Chapter Forty
After creeping into the lobby, and blending into the desk jockeys and delivery couriers as best I could, I hopped into an empty elevator, pressed the button for the fifteenth floor—the executive suites—and held my breath as the doors closed, braced for the panic I knew would follow. I still hated confined spaces, but I’d survived a lot worse; I could get through a lift ride. There wasn’t a choice, after my mini-marathon; my legs lacked the strength to climb the stairs. My limbs ached just thinking about it. I was running or rather limping, on fumes.
The lights over the door climbed higher and higher. At the sixth floor, I reached for the familiar bulge under my jacket and removed the weapon from its holster. At the tenth level, I reloaded, and at the eleventh, I flipped the
