Acton cursed. “Don’t they realize what’s going on?”

  An explosion from below emphasized his point as Fang glanced over her shoulder at them. “That will be the Chinese arriving.”

  Sherrie agreed. “Let’s hope that lights a fire under the dynamic duo’s asses.”

  Acton leaned into the doorway then shouted, “Let’s get a move on!”

  But there was no reply.

  Yan’s team surged up the stairs, the door blocking their way now hanging off its hinges. They were going in blind. None of the plans for this building showed anything for the top three floors, all apparently owned by a holding company they couldn’t get any information on. He had no doubt it was a company owned by Charles Palmer.

  Gunfire erupted ahead and he took several involuntary steps back before he smiled slightly, all their suspicions confirmed. Footage from the parking garage showed the Americans from the flight had taken the private elevator that only led here. And while back home the average American might be armed to the teeth, they had cleared customs with no weapons, but boarded the elevators fully armed. It meant they were definitely CIA or equivalent, or the weapons had been supplied by somebody living here, meaning somebody worth protecting.

  And that had to be Charles Palmer.

  The last team member disappeared through the door, the gunfire continuing in short bursts. He forced himself up the final steps to the door and peered through to see one of his team down, gripping his shoulder. The rest of the team was continuing up the next flight of steps where they were meeting heavy resistance. He grabbed the wounded man and dragged him back past the blown door.

  “Are you all right?”

  The man winced. “I think so. A ricochet caught me in the shoulder. Just get me on my feet.”

  Yan pulled the man upright and helped steady him. “Apply pressure to the wound.”

  The man did as told.

  “Go back down and help hold the lobby.”

  “Yes, sir.” The wounded man slowly made his way down the stairs then out of sight as Yan grew bolder. And worried. With this amount of gunfire, Palmer could be hit by a stray bullet, and they needed the man alive.

  And he still wanted a crack at the professors.

  Kane cursed. This was ridiculous. They were holding back the Chinese two flights down, but there was still no sign of Palmer. He turned to Sherrie and Fang. “Can you two hold them while I go check what the hell’s going on?”

  Sherrie nodded. “You go do your thing. We ladies have this.”

  Kane ducked through the doorway into the corridor that led to the main reception area of the home. They couldn’t hold the stairwell for long. All it would take would be an unnoticed flashbang to be tossed up and they would be overwhelmed. They didn’t have time for this shit. The cases with the device were on the roof, and Palmer had indicated he had already wiped all the data, so what the hell was going on?

  Mary emerged from the door leading to the lab, wiping away tears.

  “What the hell’s going on?”

  She flinched, not having noticed Kane standing there.

  “I’m not coming with you,” said Palmer as he stepped through the door.

  “What do you mean you’re not coming with us? We have an agreement.”

  Palmer indicated the gunfire rattling just down the corridor. “And you’ve already proven you can’t protect me and my sister.”

  “The chopper is going to be here in three minutes. All we need is your ass on the roof and this is over. We’ll have you on an aircraft carrier in less than half an hour, then on a flight to the United States where you’ll land at a secure airfield and be brought to a top-secret facility that very few know about, and those who do have no hope in hell of getting through the security perimeter. You stay here, you’re dead or they take you. Neither is acceptable.”

  “To you, perhaps, but I’ve always known this was a possibility.”

  Mary turned to Palmer. “You’re sure you won’t change your mind?”

  Palmer shook his head. “No, it’s made up. Tell my sister that I love her and that I’m sorry to put her through so much pain once again.”

  An explosion rocked the room and Kane spun toward the sound of a grenade detonating. “Status!”

  Sherrie replied. “We’re good. Fang world-cupped it right back at them, but we got lucky. We have to get out of here and we have to get out of here now. That chopper’s two minutes out.”

  “On our way.” He faced Palmer. “Final answer?”

  “I’m not going with you.”

  “Very well.” Kane looked at Mary. “Get to the roof.”

