Page 26 of Enigma (Pros and Cons Mysteries #6)

S irens approached, becoming louder, and Olive saw flashing lights reflecting off the windows of nearby buildings.

In moments, the parking lot would be flooded with police cars, and their pursuers would melt away into the crowd of confused hotel guests and bystanders.

“We need to get out of here,” Olive said. “Before the police arrive and tie us up with questions we can’t answer.”

“Where? Our car?—”

“Is compromised. They know what we’re driving.” Olive already moved toward the hotel’s rear exit, staying low behind the concrete wall. “We need another way out.”

As they crept along the pool deck, using overturned furniture as cover, Olive caught sight of movement in her peripheral vision.

One of the attackers had circled around the building and approached from the far side of the pool area.

He wasn’t trying to hide anymore.

He was closing in.

“Jason,” she warned.

But he’d already seen the man.

Instead of reaching for his gun, he grabbed a long-handled pool skimmer leaning against the equipment shed. In one fluid motion, he swung the aluminum pole like a staff.

He caught the attacker across the chest and sent him stumbling backward into the pool.

The splash sent water cascading across the deck.

“The service entrance.” Jason pointed toward an unmarked door on the side of the building. “Hotel staff use it for deliveries.”

They ran toward the door.

Olive’s heart hammered as more footsteps sounded behind them.

The sirens were almost on top of them now, and tires squealed as police cars turned into the hotel parking lot.

Jason yanked on the service door handle.

It was unlocked.

Just as she heard a shout from behind them, they plunged through the door into the hotel’s service corridor.

“This way.” Jason led them toward what looked like an exit sign at the far end of the corridor.

As they ran through the dimly lit hallway, Olive realized that whoever was orchestrating this had planned it perfectly.

They’d used the hotel as a kill box, counting on Olive and Jason returning to collect their belongings. The attack had been designed to look like a random hotel incident, something that would be written off as criminals targeting tourists.

But they’d underestimated one thing: Olive and Jason’s experience working together under pressure.

The corridor exit led to a loading dock behind the hotel, where delivery trucks unloaded supplies. The area was temporarily empty, but Olive heard the chaos from the front of the building—sirens, shouting voices, police radios crackling with urgent communications.

“We need transportation,” Jason said.

Olive spotted a textile delivery truck parked near the loading dock, keys still dangling from the ignition. “Will that work?”

“It’ll have to.”

As they climbed into the truck, Olive looked back at the Hampton Inn and saw police swarming the pool area where they’d been just minutes before. Smoke rose from somewhere in the parking lot—one of the cars was on fire, adding to the chaos and confusion.

Professional work, designed to create maximum disruption while their real targets escaped.

Jason gunned the truck’s engine as they pulled away from the hotel.