The Demon Signet (38 page)
“Yes, sir, we’re turning the power back on now.”
The words were spoken by a man coming toward her, but they’d come from around a corner and so she couldn’t see him. Knowing that the big doors would lock as soon as the power was back online, she moved her legs as fast as she could, covering the empty floor with a speed she hadn’t known since her high school track days. If the doors locked before she hit them, she’d break her shoulder. Instead, they flew open, and she descended down the steps and into the street, the man with the radio staring after her, confused.
Police cars. Roadblocks. Fire trucks.
One officer came running over to her as she reached the street.
“Miss, are you alright? You weren’t supposed to be in there…”
She ignored him and continued running.
She rounded the corner and ran into the small crowd being ushered away by police in black battle gear. She needed to get rid of the envelope. Reaching into her loose-fitting pants, she pulled out whatever money she had. Just a few ameros. Then she ran into the street, traffic screeching to a halt as the twilight faded behind her.
Melissa spun around just in time to see a black SUV turning to join another that was coming from the opposite direction, both now converging on her.
A cramp was gnawing at her side, but she couldn’t slow down. If she did, she knew she was dead. She couldn’t get rid of the envelope here on the street…there were cameras and scanners everywhere. If they knew about the letter, they’d find it before it reached its recipient. She had to get back indoors.
The SUVs raced down the street, their headlights picking up the escapee as she turned down an alley. One SUV screeched to a halt, and a man in a suit jumped out, while the other SUV made a sharp turn around the block, hoping to head her off.
Melissa turned to see the man running after her. He was fast. She wasn’t going to make it.
There was an open door.
It was just up ahead, on the right. A restaurant. She ran through just as the man came within arm’s reach. “Help me!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Help me! He’s trying to kill me!”
The stunned cooks turned to see her attacker behind her, and they moved into his path, intent on defending her.
Melissa ran out of the kitchen and into the restaurant. Approaching a table, she excused herself to the couple sitting there eating, and handed the young man the envelope. “Will you do me the biggest favor in the world?” she asked, tears starting to flow again.
“Uh… sure,” the young man stammered, looking around the room and steeling a nervous glance at his girlfriend. He reluctantly took the envelope, wondering if it was a joke. But her desperation must have seemed genuine enough.
“Would you send that for me?” She looked back at the kitchen doors, waiting for them to burst open. Then she threw all the money she had onto the table. “Please,” she begged, “it’s important.” Then she turned and ran out the front door of the restaurant and into the arms of another huge man wearing a suit. She started screaming and kicking, but he was strong and didn’t loosen his grip. He carried her to the SUV. Just as he got her in the back seat, the other guy came out of the restaurant and joined them.
“Come on, let’s go,” one of them said. The SUV took off, speeding down a road in what had formerly been the capitol of the constitutional republic known as the United States of America.
Before Melissa knew what was going on, or could even ask, a plastic bag was put over her head. She inhaled, and the plastic filled her mouth. The other man beside her held her tight, keeping her from flailing.
Just then a ring pierced the air.
“Yes? Right.” Another man in the front seat hung up. “Let her go.”
They obeyed without question, removing the bag from her head, leaving her struggling for air.
The voice from the front seat explained, “It’s not there. They think she took it.”
As Melissa was catching her breath, her mind inadvertently began connecting dots, figuring that Mark was supposed to kill her and Joe, the men in black entering just in time to keep the object from being “stolen” by him.
“Ms. Strauss, you have something that we want.” They stripped her but found nothing.
She was still crying when they threw her from the vehicle and off the bridge.
The mystery of Solomon’s ring continues in
THE SOLOMON KEY
.
Available now in print and ebook formats
About the Author
Shawn Hopkins is the author of the supernatural action thriller,
Progeny
, the conspiracy thriller,
The Solomon Key
, and the mystery thriller,
A Man Overboard
.
For updates, author interviews, booktrailers, his blog, and all kinds of other stuff, visit his
website
. You can also follow him on Twitter @shawnahopkins.
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