  Mary turned to Palmer who gave her a nod. “Go.” She sprinted toward the stairwell and Kane stepped closer to Palmer.

  “One last chance.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Mr. Kane. It’s better this way.”

  Kane frowned and drew his weapon, putting two bullets in Palmer’s chest. The man collapsed and Kane closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, but I had my orders.” He jogged back toward the stairwell, wondering just what the hell he would tell Laura. She deserved the truth, but the truth would change everything.

  Yet Palmer was right, it was better this way.

  The doors to the elevators opened and Niner squeezed the trigger of his MP5, taking out a wounded Chinese operative waiting for a ride down.

  “He could have been one of the security guards,” rumbled Atlas as they stepped into the hallway.

  Niner disagreed. “Not with that weapon. You saw what the security team was armed with.” Gunfire thudded from down the hall, suggesting the action was a couple of floors above them.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” said Jagger.

  Spock cocked an eyebrow. “You think?”

  Niner led them toward the stairwell, the main elevators taking them up to just below the floors occupying the penthouse suite. He activated his comms. “Control, One-One. What’s the ETA on that chopper?”

  “Less than two minutes.”

  Niner reached the stairwell door and opened it, the weapons fire increasing dramatically in volume. “We’re not going to be able to make that ride. Once our people are on board, have them lift off. We’ll keep the Chinese engaged until the chopper is clear, over.”

  “Copy that, One-One. We’ll relay your situation.”

  Niner advanced up the stairs. “Control, tell the Qataris that I’d like a prison cell with a view.”

  Leroux chuckled on the other end. “We’ll try to do a little better than that, One-One.”

  “That would be appreciated, Control. One-One, out.” Niner rounded the bend to the next flight of steps and spotted a hostile just ahead, peering through a blown doorway. He indicated to the others what he saw then handed his MP5 to Atlas as he scurried up the last few steps and took the man from behind, plunging a knife under his ribs and twisting as Niner covered the target’s mouth so he couldn’t warn his comrades. Niner dragged him down the stairs as Atlas and Spock advanced past him toward the door. Niner lowered the man to the ground and his target stared up at him, wide-eyed, gasping for breath. A hand reached up and grabbed Niner by the vest.

  “Tell me, is Palmer alive?”

  Niner figured there was no harm in revealing the secret to a man who would be dead in seconds. “Yes.”

  “And did he invent his device?”

  “Yes.”

  The man’s eyes closed. “I was so close.” He sighed heavily, his final breath leaving his body, and Niner followed Jagger up the stairs as the MP5s of Atlas and Spock engaged the enemy while the thunder of the massive rotors of the Black Hawk helicopter made their presence felt.

  This would all be over in the next two minutes for those on the roof.

  But he had a feeling his team’s suffering was only about to begin.

  Acton huddled with the others against the side of the HVAC unit as the massive Black Hawk landed nearby. The moment its wheels touched down, the side door slid open and two of the aircrew stepped out, beckoning them.

  “Okay. Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” shouted Acton. He grabbed one of the cases containing his brother-in-law’s invention and herded everyone toward the safety of the chopper as Laura hauled the second case. They reached the open door of the Black Hawk and two of the crew helped Milton’s family on board. Tommy and Mai followed then Laura. Acton shoved the case on board then jumped on, turning back toward the door Kane and the others still defended. “Let’s go!” he shouted.

  Kane glanced back then tapped Mary, Sherrie, and Fang on the back. He shut the door then shot out the security panel. The four of them sprinted toward the chopper. Fang dove on first and Acton grabbed her by the belt, hauling her in the rest of the way. Sherrie hurdled in, slamming into the opposite side of the chopper as Mary then Kane hopped on.

  Kane turned around, aiming his weapon at the door. “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

  The pilot lifted off, the heavy beast straining against its own weight. The door opened and Kane fired, Sherrie and Fang joining in as they repositioned. The door snapped closed and the pilot banked away, eliminating their line of sight.

 

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