Midnight Sun (130 page)

Tomer
moved
forward
from
the
darkness
behind
them,
gun
raised
with
both
hands.

“
You
al
l
right
,
Robo-Cop?
”

“
Yeah,
thanks.
”

“
No
problem,
but
you
owe
me
one.
”

A
steady
stream
of
blood
ran
from
the
knife
wound
in
Warner's
arm,
dripping
from
his
fingertips.
  
He
checked
Leka's
body.
He
was
very
dead,
one
eye
staring
wildly
into
space,
the
other
sitting
round
and
bright
white
against
the
mash
of
bloody
pudding
that
had
been
the
right
side
of
his
face.
The
pair of agents
moved
toward
Kreshnik,
Tomer
’
s
pistol
up
and
ready.
Warner
’
s
weapon
was
several
yards
on
the
other
side
of
the
man.
The
Kosovar
was
still
alive,
moaning,
shaking,
blood
bubbling
from
his
mouth.
Tomer
shook
his
head
at
the
sight
, his turned a pale green. Warner could see by the look in his eyes,
he’d
never
shot
a
man
before.

Kreshnik's
trembling
hands
moved
to
his
chest,
clutching
at
the
wound.
He
said
something
neither
man
understood
,
then
convulsed,
his
arms
twitching,
one
grasping
the
fabric
of
his
coveralls
near
the
pocket.
He
squeezed
something,
as
if
he
were
feeling
for
an
object
inside,
searching
with
the
tips
of
his
fingers.
A
key
fob
slid
out
of
his
pocket
onto
the
floor
. H
e
grabbed
it
and
fumbled
over
the
buttons.

“
Shoot
him!
”
Warner
cried
out.

Tomer
raised
his
pistol
and
fired
three
rapid
shots,
twice
in
the
chest
and
once
in
the
head.
The
top
of
Kreshnik
’
s
skull
burst,
his
dying
hand
contract
ing
on
the
key
fob.
A
loud
pop
sounded
far
down
the
tunnel,
followed
immediately
by
a
sharp
crack.
A
moment
later
,
the
air
shook
with
a
roar
that
erupted
into
a
deafening
explosion
, snapping
the
atmosphere
into
chunks
too
jagged
to
breath
e
.
The
distant
darkness
suddenly
blazed
with
the
light
of
a
fire
fed
by
high
-
pressure
jet
fuel,
its
brightness
blossoming
like
a
solar
flare
reaching
through
the
tunnel
to
grab
them.

“
Run!
”
Warner
shouted
.

He g
rabb
ed
Tomer
by the
arm
and
they
sprinted
for
the
exit,
a
fireball
expanding
behind
them.
As
they
reached
the
stairs,
smoke
started
rising
from
their
jackets.
The
sharp
odor
of
their
burning
hair
prompted
them
to
take
three
stairs
at
a
time,
Tomer's
fear
outweighing
his
bulk.
The
fire
sucked
the
air
from
around
them.
With
a
burst
of
primal
energy
,
Warner
slammed
the
door
open
just
as
the
blaze
of
jet
fuel
filled
the
space
around
them.
The
pent
-
up
pressure
thr
ew
them
bodily
into
the
air,
a
bright
orange
tongue
of
flame
chasing
them
as
their
bodies
slammed
onto
the
pavement
twenty
yards
away.