O'Brien pushed her up the stairs, staying between her and the attackers. The lead man ran up the stairs waving a club. O'Brien kicked him down the stairs, blocking the rest long enough for Cal to make the top. She ran along the hall. If she could get to the hatch, she could escape and bring reinforcements. A man stepped out of the shadows, a long knife in hand. O'Brien pulled her back of the man's reach and pushed her into her office. He slammed the door behind him. Cal picked herself off the floor in time to see Tallinan's arm come around O'Brien's neck. The point of his knife penetrated the front of O'Brien's uniform. The Chief Petty Officer collapsed soundlessly to the floor.
"I would love to stay and chat." Tallinan wiped his knife on O'Brien's shirt. "But I have a man to meet." He ki
