Page 88 of One Last Stand

He followed her down the hallway and then stood at the end of yet another hallway that led to the lavatories. The men’s room was across the hall from the ladies’ entrance.

She glanced at him, standing with his arms crossed, a fortress at the end of the hallway, a knight. Then he raised his chin and winked, andyes, see—everything was going to be just fine.

She slipped into the bathroom. A small antechamber with a bench formed a sort of lobby, and she walked through that to the expanse of the women’s lavatory. A long row of sinks extended from the far wall on both sides of a long mirror, and on either side, stalls jutted out.

She walked to the far stall near the outside of the building, beneath the window, locked herself inside, and then pulled her phone from her purse.

She keyed in a text.

London

Go for Coco

Sent it.

A moment later, a text came back.

York

Coco in two.

Two minutes.

And then another five to get down the back stairs and through the hallway and over to Cryptex, key in the code, push through the door, key in the next code, and by that time, if the lights were on, she’d be in.

And uploading the corrupt code that would have terrorist agencies on the run.

Bam. Not bad for a last mission.

She pulled the night-vision monocular from her leg strap and dropped it into her purse. Then she stepped out of the stall, washed her hands, grabbed a cotton towel to wipe them, and then deposited the towel into the linen basket.

Women were walking in and out of the bathroom. She headed out and spotted Shep at the end of the hall. Met his eyes. Nodded.

He gave her a tight smile.

See, big guy, nothing to worry about.

The palace went dark. And here in the hallway, no ambient light eked in from the starlight outside. In fact, the corridor turned instantly to pitch.

No problem. She’d memorized the layout, and she opened her purse to grab the monocular?—

A hand pressed against her mouth, a voice in her ear. “Don’t fight me.”

What?

Tomas.

She slung out an elbow, but he dodged her, and then a prick burned her neck.

That jerk—he’d?—

No—no.

The drug hit her fast and hard, and she couldn’t believe that this was happening right here, in front of Shep. She tried to call out, but people rushed by her, knocking her into the wall, women screaming in the darkness, and . . .

Tomas, you rat!She thrashed, trying to find purchase even as the darkness crept over her.No—Shep!

Tomas was moving her even as her limbs betrayed her, as the darkness closed in around her. Sirens sounded through the castle, blaring, reverberating off the rock and stone, brutal, and drowning her shouts?—