He turned. 'What?'
'You heard me. Who are you?'
'The same person I've been since the day we met.' 'No,' she said. 'The person I met was nothing like you. It was all a lie, wasn't it?'
'Sophie, please.'
'All a lie.'
He looked at her for a moment. 'You would have never believed the truth.'
She scoffed, then sat down at the kitchen table, her back to him. Quinn knew there was more he should say but he just wasn't up to it. There were too many other things he had to focus on. Without another word, he turned and walked back to the bedroom.
'Thanks,' Nate said as Quinn handed him the glass. 'How are we going to –'
Nate's question was cut short by the sound of a muffled buzzer. It was the doorbell. Quinn rushed over to the bedroom door and opened it. Sophie was only a step away from the front door. She stopped before she opened it, turning to Quinn.
'The police are here,' she said, her face hard. 'They called me this morning and asked me to call them if I saw you.'
She pulled the door open and started to step onto the landing at the top of the stairs.
'Sophie. No!' Quinn shouted.
He was too late. Gunfire reverberated up the stairway. Sophie stumbled back against the doorway, several patches of blood growing on her blouse. She looked at Quinn as if she wanted to say something. Then her eyes became unfocused and she collapsed to the floor.
Quinn pulled out his gun and sprinted across the room, stopping just short of the landing where Sophie lay, eyes closed. There was nothing he could do. She was dead.
He pressed himself against the wall beside the door and listened for anyone coming up the stairs. At first there was nothing, then he heard footsteps near the bottom landing. Two seconds later, something heavy struck one of the steps near the top.
Quinn dove behind the couch, landing prone on the floor just as an explosion rocked the building.
As the roar of the blast diminished, Quinn pushed himself to his feet. He rushed back into the guest room. Nate was lifting himself off the bed, his movements slow but determined.
'What the hell was that?' Nate asked.
'Hand grenade,' Quinn said. 'It'll be easier if I carry you.' 'Are you sure you can?' 'I did it last night.' 'Okay,' Nate said. 'Can you hold a gun?' 'I think so.' Quinn gave Nate his SIG, then he picked him
up and heaved him over his left shoulder. Nate let out a grunt of pain. 'Are you all right?' he asked.
'Just get us out of here.'
As they reached the guest room door, they heard something clatter near the apartment entrance. Quinn moved against the wall to protect them from another explosion. But none came. This time there was only a loud pop.
'Hold on tight,' he said.
Quinn rushed through the doorway into the living room. A cloud of gas was hissing out of a soda can-sized canister near the door. Quinn was certain it was more than mere tear gas.
Holding his breath, he raced for the dining room at the back of the apartment. When they reached the dining table, he put Nate down and went over to the window. He hadn't opened that particular window since the summer two years before with Sophie, when it represented a time of pleasure. Now it represented his and Nate's only way out.
He undid the latch and pushed the window open. 'Come on,' he said. 'You first.'
He helped Nate climb through the window and out onto the roof area. Once he was through, Quinn followed him, closing the window behind them.
'That way,' he said, pointing to the right.
The building next door was butted directly against Sophie's building. There was a seven-foot height difference between the two structures, Sophie's building being the lower of the two.
'I don't think I can make it,' Nate said.
'I'll help,' Quinn told him.
At the wall, he created a cradle with his hands. 'Give me your foot. I'll boost you up.' Nate looked unsure, but did what he asked. 'Okay. On three,' Quinn said. 'One. Two.'
Quinn lifted him upward, pushing Nate until his apprentice was able to get a leg over the top of the wall. When he was out of the way, Quinn jumped up, grabbed the top edge of the wall, and pulled himself over.
Nate was sitting on the roof, arms wrapped around his chest, a grimace of pain on his face. 'Are you okay?' Quinn asked.
Nate nodded. 'We need to keep moving then,' Quinn said, indicating the next building on the block.
He held out his hand and helped Nate back to his feet. Nate leaned heavily against him as they made their way across to the next building. It was only a couple of feet higher than the one they were on, so the transition was less of an effort. Off to the side was a doorway that undoubtedly accessed a set of stairs into the building. Quinn kicked at the latch until the door opened. He motioned for Nate to go inside.
'I'll be right back,' he said.
