Cuff Lynx by Fiona Quinn Read Free Book Online Page B

must have been an accumulation of gases in this space.” I tapped on my star. “You said they had to step down into the cavity?” I turned to Axel.
    “Titus said it was a three-foot drop, and he had to duck his head in there. He’s six-foot-one, and add another couple inches for the hazmat hood and boots,” he said.
    “Okay. As D.O.A. forces the Sudanese to jump down into this space, the hostages’ movements swirl the air, combining the bad air pooled here at the bottom with the breathable air above. When the hostages sat down, they breathed in the poisonous fumes and would have quickly passed out. D.O.A., seeing them collapse, are caught between the poisonous gas and Strike Force. The only chance of survival would be surrendering. Looks like the D.O.A. collapsed as they came around the U toward breathable air.” I scanned the room and saw heads nodding.
    “With all of this movement by the targets, the bad air seeped out into the rest of the tunnel. Striker and Gater had taken a knee, and got the fumes into their systems. Gater, I imagine your level of fitness kept you from succumbing, and you were able to get Striker up and out.” I had to steady myself with a hand on the board. It was that close. Gater’s determination versus Striker’s death. I cleared my throat and continued. “Axel and Deep start to feel the effects of the gas, but because of their fitness, height, and speed, are able to get out on their own right behind Striker and Gater and just ahead of the D.O.A. members.”
    “That makes sense,” Deep said. “When we felt the gas effects, Axel and I held our breath and sprinted for the ladder.”
    “And of course, we now know that Jack took two bullets outside of the tunnel and Randy provided life support, calling in medevac to God knows whom. Some tango knew exactly what was going on for our team. Their exact movements and locations. And if I’m not mistaken, looks like D.O.A. was set up to take a bad fall.”
    There was nothing that I wanted more in that instant than to be locked in the room with the man or even the men that had the audacity to squeeze the trigger and hurt Striker and Jack. My lips curled back. I felt like a lioness. I wanted to sink razor-sharp incisors into their jugulars and shake my powerful neck, to feel their blood drain from their bodies, knowing they would soon die. The energy I pulled through me felt universal, primal, and extremely dangerous. This energy felt hungry–rabid, even—and now frightening, because it didn’t feel like it originated from me.
    The “buzzing” had started again. Electricity ran from my head down my arms and legs, acidic and bright like a note held by an operatic soprano, a sustained high C with enough volume to shatter glass. I wriggled uncomfortably. Gater and Deep glanced toward me, looking concerned. I didn’t want their concern. I wanted them to rest and recover and figure out what the hell happened, because this still made no sense.
    I paced back and forth in front of the board. “My guess is that an Iniquus team – maybe even us specifically — was the target, not the Sudanese. Or maybe whoever was orchestrating this fiasco needed all three groups out of the picture. They may even have known about the gas, and they were aiming for an efficient kill. That’s especially true if they knew in advance that there was gas down there and instructed D.O.A. to throw flashbang. An explosion would result in no survivors and no bodies. But if that were true, they were measuring air quality back around that U-bend. If the FBI would share, I might be able to puzzle this out. But for now? I’d say we need to watch our backs.”
    A knock sounded at the Puzzle Room door. The team fell silent as I went to see who was there. Leanne gestured me out to the hall. She was pale and nervous. ”Uhm. I have a return message for you.”
    My heart picked up its pace.
    “Mango sorbet, tomorrow morning, eleven hundred,” she said, glancing up and down the