Part 38 (1/2)
”Oh, don't worry,” Perkowski said. ”Richards was a friend of mine. I remember just fine.”
Perkowski's head and his Tec were swallowed by the dark opening, then he barked a harsh, humorless laugh.
”Oh. Yeah. This guy's a real clown.”
”What is it?” Baker said, climbing up behind Perkowski.
Standing on a lower rung, he had to stretch against Perk's back to get his eyes to floor level. A quick look-see showed him half a dozen toy cannons, identical to the one on the ladder, arrayed on either side of the opening. A string ran up to a naked bulb directly overhead.
Baker ducked and dropped back to the floor.
”I don't like the looks of this,” he said. ”Get down from there.”
”Aw, just some more of the clown's funny business,” Perkowski said, reaching for the light string. ”Let's shed some light on the subject.”
”I wouldn't-” Baker started to say, but was drowned out by the deafening roar of half a dozen shotgun sh.e.l.ls firing at once.
Perkowski's body-his head and arms a b.l.o.o.d.y ruin-hurtled from the ladder and landed on Toro.
Fury overtook Baker then. Another of his men down! The son of a b.i.t.c.h!
He raised his Tec-9 and began firing. He st.i.tched all thirty-two rounds into the ceiling that ran along the hall, and was flipping the clip to spray another thirty-two when a hand grabbed his arm.
”The woman!” It was Muhallal, his expression a mixture of anger and fright. ”You'll kill the woman!”
Baker was about to tell him to f.u.c.k off when howls of pain started from the living room. He wheeled around the corner to find Briggs writhing in agony with his hand in the wall.
”What the f.u.c.k?” Baker said.
”The wall safe!” Briggs gasped. ”It wasn't locked. I saw some cash inside, but when I reached in, it spiked me!”
Baker saw blood oozing out of the circular opening and dripping down the wall.
”You jerk!”
”You gotta get me outta this thing, man!” Briggs wailed. ”I think I'm spiked through. It's killin' me!”
s.h.i.+t! Baker thought. What else could go wrong?
That was when the beeping started.
Everybody froze. Even Briggs stopped his yelping.
The beeping... it was coming from the beat-up stereo cabinet across the room. Kenny stepped over to it and pulled open the doors.
An LED display was doing a countdown in big red digits, beeping as each new number appeared.
... 58 58... 57... 56 57... 56...
Kenny knelt for a closer look, then jumped back.
”Christ, Sam, it's a bomb!”
Baker froze for an instant, then stepped closer. Kenny didn't know bombs; that was his domain.
Baker felt his scalp crawl when he recognized a brick of C-4. He knew the stuff. He'd used it when he wired that lawyer's car. And this brick had a lot lot of wires running in and out of it. of wires running in and out of it.
...45... 44... 43...
”Well, don't just stand there, Sam!” Kenny shouted. ”Defuse it!”
”In less than a minute? Afraid not.”
... 40 40... 39 39...
Behind Baker, Briggs started wailing, calling on G.o.d and his mother for help.
”I'm outta here!” Toro said, and headed for the door.
”Hey!” Briggs cried. ”Where y'goin'? Hey, guys-don't leave me here with a bomb! Please, guys! Please Please!” The last was a drawn-out wail.
... 36 36... 35 35...
Baker noticed the Arab heading for the door and wasn't surprised. He wanted to follow, wanted very much to be far from that bomb, but...
”Sam?” Kenny said, looking spooked. ”Shouldn't we be-?”
”You got your knife?” Baker said, pulling his big Special Forces blade from its sheath.
... 32... 31 32... 31...
”Sure,” Kenny said.
”Then get it out and come over here. Move!”
”Hey, Baker!” Briggs said, wide-eyed as he saw them rus.h.i.+ng at him with drawn knives. ”What you gonna do?”
”I oughta, cut your arm off for sticking your hand where it doesn't belong,” Baker said, stopping on Briggs's right. ”And I may have to yet, but let's try something else first. Lean back.” He slapped the wall on the other side of Briggs, above and to the left of the level of the safe, and told Kenny, ”Cut a hole there. Do it!”
...28... 27...
”We'll never never get this safe out of the wall!” Kenny said, his voice a couple of notches higher than usual. get this safe out of the wall!” Kenny said, his voice a couple of notches higher than usual.
”I know,” Baker said.
He went to work on the wall directly above the safe, punching a hole in the plasterboard with the b.u.t.t of his knife. Once he had the hole, he reversed the blade and used the saw-toothed edge to cut over to a stud, then angle down.
...24... 23...
He tried to keep looking cool, couldn't let Kenny think he was scared, but his heart was going like a jackhammer and he could feel sweat breaking out all over his body.