Midnight Sun (84 page)

“
That
doesn
’
t
matter
much
to
you
. I
t
’
s
payback
time
,
bitch.
”

“
Are
you
stupid
,
Leonard?
You
going
to
shoot
me
right
here
in
front
of
security?
” S
he
pointed
to
a
black
globe
that
hung
from
the
ceiling
in
front
of
the
elevators.

“
I
could
n’t
give
a
shit,
”
said
the
man
as
the
door
slid
open.
“
Get
in.
”

“
No
.
”

“
Then
I
will
cut
out
your
nigger-gook
baby
right
here
in
the
hallway
and
leave
you
to
wallow
in
your
own
blood.
”

He
flicked
a
long
,
wicked
-
looking
knife
into
view.
The
other
man
stepped
into
the
elevator
and
leaned
against
the
back
wall.
Lonnie
considered
her
options.
It
was
unlikely
she
could
win
a
fight
against
these
two
killers
even
if
she
wasn
’
t
pregnant.
She
was
a
third
-
degree
black
belt
in
both
Tae
Kwon
Do
and
Hap
Ki
Do.
That
fact
had
given
her
the
upper
hand
in
many
a
fight,
against
both
male
and
female
opponents
, but
most
people
in
fights
are
not
in
it
for
life
or
death.
They
give
up
when
the
pain
hits
a
certain
level.

Leonard
Brassert
,
on
the
other
hand,
was
not
here
to
play
a
game.
Any
fight
with
him
would
certainly
end
in
death
for
at
least
one
of
them.
A
life
of
violence
in
the
world
of
organized
crime
and
biker
gangs
had
turned
him
into
an
animal.
Five
years
earlier
,
she
’
d
arrested
him
on
multiple
murder,
rape
,
and
drug
charges.
He
had
been
accused
of
the
torture
and
execution
of
a
drug
dealer
and
his
family
,
but
the
prosecution
could
not
gather
enough
evidence
to
prove
it
and
he
ended
up
with
only
a
drug
and
robbery
conviction
and what should’ve been a ten year sentence
.
The
look
in
his
eyes
left
no
doubt
that
if
she
didn
’
t
think
of
something
she
and
her
baby
were
going
to
die.
She
didn
’
t
know
the
other
man,
but
his
face
showed
no
trace
of
humanity
whatsoever
. H
e
looked
like
a
shorter
incarnation
of
Arnold
Schwarzenegger's
Terminator
character.

It
was
midday
and
the
hotel
was
mostly
empty.
The
occupants
of
the
rooms
would
be
busily
touring
the
city.
Those
still
there
were
likely
asleep
in
preparation
for
the
nightlife.
She doubted there would be
anyone
to
hear
her
scream.

Brassert
had
done
a
good
job
of
keeping
his
back
to
the
cameras,
obscuring
his actions
.
His
broad
shoulders
also
blocked
off
the
view
of
Lonnie
’
s
face.
Security
would
have
nothing
to
act
on.
She
’
d
be
dead
before
anyone was even aware there was a situation
.
Lonnie
stepped
into
the
elevator.
Brassert
followed
her,
the
knife
pricking
her
back
as
he
drew
close.