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Teagan sucked in a breath, let half of it out, and pulled the trigger. The hotel window pane exploded and the ballistic shields rocked. President Martin’s security detail took him to the floor and covered him.
She swung her rifle to the right, aimed, and fired. Teagan closed her eyes. She activated her comm device. “King’s down.”
“Nice job,” Iona said. “You and Violet get out of there. No sign of the bogeys yet.”
“Copy that.” She got to her feet, disassembled her sniper rifle, and stored it in her Go bag. “Time to bug out, Violet.”
“Good. This place is creepy.”
The two women left the room and walked downstairs, their pistols in hand. Teagan’s skin prickled at the back of her neck. Something was wrong. She held up her fist.
Violet froze.
Something was definitely off, but what? Teagan scanned the gloomy interior of the building. Nothing moved in the shadows.
She breathed deep. A pine scent. The only scents she’d picked up when they entered the building were dust, mildew, and stale air.
Teagan signaled Violet to move into the room they’d just passed. Once they were inside, Violet hurried to the window and examined it. She glanced over her shoulder at Teagan. “Can’t open it,” she mouthed.
Wonderful. She and Violet were trapped unless they broke the window. While Teagan wouldn’t hesitate to do that, breaking the window would bring attention to this room, so she’d hold that option in reserve.
Teagan tapped her comm device. “Someone’s in the building,” she whispered to her teammates.
“Copy,” Iona murmured. “Company just converged outside the building, too. We’re two minutes out. Looping in Zane.”
Seconds later, Zane said, “I have you on infrared imaging with a satellite. Six bogeys are in the building, Teagan. They’re hunting you.”
“Copy.” She looked at Violet, whose expression was grim. Wouldn’t be good if the rest of Artemis didn’t arrive soon. “Outside?”
“Six more outside plus drivers in three SUVs and two passengers.”
Seriously? Why did she and Violet warrant seventeen men? A second later, the answer popped into her head. Seth and his teammates. Peters was as obsessed with her as Richardson was with Violet. They were determined to capture them and kill Seth and his teammates.
“Overkill,” Violet murmured.
She nodded.
Outside the room, something brushed against the wall. Seconds later, a man cursed softly. “I can’t see anything in here. I’m tripping over the crap left behind. Turn on a light.”
“Shut up,” another man hissed. “Do you want to give us away?”
Teagan rolled her eyes. They were as subtle as a buffalo lumbering in a room full of glass.
“Remember, Seth and his cop buddies are here somewhere and they’re dangerous. Peters just wants the women.”
More confirmation that Seth was expendable to Peters. Not to Teagan. Didn’t matter how many of these thugs she had to go through, no one was going to use her to trap Seth.
“Z, call in Seth,” Iona whispered. “We need a hand.”
“Copy that.”
Guess that was Teagan’s cue to start the party.
Another man called out from the stairs, “They’re not here.”
“What are you talking about? They have to be here. She just took the shots a minute ago. We heard her.”
“Come see for yourself. The room’s empty. No trace they were here.”