Finally, the elevator stopped on their floor. Tom and Angie both stuck their backs against the wall on either side of the door just in case there was someone inside who would get out. When nothing happened, Tom peeked inside. The cabin was empty so the two rushed inside and pressed the button for the thirty first floor.
"God, I want this to be over faster," Angie mumbled, leaning her back against the wall and looking up at the LED lights.
"Believe it or not, we've only been in the building for twenty minutes," Tom said, leaning against the wall too, his eyes fixed on the floor display.
"Feels like freaking forever." She hugged herself and looked into the mirror. "I got captured once while sneaking around. It wasn't pleasant. I don't want it to happen again."
His eyes shot from the display to her, the mistiness in her eyes, and the way her fingers dug into her skin. He walked over and took her in his arms, laying his head on top of hers.
"Not going to let that happen this time, baby. I swear."
She hugged his arms and nodded, her eyes fixed on the mirror, studying the floor display. Suddenly, she frowned and pulled out of his embrace. "The elevator is stopping."
"Huh?" He looked at the display too and saw that it no longer showed the 31st floor but the 29th. They were already on the 21st so they had maybe a minute to somehow disappear out of the elevator. "Ah, crap!"
Angie looked around the small metal box as if there would be anywhere to hide. Tom had seen enough movies to know that the only way to avoid being discovered was to get out through the hatch at the top. But that would imply taking the roof panel down and breaking through just to end up on top of a moving elevator. Which, as cool as action movies made it look, was virtually impossible to achieve in under a minute.
"Billy, twenty ninth floor, how many people?" he asked urgently.
"What?" Billy asked, confused.
"How many people are waiting for the elevator?"
"Um... three."
Crap. Why couldn't it be one? Because they were never that lucky. But at least he had Angie with him and she could practically read his mind because she made herself as small as possible on one side of the door. He did the same, stuffing his bulk on the other side. Damn, all that weight he'd put on over the summer wasn't helping. He was too used to being skinny and his body suddenly felt alien.
The elevator slowed to a stop. The door opened and three men dressed in suits entered the elevator, talking animatedly among themselves. It took them a couple of seconds to realize that they weren't alone, but it was already too late. Angie and Tom charged. He punched one of them in the stomach and kicked the other in Angie's direction. She'd already knocked out her target and hit the new one on the side of the neck, causing him to crumple to the ground.
"Learn to knock out," she mumbled, charging at the third man and hitting him in the sternum with a sharp jab. He immediately fell off his feet, into a useless heap on the floor.
Tom straightened and looked at the three bodies. "I know how to knock out. It's just that all those pressure points can cause death if you use too much force."
She raised her eyebrows. "Tell that to Kyle."
Damn, good point. He'd just have to practice more and actually dare to try and hit someone in potentially deadly spots.
The elevator door slid shut and they started climbing again. Billy informed them that their coast was clear, so once they exited on their floor, they took a few seconds to just breathe.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)
Adventure"You youngsters are stupidly adorable with your stubborn obsession with love. Love doesn't lift you. It destroys you." For Sam Grant, his family has become his sanctuary and the team that joins him on death defying adventures. But after everythi...
