Once up the stairs, the women shuffled back the way Jack and his men had first come. Jack kept a look out over his shoulder for any signs of life. It was strange no one had detected them yet. He'd never been on a mission where they'd gotten away clean.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw a dark shadow. He spun and aimed his pistol at the corridor. The tall man paused to look at Jack then turned to look down the hallway, too. He remained silent and they both listened for movement. Only the shuffling of feet from the women echoed through the hall.
"Give me a weapon," the man whispered.
Jack hesitated for a moment, then silently pulled another matching pistol from the holster under his right arm and handed it over to him. "Protect the women. I'm going to check it out."
The man nodded.
