No Ordinary Day , Tate, Harley [ebook offline .TXT] 📗

down, finding a stack of moving blankets her father had kept for who knew what. Thanks, Dad. Holly wrapped one around her shoulders and tucked herself as tightly as possible beneath the stairs. The blanket’s layer of dust tickled her nose, but she held back the sneeze.

As she settled in to wait, images of her father’s dead body crowded her mind. His bloody shirt. His vacant stare. Tears renewed their flow down her cheeks. Her father was dead.

And she wasn’t alone.

Chapter Five

John

“A little bit more…” John grunted with the effort as he pushed against the elevator door. “As soon as you can, shove that book in the space.”

Pages crinkled behind him. “Done.” Emma stepped back out of the way and John eased off the door. The paperback from her bag squished and warped with the weight of the metal but held.

John rolled his shoulders. “Now that we have a bit of leverage, as long as we all push together, the safety should release, and the doors should slide open.”

“How do you know all this?” Tyler eyed him with curiosity. “Are you a firefighter or something?”

“Or something.” John took a deep breath. “Ready?”

Tyler and Emma braced themselves against the other door. “Ready.”

“On three. One, two, three.” The doors wobbled under the new pressure, reluctantly inching away from each other until something inside clicked and they rolled back with ease.

Tyler stumbled and bumped into the elevator wall. “Now can we—” His words petered out when he turned to face the solid concrete. “What the heck?”

“Looks like we’re between floors.” Emma puffed out her cheeks before exhaling in a burst. “Guess we’re stuck.”

John stared in irritation at the solid wall. Not what he’d anticipated. Sure, elevators got stuck every which way, but today he’d hoped for an easy out. Without help, there was only one other way. He peered up at the ceiling.

Ordinary commercial elevator, secured trap door for emergency access. He thought it over. Difficult, but not impossible. Decisions, decisions.

Option one, he could finish the job right now and escape on his own. He glanced first at Emma and then at Tyler slumped on the floor in protest. It would mean collateral damage; something he avoided at all costs. And if the power flickered back to life… The last thing he needed was a sea of onlookers and two dead bodies at his feet.

Option two, he could help them both escape and find a way to deal with Emma Cross on his own. No collateral, less risk of exposure. Longer timeframe, but more his style. He turned to his companions. “We can either wait for help which may never come, or we could try option two.”

“Which is?” Tyler rubbed his shoulder as he grimaced at the concrete.

John pointed up.

“Through the ceiling?” Emma blinked. “I thought that was only in the movies.”

“There’s an emergency roof hatch in all elevators, but they’re usually accessed from the top, not the bottom.”

“And that’s a problem?”

John nodded. “I’m guessing it’s locked. Might take a bit of force to bust loose.”

From his seat on the floor, Tyler groaned. “If you hadn’t noticed, we’re lab techs, not linebackers.”

John lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe you should spend some time at the gym. You never know when a bit of strength might come in handy.” He turned to Emma. “If you and Tyler can give me a lift, I’ll try.”

“You really think that’s the only way?”

He nodded.

After a moment, Emma held her hand out to Tyler. “You don’t want to sit there all night, do you?”

“You know I don’t!” He stood up in a rush and focused on John. “What do you want us to do?”

“Interlock your fingers and make a sling. If you both hold tight, I can springboard off your hands and hit the ceiling with my shoulder.” John ignored the pointed stare from Tyler and waited until they were in position. As soon as Emma gave the go-ahead, he placed one foot in their hands, grabbed each by the shoulder, and hoisted himself into the air.

His shoulder slammed into the metal ceiling and it lifted an inch before hitting the latches. Not enough. He landed hard on his one foot and stepped back. “A couple more times and I’ll have it.”

Emma cut Tyler off before he could dissent. “Are you sure?”

Of course I’m sure. John bit back the snippy retort. Keeping on Emma’s good side was more important than setting the record straight. “Only one way to find out.”

She nodded and cajoled Tyler into holding out his hands with a nudge and an encouraging smile. Strange. Of the pair of them, she was the biggest team player in the group. Not what John expected from a whistleblower. But he wasn’t paid to question orders. He took a deep breath and hoisted himself up once more, this time launching with even more force.

Two latches broke. Again, they worked as a team, propelling John up into the ceiling. Another latch. Only three to go. It took two more tries, but on the last attempt, the remaining latch snapped, and the ceiling hatch swung into the air. It crashed open as John lunged forward, barely catching himself on the top of the elevator. His arms slid, but he scrambled for purchase, grabbing a stalk of bundled cables to stop his slide back into the elevator cab.

“Are you all right?” Emma’s voice carried out of the cab and into the cavernous space of the elevator shaft.

John ignored the concern in her voice. “Yep. Gimme a sec.” Using his lower body like a pendulum, he swung back and forward until he could hook a knee above the ceiling and hoist himself clear. As he fell back onto the ceiling of the cab, he sucked in a breath.

It had been a while since he’d trained for physical contingencies. The last few jobs were impersonal, distant targets. No personal danger, no physical risk. He was getting weak. That needed to change.

“Is there a way out?”

John hesitated before answering. Part of him wanted to end