My heart starts to race again. I concentrate on slowing it down. My left hand is still in my pocket on my phone. I left it there in case I need to turn it on to make a call.

Do I tell them to pull back and clear the area? I think I can make the call without moving more than my thumb. But what about sound?

With a metal roof and thin walls, I’d think audio surveillance would be pointless. Or is it? Wiring the place with microphones is fairly easy. Should I put anything past him?

I decide to wait.

The sunlight coming through the vents begins to fade. I don’t dare check my watch. I just stare into the darkness and keep my mind as clear as I can. In some ways it’s easier than I would have thought.

I’ve always been a solitary person. Since I let work fill my life there hasn’t been much room for anyone else. First magic, then law enforcement. I don’t know if I regret that or not. It’s just the way I am.

Every few minutes I wrestle with taking the risk of turning on my phone or not. I could at least give them some notice to get clear. But what about the people next door? They wouldn’t make it.

In the distance I can hear the wail of police sirens growing closer. Damn, not here!

They may have gotten a full search warrant by now. That’s not going to help if this place is wired to explode. If the Warlock sees police cars barreling through the front gate, it’s all over. Done.

The sirens get louder, then pass by. They’re heading somewhere else. I breathe a sigh of relief. A shallow breath.

There’s another noise now. It’s the distant low rumble of a helicopter. It’s getting closer. The roof rattles as the helicopter passes over the top of the building.

I can hear the engine roaring through the vents. I try to visualize where it’s going from the maps. The helicopter is a block or two away now. It’s probably assisting the chase cars.

There’s a high-pitched whine coming from that direction. Something has malfunctioned. The blades make a sloshing noise and the helicopter’s engine screams louder.

The engine cuts out and all I can hear is the whoosh of the blades as the helicopter auto-gyrates to the ground. There’s a metallic thud and a loud crackle, then an explosion like a transformer blowing.

Oh God.

Right near us too.

What are the chances?

The red lights on the cameras go out. The refrigerator stops humming.

The power is off.

51

I TRY NOT TO PANIC. I don’t understand what is going on. I sit there and wait. I focus on my shallow breaths and not moving. The cameras could come back on at any moment.

Footsteps run across the gravel outside. A metal blade is cutting into something. The middle rollup door slides up and three men dressed in bomb armor run inside. Unsure of what’s happening, I remain perfectly still.