Jed looked at his watch again; only twelve seconds had passed.

A shadow passed, dimming the natural light in the back of the ambulance. Jed glanced through the cab cutout and through the windshield as he reached for the pistol in his waistband. Two women walked past the front of the ambulance, loaded down with plastic shopping bags, and glanced at the ambulance as they did.

Jed looked again at his watch.

Thirteen more seconds burned.

“There are long guns under the bench seat,” Hyeon said, his voice more serious now, “should it come to that.”

“It won’t,” Jed said, hoping that was true.

“Joshua, this is Dragon,” a new and unfamiliar male voice said on the comms channel. “Entering the garage. Sitrep?”

He exhaled a sigh of relief. “We’re in an ambulance on the ground level. You can’t miss us. Four to ride plus one piece of luggage.”

“Check, I see you.”

“Any tails on?”

“None observed,” Gayle said in his ear. Her voice was tense, and he wondered if this little rescue had been authorized by her head shed or if she’d gone off script. “Police have reached St. Paul’s Hospital, but nobody heading your way yet.”

“Thirty seconds, Joshua,” Dragon said. “We’ll give you ten seconds, so be ready to move.”

“I’ve got all of the surveillance cameras in your garage and four other random garages down for the next two minutes,” John chimed in, taking Jed by surprise. He’d not heard from the spook for so long he’d assumed they’d already secured.

“How is that even possible?” Bex murmured.

“He’s just that good,” the spook who’d posed as Dr. Weider said.

“Maybe this Mission: Impossible, Jason Bourne stuff ain’t so bad after all,” Hyeon said.

“It’s Ethan Hunt, dude,” Bex said, standing bent over in the small ambulance and running her arms under Dr. Zhao’s armpits from behind, joining her hands on his chest. Jed moved to the feet, ready to pop open the door, complete the fireman’s carry of the Chinese scientist, and hustle to their rescue vehicle.

“What?” Hyeon asked, confused.

“You’re mixing stuff up. Ethan Hunt is from Mission: Impossible. Jason Bourne is a whole different thing.”

“Whatever,” Hyeon said, rolling his eyes.

“Ready for you,” Dragon announced in Jed’s ear, just as he heard a squeal of rubber tires on polished floor echo through the parking deck.