Exit 9

The front room was pretty much empty. Unfortunate. He’d been hoping their luggage would be there. Having no other choice, he moved quietly to the other door, listened for a second, then turned the knob and pulled the door open.

Chloe’s eyes opened.

She’d heard something, but didn’t know if it was real or in her dreams.

She tried to recall the noise. Something bumping something else, maybe? A click?

Even as this thought was going through her mind, the wind suddenly howled across the roof.

Maybe that’s what it was?

Click.

No, not the wind. Not even from outside. The noise had come from somewhere in the room.

She raised herself on her elbow and looked around. All the other cots were full, so whatever was making the sound was either the building itself, or…

A shadow moved over near where they’d left their backpacks.

Son of a bitch! Someone was trying to steal their things.

Silently, she slipped from the cot, and moved along the back end of the beds in a crouch, using them as cover to get closer to the packs. She stopped behind the last cot.

Not one shadow. Two.

They seemed to be carefully looking through the bags. Why? If they were thieves, they would just grab and go. It was almost like they were looking for something in particular.

She glanced around for anything she could use as a weapon, but apart from a pair of boots, there was nothing handy.

To hell with it. She didn’t need a weapon.

The packs were stuffed with all the items one would expect for cold weather survival-clothes, goggles, extreme-rated sleeping bags, and similar items. But so far, Rogers and Perry had found nothing identifying the people sleeping on the cots.

Rogers leaned toward his companion. “There are a couple bags by the door,” he whispered in Perry’s ear. “I’m going to check ’em out. You stay on these.”

Chloe smiled. Whoever the intruders were, they’d just made a critical error.

There was no question which one she should go after first. The guy sneaking across the room was headed straight for the bags containing weapons and other specialized gear.

Being sure to stay out of either man’s line of sight, she quietly closed in on her target.

There were three large, duffel-type bags shoved against the wall. Rogers started with the one farthest from the door, and carefully unzipped it. When he had it open enough to look inside, he pulled out his flashlight and aimed the beam into the bag.

Guns. At least half a dozen. And not the kind that might be needed in the unlikely event they ran into a wild animal. These were handguns.

Why would a group of scientists need pistols? Only one answer came to mind: because they weren’t scientists.

He turned to get his partner’s attention.

When the man finished looking in the bag, Chloe was two feet behind him, her arm drawn back.

He paused for a second, undoubtedly working through what he’d just found. Then, as she knew he would, he turned.

The base of her palm rammed into the side of his jaw before he even registered her presence. The blow sent him reeling backward. His feet caught on one of the bags, and he fell across them, his head slapping loudly against the wall.

Chloe whirled around and sprinted across the room toward the other man. He was staring at her, surprised. His hand suddenly shot to the pocket of his jacket, where it began fumbling with the opening, going for a weapon, no doubt. But by that point, he was too late.

Chloe all but leaped the final few feet, hitting him in the chest and sending both of them to the floor. She tried to pin him down, but he had a size advantage on her, and easily shoved her off to the side.

“I could use a little help!” she yelled.

The intruder pushed himself back up, but was on his feet for only a second before Chloe grabbed his ankles and yanked his legs out from under him.

“What’s going on?” a sleepy voice called out.

The man jerked Chloe toward him by her hair, and threw his arm around her neck, choking her from behind. She slammed her elbow repeatedly into his ribs, but he held on tight. Gray started to invade the edge of her vision as the blood flow to her brain decreased. Desperate, she brought her leg up into the air, bending it at the knee, and slammed her foot down into his groin.

Air rushed out of his lungs as his grip around her throat loosened.

Chloe twisted free, hopped to her feet, and looked back toward the other guy. He was still on the floor in the same place she’d left him.

Suddenly, the lights came on.

Ash was first to jump up. He ran across the room to the light switch and flipped it on.

Chloe was standing in the middle of the room, her fists hovering ready at her waist. She was looking back and forth between two figures on the ground. The one nearest her was rocking in obvious pain. The other one lay unmoving only a few feet away from where Ash stood.

The rest of Ash’s team were throwing off their blankets and hopping out of their cots, ready if another fight broke out.

Ash jogged over to Chloe. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

There was a patch of red on her neck, but otherwise she looked fine.

“What happened?”

“These two assholes were taking a look through our stuff.”

“Who are they?”

She frowned at Ash. “I didn’t stop to ask.”

The one who’d been rocking had recovered enough to put his hands on the ground and try to stand.

“Uh-uh,” Chloe said, shoving him back down with her foot.

Ash pointed at the unconscious one. “Pax, check him.” He then knelt next to the nearer guy. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Nothing, okay?” the guy said defiantly.

“Not okay. Why were you going through our stuff?”

The man remained silent for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Looking for something we could sell. That’s all. You got us, okay?”

“Sell? Here in Grise Fiord? I’m guessing there’s not much of a black market.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“You got that right.”

Chloe moved up next to Ash, and put her foot on the man’s neck. “Who the hell are you?”

“Stop!” the man croaked.

“I think you should probably answer her question,” Ash said.

“Just a couple of guys, all right? Trying to entertain ourselves.”

Chloe pushed down on his throat.

“Come on…stop…it.” His voice was even more strained.

Pax walked up behind them. “Ash, a moment if you don’t mind.” Once they were several feet away, he