Page 45 of Guarding Truth
He’d never seen that man before. They raced down the stairs. “How many men robbed the bank?”
“Four,” Juliette said over her shoulder as she took the stairs two at a time. He’d hoped to identify someone from his office as the culprit, but these two weren’t the only criminals.
Crack!Plaster rained down on them. “I guess the big guy is awake,” Caleb said. A bullet hole marked the wall right above their heads.
The second they tumbled into the first-floor landing, Juliette had her cell phone out checking for a signal. He heard her calling 911 as they moved through the lobby. Caleb wasn’t taking any other chances of another ambush, but he needed to put as much distance as possible between them and the stairwell shooter. He kept his eyes peeled for trouble.
Speaking of trouble, how had these two clowns gotten past security? “Where’s the security guard?”
Juliette shrugged and swept the confiscated gun around the lobby as they walked. “We need to get out of the building,” she said. “The police are on their way, but those intruders will probably pursue us.”
Caleb reached the guard desk and peeked behind. “The guard’s been knocked out.” He hurdled the desk and helped the uniformed man up off the floor.
The man wobbled a bit but was able to stand on his own and waved them off. “I’m okay. I’m okay.” But blood trickled from a wound on his forehead.
“I’ll stand guard,” Juliette said. “I didn’t hear footsteps behind us, so maybe the gunman decided his best option would be to flee.”
“He might sneak down the stairs and exit from the back of the lobby.”
Juliette nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for him.”
Caleb found someone’s sweater stashed in the desk and pressed it to the wound on the man’s forehead. Sirens outside competed against the blaring fire alarms inside. Within seconds, paramedics, firefighters, and police rushed into the lobby. The cavalry had arrived.
Juliette snaked arms with Caleb. “Time to go. We’re too exposed in this open lobby. Agent McGregor texted and will be pulling up in a moment.” A paramedic took over to assist the security guard, and Caleb headed out the lobby door with Juliette. Four firefighters in full gear with a thick hose passed them. If the bad guys were smart, they’d be long gone. If the good guys caught a break, the stairwell shooter would leave his friend tied to the railing for the police to find.
The instant their feet hit the sidewalk in front of the office, two black SUVs raced up in front of them.
The passenger side window of one vehicle rolled down, and Agent McGregor stuck out his head. “Get in.”
The back door swung open. They slid in next to the agent as several police, fire, and armed FBI agents swarmed the area.
“How did you find us so fast?” Caleb asked.
Agent McGregor turned his head toward the back seat. “I heard the call come in about a second fire in the building and knew you two had decided to tempt fate and return to the scene of the crime. Do either of you need medical attention before we hightail it out of here? We need to get you to a secure location. We’ll sit down and take your statements for the police when we know you are safe.”
Juliette rubbed her throat. She might be sore, but there didn’t seem to be any damage to her vocal cords. “I don’t think either of us is injured, and the smoke wasn’t that bad because we were able to get out of the area where the fire started,” Juliette said.
Caleb nodded, but Juliette had fatigue written all over her face. When had the dark circles appeared? And bruises were forming around her throat from where the guy had tried to choke her. Neither of them had slept much in the last few nights, not to mention his tumble down the stairs, so he assumed he looked equally as rough.
McGregor pulled onto the street, and soon they were heading to the outskirts of Savannah on the back roads. They passed Bonaventure Cemetery, the legendary cemetery he and Ivy had yet to visit. Live oaks dripping with Spanish moss lined the roadway. The serene beauty of Savannah contrasted with their tragic circumstances.
Would he and Ivy find peace? He prayed these terrorists would be caught so they could regain their lives.
Juliette had texted Noelle and confirmed that Ivy had already arrived.
Agent McGregor handed Juliette some bags. “I’m going to need your phones and any electronics. Anything that can be traced. Because we’re going old-school at this safe house. No electronics of any kind.”
No electronics?
How was Caleb supposed to flush out these hackers and save his business—not to mention the bank—without a computer? But it made sense. If he wasn’t online, the hackers couldn’t track his movements.
He shook his head and deposited his phone into the bag. “What’s Ivy going to do when she finds out there isn’t any Wi-Fi at the house?”
Juliette shot him a weary smile. “We’ll make Noelle tell her. The least we can do is make it fun for her. Maybe we can finally eat junk food and binge-watchStar Wars.”
“Which is your favoriteStar Warscharacter?”
She stared at him. “I want to say Spock…” He couldn’t contain his laughter. Despite his many attempts to get her hooked on his favorite,Star Trek, she still hadn’t a clue.