His knife whispered across the throat of the man at the back. The ceramic blade was sharper than any made of steel and opened him up from ear to ear. The man dropped as though pole-axed. Rickard stood on him as he fell, used him as a springboard and went after the leading man. At the same time, he was looking for and assessing the others in the room. There was only one more.

Goddamnit! I knew it!

Coming in through the front door was the man from the elevator. He’d changed his suit for a windbreaker and jeans, and the mobile for a radio and a handgun.

So he wasn’t Alisha’s secret fling, but an assassin scoping the terrain before making his assault. His reaction when surprised by Rickard’s appearance as the elevator doors opened now held more sense.

It took Rickard all of a split second to analyze the facts and to act on them. The elevator man was surprised by his sudden unexpected arrival and he was a second too slow in lifting his gun. His shot missed and put a hole in the wall a foot behind Rickard’s moving form. Rickard caught up with the big guy in the beanie hat just as the man was turning around. He jabbed his knife under the man’s jaw, the blade cutting through the tissue and piercing his tongue. Not an immediately fatal stab but one designed to cause debilitation of the senses and a lot of blood. Without stopping, Rickard ducked under the man’s arms and came up behind him. Elevator Man had no clear shot. Rickard jammed his blade into his human shield just below his floating rib, not deep enough to reach the liver, but enough to induce shocking pain. He released the handle and grabbed the gun out of the man’s lifeless grip. Considerately, the big man had already racked the slide, putting a bullet in the firing chamber.

Realizing the inevitability of the next few seconds, Elevator Man was already turning, hoping to make it back out the door where he could at least use the cover of the doorjamb to return fire.

Should have just gone for it, Rickard thought. Then he shot the man between his shoulder blades as Alisha screamed a second time. The dead man made it to the doorway, but he was facedown, his arms outstretched.

In the same moment Rickard disengaged from the big guy, plucked free his knife and then shot the man in the side of the head. The guy went over sideways and landed on the carpet, his blood fanning out on the usually pristine flooring. Rickard grimaced at the mess because he was fastidious about those kinds of things. But not now. The apartment was no longer his; he was moving out immediately.

Chapter 20

20

“Tell me what I want to know or I’m going to put you out of business. Permanently.”