Holidays are Hell

A grim smile touched his mouth. "Because I just do."

Because I just do. Another kind of faith. A new clock. Six touched his lips with her fingertips. His blood was still wet. She stood on her toes and kissed him, tasting the hot metallic burn, the spice of ginger. His mouth was hard, as were his arms as he crushed her close and tight.

Six broke away, breathing hard. She glanced down at Xiu, then bent close, rummaging through her pockets. She found keys and took them.

"Come," she said to Joseph. "We have to leave. Now."

She went to the cell door and peered out. There were no guards in the hall. No one had heard Xiu scream—or if they had, no one wanted to investigate. The members of Squad Twelve were not known for needing help. It was a reputation they encouraged.

Six stepped into the hall, and took Joseph's arm. "Head down, look weak, beaten."

"Oh, yeah. Difficult," he muttered.

They walked down the long, tiled corridor past gray metal doors marked with numbers. Six heard groans coming from inside some of the cells. She thought about Joseph being beaten and clenched her jaw. Kept her gaze straight and narrow. One turn in the corridor, and the cellblock gate appeared. Two guards in full military uniform stood on either side of the heavy metal door. Another man sat at a desk that held only one phone and a sheaf of papers. All of them stared at Joseph.

"I am moving the prisoner," Six said. "Agent Xiu will be along when she is finished… cleaning up. Do not disturb her until then."

"Shall I call ahead for a transport vehicle?" asked the man at the desk, who very carefully maintained no eye contact.

"That will not be necessary," Six said. A request for transportation would go through the main switchboard, and be automatically routed to the other members of her squad. "In fact, I would ask that you not call anyone about this prisoner. It is a very sensitive matter."

"Of course," he said, and reached behind him to dial in the combination of the electric lock. He hit a red button and the door clicked open. One of the guards held it for her. Six stopped and took his sidearm. She did not ask. He did not protest. Simply stared into the air above her head. He was very young. Eager to please. Six hoped none of them would be punished too severely for letting her escape with Joseph.

They passed through the cellblock door and entered another corridor that split into three directions. Security cameras hung from every corner, but Six knew they were manned by low-level guards who would know only her face and nothing else. Her face would be enough to grant free passage until Xiu was discovered. Or until Six and Joseph ran into any other members of the team.

They took the stairs. Joseph gave her a questioning look when they started walking up.

"This building is only three stories tall," Six explained quietly. "But there are six sublevels beneath it. We are on number three."

His mouth twitched. "I don't rate a six? How disappointing."

"Not really." She let herself smile. "That level is the morgue."

They reached the main floor without incident. Six heard a great deal of activity beyond the corridor, but where they stood was the hall used only by the janitorial staff. Six and Joseph were able to exit through the back door without incident.

Sloppy security, Six thought. She had never paid much attention to just how sloppy, until now, and it embarrassed her. She had taken too much for granted. Twenty years, training to be the best, riding on the laurels of elitism—and now, all of it gone, with the realization that she had still be vulnerable, in other ways. It was a taste of humility that she really did not need.

The night air was cool and damp. The military offices sat in the center of a walled compound. Most of it was parking lot, filled with military vehicles and the occasional bus. On the other side was a small training ground. Six heard men laughing, followed by the hiss of a burning fuse. Three seconds later, a ball of sparkling flame shot into the air, rushing high above the trees lining the wall. Six heard a whine, followed by a sharp explosion. She could have shot her gun and no one would have noticed.

Six hit the electric lock on the key chain. An Audi beeped back. She and Joseph ran for the car. She put him in the backseat.

They drove out without being stopped. The guards at the gate took one look at her face and waved her on. Six pulled into traffic, hit the accelerator, and there—gone.

"We have only an hour," she said to Joseph, and was stunned to hear her voice shake. She gripped the wheel harder. "Maybe less. Xiu will wake up eventually. I do not know if anyone will hear her shouts, but I would prefer to assume the worst."

"I know someplace we can go," Joseph said. "It's in Suzhou. No one will be able to find a connection to me there."

"You forget, no one knows who you are."

"You think."

"Fine," she said, and then, "We need a plan."

"We," Joseph said. "I like the sound of that."