turned just in time to see the last remaining guard slump to the ground, unconscious. Less than thirty seconds had passed since the guards entered the room.
Outside, Sam found himself alone in a long, brightly lit corridor. He blinked in the white glare of the neon bulbs and listened carefully, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. He could hear voices some way off but not the urgent sound of running feet or yelled warnings. So far, his partial escape had gone unnoticed.
He glanced both ways down the corridor. He was about half way along. Both directions looked identical with a set of frosted glass doors marking each end. Set into the corridor were a further four doors — two on either side of his, also made of solid wood. If he was Jonah, where would he have put his friends? It wouldn’t make sense to separate them too much. It would be much more simple to contain them within the same general area. No doubt, Jonah had been questioning them on Sam’s potential vulnerabilities and so he would want them near to him in order test out any possible leads. He was guessing but he was confident that Joshua and Grace would be behind one of those four doors.
The first door to his left was empty but for a few stacked crates. The second was locked and bolted from the outside. Sam slipped the bolt and backed up to the other side of the corridor. It wasn’t much of a run-up but it was enough. The impact of his shoulder against the door splintered the lock and the door flew open. Grace was inside, tied to chair.
He could see the relief on her face along with several cuts and bruises. Jonah and his men had not been gentle with her. She said nothing as he untied the rope, just curled her lip at him ever so slightly in gratitude. Sam felt his rage mounting again. Jonah would pay for this.
“Are you ok?” he asked. “Can you walk?”
Grace nodded mutely. Sam helped her to her feet and he retraced his steps back along the corridor, Grace sticking close to him. They found Joshua in the last room, locked but easily dealt with. Unlike Grace, he was neither tied to the chair nor suffering from the same treatment that had been inflicted on her.
Joshua looked surprised to see him but his expression quickly changed to happiness.
“What took you so long?” he asked.
“A few of Jonah’s men got in my way,” Sam replied. “They won’t get in my way again. Why weren’t you tied up? How come they didn’t hurt you like Grace?”
Joshua shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe they were starting with Grace and were going to get to me later. Probably saw her as an easier target.”
Sam nodded. That made sense. But something was niggling away at the back of his head again. “Let’s get out of here. Did either of you two see which way was out when they brought you here?”
“I did,” said Grace. “Outside those glass doors is a set of elevators. They’ll take us back down to the lobby.”
“Good idea,” said Joshua.
“No,” she said. “That won’t work. There will be guards downstairs. There’s no way we’d get past them all.”
“Fair point,” said Joshua. “Besides, when Jonah hasn’t heard from his guards in a few minutes, all hell is going to break loose. Forgive the pun.”
Sam was hardly listening. He was thinking furiously and then, suddenly, he knew what to do.
“Come with me,” he said to the others. “I’ve got a plan.”
The two desk clerks behind the lobby’s reception desk looked up when they heard the elevator chime. Two men and one woman dressed in guard uniforms strolled out. The clerks lost interest and returned their attention back to other matters.
Sam deliberately walked slowly, not willing to draw attention to himself. Joshua and Grace did the same, keeping their heads in the direction of the front doors and ignoring the other people in the lobby.
The doors slid open as they approached. Outside, it was dark. The city had come alive again. There were lots of people on the streets and at least two dozen milling around outside the hotel.
There were two guards still on duty outside. Unfortunately, it was the same two guards that had let them in earlier. Despite their disguises, the guards immediately recognized Sam and his friends.
Sam saw both of them open their mouths to raise the alarm. He stepped in close and punched the first one so hard in the stomach that he dropped to his knees instantly. Sam grabbed the second one and brought him close enough to whisper in his ear.
“Make a sound or any sudden movements and they’ll be the last you ever make,” he hissed, forcing the tip of the iron baton concealed in his jacket pocket into the guard’s side.
The guard gulped nervously and nodded his understanding, sweat starting to bead on his forehead.
“I only want two things from you, and then I’ll let you go,” said Sam quietly. “Do you know what those two things are?”
The guard nodded again. “Your swords?”
“My swords,” Sam agreed. “Where are they?”
“They’re in a storage room off the lobby,” said the guard.
“Good,” said Sam. “Take us there. Grace, Joshua, you stay here.”
Sam held the man by the arm as they re-entered the hotel. The lobby clerks favoured them with some curious stares but Sam waved at them reassuringly. “He’s feeling sick,” he said, indicating the other man. “Just helping him find his medication.”
The guard guided Sam to a small door adjacent to the lobby desk. He fumbled around in his pocket and brought out a key with which, after three attempts, he managed to unlock the door. Inside, the room was just a series of aisles containing racks and shelves, all filled with various confiscated or lost goods.
Sam pulled the door to behind them and the guard led him to a section that was obviously where all the weapons were stored. Sam saw his swords immediately, jutting out of a metal cylinder filled with all manner of long, thin weapons, including Joshua’s baseball bat. Relief flooded through him. His swords were a part of him; he hadn’t felt whole since they had been separated.
Dropping the batons, he tucked his wakizashi into the belt of his borrowed pants, feeling better already, then tried to conceal the katana and the baseball bat underneath his jacket. The end of both weapons poked through below the material of the jacket but it would serve. He only had get through the lobby then they would be clear.
There was a knock on the door. The guard turned away and Sam used the opportunity to touch a nerve point on the man’s neck. Nerve points were always a bit touch and go — certainly not something to be used in combat. You had to strike with precision and pick your spot carefully. Thankfully, it worked. Sam supported his body to avoid any alarming thuds as the guard slumped silently to the floor.
He moved to the door and opened in such a way that the body of the guard was concealed behind Sam’s own bulk. He slid outside and found himself confronted by one of the desk clerks.
“Is everything alright in there?” she asked.
“Fine,” said Sam.
“It’s just that you said something about that guard needing his medication. I know for a fact that he doesn’t keep it in here. He leaves it in his locker.”
“My mistake,” said Sam, trying to push past her, silently cursing his bad luck.
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Where is he, anyway? I’ve seen you around here before, haven’t I?”
Sam decided to take his chances. “Sorry, gotta go.”
He sidestepped around her and she cried out in alarm. “Stop. Stop that man,” she yelled.
He raced through the lobby and out through the main doors, roughly pushing anyone that got in his way. “Let’s go,” he said to Grace and Joshua, handing Josh his baseball bat.
The crowd were looking around in confusion as the woman’s yells carried outside. Sam ignored them. Just in front of them, a car pulled up. Finally, something was going their way, thought Sam, as a well-dressed couple got out of the Bentley.
“We’ll take it from here,” said Sam. “Josh, you drive.” The man started to protest but the cries died in his throat when he saw Sam remove his katana from under his jacket.
Joshua pushed the man aside and tumbled into the driver’s seat. Sam climbed in the passenger’s side while Grace hopped into the rear. “Go!” cried Sam.
