Chapter 26 — Ace

I was expecting something a little more high tech from the base of a national spy network. Instead, EAGLE headquarters looked like any other workplace, with office cubicles and dull carpet. The only missing part was the sleepy-eyed employees shuffling around with cups of coffee.

Nicholas headed straight for the elevators and pressed the button for the top floor. The screen lit up with a request for a passcode.

“Of course it wouldn’t be so easy,” I muttered.

The blinking cursor seemed to mock me. There were thousands of combinations to try, and we had to get up to the top floor before we missed too much of their meeting.

“Are there staircases on every floor?” I asked.

Nicholas thought for a moment. “I believe so.”

“Could we take the elevator to the floor below Harker’s office then go up the stairs?”

“It’s probably protected by a password too. Worth a shot though.”

We made it up to the top floor and found ourselves facing a thick wooden door. Nicholas was right about the lock.

I wanted to slam my fist into the screen. “Now what do we do?”

Even if we guessed the password, entering the room would alert the men inside to our presence.

Nicholas dragged a potted plant out from the corner and pried open the metal grate hidden behind.

“Close the air vent behind me,” he said. “And stay near so you can let me out.”

I frowned. “I’m coming too.”

“Two people will make noise.” Nicholas crawled inside and gestured for me to put the grate back. “Trust me, Ace. I know what I’m doing.”

He had been gone for almost ten minutes when the elevator dinged. I dove into the air vent right before the doors slid open. There were no hooks to latch the grate to, so I held it against the opening.

“Why are we talking out here instead of in your office, which might I remind you, is password protected?” Seth said.

The slits in the grate offered a limited view, but I could see him standing with Will and the EAGLE director. Nicholas was keeping watch over an empty office.

“It’s easier to search small spaces,” Harker said. “I admit I haven’t been thorough in combing my office for bugs.”

“It feels too exposed,” Seth said. “You’re certain it’s safe to talk?”

He shrugged. “Fairly certain.”

My hand was sweating, making me lose my grip on the metal. I couldn’t bring my other arm forward without hitting the sides of the vent.

“Make up your minds,” Will snapped. “It’s been a long night and I’m tired of walking around this building.”

Seth clapped him on the shoulder. “What’s got you so wound up?”

“I went to Elmer’s Street looking to relax with Eva and of all the people to run into, I see your darling son.” He spat out the last word like an insult.

“And you didn’t try to capture him?” Seth asked.

Harker chuckled. “I’m sure Will’s mind slipped past ‘capture’ and straight to ‘kill,’ but we can discuss that problem later. People will start coming to work soon, and we can’t trust everyone in the building to keep quiet.”

My heart hammered in my chest. I tightened my grip, the metal digging into my skin as I fumbled with my phone. It made a quiet beep when it began recording.

“The election is in the bag,” Seth said. “Once Horace Whitaker is in position, he can influence Congress to transfer more power to EAGLE.”

“I’ve sent most of the agents on missions to the periphery of Underground activity,” Harker said. “They won’t be able to interfere with your plans.”

“And once you have more control, you can order local law enforcement turn a blind eye too.”

He inclined his head. “But all of this hinges on Horace remaining in line.”

“The man loves his family,” Will said. “He’ll do anything to keep them safe. The only problem we have is Spades. Sir, if you give me permission to—”

Seth cut him off. “Killing Ace is out of the question. The Underground knows there’s a substantial reward for bringing him in alive. It’s a matter of time before he’s found.”

“The longer he’s free the more dangerous he becomes,” Harker said. “Threatening loved ones seemed to work with Horace. It might work with your son too. His mother perhaps?”

Will shook his head. “Josiah Sargon would be a better option. I’ve had men tailing him on your orders, sir. Say the word and they’ll bring him in.”

The grate slipped out of my hand and hit the ground. They wouldn’t miss the clang. I scrambled deeper into the air vent, hoping the shadows would hide me.

“Someone’s in there,” Will hissed.

Harker chuckled. “No kidding. Do you think they’re armed?”

I crawled farther inside.

“I’m more worried about the information they heard,” Seth said.

A flashlight shone from the entrance. I hoped it was above their dignity to go crawling around in air vents.

“All exits are on this floor,” Harker said. “If I turn down the thermostat, it’ll flush them out. Their only other options are death by hypothermia or a long fall down to ground level.”

“Can air conditioning become that cold?” Seth sounded skeptical.

“Ice formed in the vents last summer. Trust me, this system can.”

A blast of frigid air hit me square in the face. I doubled my pace forward, keeping a hand stretched out to avoid running headfirst into a dead end.

My progress was painfully slow. The vents began to shrink in size until I was forced to lie on my stomach and inch forward on my elbows. By the time I found Nicholas, the temperature inside had dropped at least thirty degrees.

