The security detail saw the door open and turned to look at her, and was in the middle of motioning her to get back into the room, when he saw a series of red lasers dot his chest. He slowly raised his hands up.

He saw two men in flak jackets standing on the terrace of the penthouse.  They had cut a round circle through the thick glass of the doors that opened into the penthouse, and had opened the door.  Their weapons were trained on him.

New York, NY

“JULES!” Diane screamed as she heard the sounds of crashing, glass breaking, and metal scraping.  Then she heard moaning.

Think, Diane!  Bette had told her to do what she needed to do.  And that meant something likely in the file.  Her eyes fell on the instruction on the document about what to do in case of an emergency.  With shaking hands, she lifted the handset and dialed the number.

After two rings, a woman’s voice greeted her, “Hello?”

“Carousel,” Diane answered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brom was shaking his head slowly, but found it was painful to continue to do so.  There was a roaring sound in his ears, and his motor functions felt paralyzed.  Through a haze he could make out combat boots  standing a few feet away from him, and could hear them talking.

“… looks like he didn’t make it, no…. the driver’s eyes are fluttering, and the man beside him looks like he’s starting to move a little.”

Jules began to stir also.  She did a mental check of her senses and extremities – hearing seems fine, my toes are moving, my hands are moving, and I can move my neck.  She took a breath and, remembering lessons from her Krav Maga instructor, stopped moving on hearing their voices.  They seemed to be assessing the state of those who were in the Hummer, talking to someone who didn’t seem to be there.   She took some pains not to show any reaction at all.

“… the woman in the middle was stirring earlier but stopped.  The other one has head wounds, it seems.  She’s bleeding from them.”

Jules drew a sharp breath.  Bette!

“… but the one you want … the man in the back seat?  I don’t think he’s alive. … no.”

After a short pause.

“You want us to what? …. Take them to the hospital?”

Another pause.

Jules decided to make a show of waking up.  If they were going to be taken to the hospital she wanted Bette to be taken, too.  And she needed to find out how Bette was and rouse Bette enough so that the men would realize they were both alive and should be taken to the hospital.  To do that she needed to be awake, alert.

She opened her eyes, and began to feel around for where Bette was.

“Bette?” she called out softly.

She heard the brunette moan.

“Try to open your eyes, move your toes, move your fingers and hands,” Jules said quietly in an urgent voice.

Uhhhnnnhhhh,  Bette responded, moaning again.

Jules saw a man’s face suddenly pop up next to Bette’s, peering at them from across the collapsed window frame.  The glass had been shattered during either the slam of the semi against the Hummer when it jackhammered, or the roll after.

Jules said urgently, “She’s alive. I heard her moan.”

The man reached through the window frame, feeling for a pulse on Bette’s neck.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he answered, nodding at Jules.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Did you hear that exchange?” the woman asked Diane.

“Yes.”

“I want Tina safely back here in New York before we talk again,” Diane said firmly.

The woman hummed, mainly to herself.  The silence lengthened, and Diane stayed quiet, holding her position in this test of wills.  Everything was at stake now.  For Bette and Tina.  For Jules, Brom.

The woman finally broke after a long pause, and asked ”You play poker?”

“No,” Diane answered.  ”Bridge.”

”Ahh… a strategist,” she observed.

Diane remained silent, giving nothing further away.

”Very well,” the woman said quietly. Diane heaved a sigh of relief, covering the mouthpiece as she did.

”Tina will return safely.  No surveillance. No threats. No contact after that.”

Diane was opening her mouth to respond, when the woman added, lengthening her words as she spoke.

”But this isn’t over.”