He twisted around to glare at me. “You’re supposed to be guarding the exit! What if someone sees the open air vent?”

“Doesn’t matter.” My teeth chattered. “They know we’re here.”

“What are you talking about? No one’s in the office.”

“That’s because they’re all outside the door,” I said. “They’ve turned on the AC to drive us out of the vents. We’ll freeze if we don’t get out of here.”

“It’s going to get colder? I thought the EAGLE director just liked the temperature of his workplace to match his heart.”

“Not the time for jokes. We have to find another way out.”

I tried to unlatch the metal grate but my fingers were too frozen to respond. Nicholas turned around to help.

The vent swung open, taking me down with it. I twisted my ankle on the plush carpet as I landed. Nicholas dropped down beside me. Beeps came from the door, as if a robot was trying to talk.

Or someone was entering a passcode.

I dove behind a wooden bookshelf right before Will walked in.

“There’s no one in sight.” He sounded exasperated.

“My weight detection system doesn’t lie,” Harker said. “I had the kinks worked out a month ago.”

“Maybe a book set it off.”

“No book is over a hundred pounds. You can’t expect the intruder to be sitting here gift wrapped.”

“Split up and search,” Seth said. “And keep your guns holstered. It’s not a large space, so we might end up shooting each other.”

Wouldn’t that be a sight? They could take care of my problems for me.

I held my breath and pressed myself flat against the wall. They went around the room, overturning furniture and scattering papers across the floor.

Without warning, they pushed away the shelf in front of me. It left me standing in plain sight, facing the three men. They stared back at me with identical looks of surprise.

Seth was the first to recover. “I should’ve known. Nice to see you, Ace.”

I managed to find my voice. “I wish I could say the same, but my mother always taught me to never lie.”

“Explains why you’re bad at it.”

None of them had weapons drawn as they closed in, but I felt like I was being surrounded by feral lions.

I flicked open my pocket knife. The blade stopped them in their tracks.

“Lower the knife and no one gets hurt,” Seth said. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

“Go to hell.”

Harker raised an eyebrow. “Is that any way to speak to your father?”

My hand tightened. Hopefully, Nicholas was smart enough to stay out of sight, regardless of what would happen.

Will reached inside his coat.

“No guns,” Harker reminded.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” he said. “Just teaching the brat a lesson.”

When Will pulled out his knife, I broke through their circle and seized a paperweight from the desk. It was heavy enough to do serious damage if it struck a person’s head, but I didn’t dare stop long enough to aim. We played a game of cat-and-mouse across the room. With three against one, I couldn’t count on the chase lasting long.

I hadn’t even noticed they were boxing me in until I was pressed up against the window. Will twisted my arms behind my back, nearly wrenching my shoulders out of their sockets.

I kicked back, and he released me with a muffled curse.

It gave me enough time to slam the paperweight into the window. Glass cut my skin as it shattered, leaving a hole large enough for a person. There was no time to think.

So I jumped.

The wind whistled in my ears as I plummeted toward the pavement. My arms flailed, trying to reach the ledge I had seen sticking out earlier. Falling to my death from EAGLE headquarters was not an ideal way to go.

My hand smashed into stone, and I used it to drag myself up. The ledge was a foot wide, leaving my feet dangling in open air. Bricks dug into my back as I struggled to calm my racing pulse.

I clutched the knife in my other hand. It was a miracle I hadn’t cut myself during my fall. I closed the blade and stuffed it back in my pocket, patting my phone to make sure it was intact. The recording it held was invaluable.

A gunshot rang out above me, the bullet missing my head by less than an inch. So much for paternal sentiments holding Seth back.

Another bullet struck the ledge a few inches from my shoulder followed by a third that almost hit my hand. The brick crumbled beneath me.

The fall wasn’t as serious as it would have been from the top floor, but the impact knocked the wind out of me. My vision went fuzzy. I clenched my hands into fists, focusing on the prick of my nails to remain conscious.

Darkness closed in. A concussion was probable though I wouldn’t be surprised if my head had cracked open. I pulled myself up to a sitting position, pain flashing white-hot behind my eyes.

I allowed myself a short break before I forced my body to stand.

Waves of agony pulsed in time with my heart. When I tried to take a step, my legs gave out and sent me crashing back to the ground.

I closed my eyes. It was tempting to fall asleep right on the lawn, but it wouldn’t be long before someone found me here. The inside of a jail cell wasn’t a pleasant place to wake up.

When I stood again, I was steadier than before. I tottered a few steps before I had to brace myself against a tree trunk.

Still, it was progress.

It took me a few tries to reach the edge of the lawn.

I had to find a place to lie low until I could meet up with Nicholas. Maybe a coffee shop, or a drugstore with bandages and painkillers to alleviate the headache pounding at my skull.

Actually, a drugstore sounded like a great idea.