Tom Brand Escapes

2- Escapes NJ

Brand pressed his back against the bar. If he so much as raised his head above it, it would be shot off. He had to make a guess, a good one, but a guess nonetheless. Judging by the crowd jammed at the door, it was unlikely the woman had moved far if at all. She knew she could wait. In his mind, he went over the layout of the bar. He rolled onto his side, and looked at Leah, who was cowering with her head covered. She seemed too frightened to move. That was fine for now, but in a moment she would need to do so, and fast. The bar had a chrome and metal top but the rest of it was wood. He pressed his shoulder into it again and felt it give slightly. It looked elegant and rich but in truth it was no more than painted plywood. Brand moved his head back and forth and could see light through the slats of the wood. He pressed the barrel of his gun to it in several spots then aimed and fired. There were screams and then a litany of cursing in Czech, he thought.  It was what he had been hoping for. Most certainly the woman had caught the bullet in at least one of her legs. Had he hit her abdomen, it was unlikely she would have yelled at all. He listened for another second. The woman was not just screaming. She was calling out that she was hit. So there were more on their way but they weren't close or he'd be dead already. Brand grabbed Leah and lifted her to her feet in a single motion. He placed her trembling hands atop the bar.

"Stay here," he ordered.

Brand walked over to the woman. She lay on the floor writhing in pain and screaming at the band on her wrist. It looked like a common pedometer. He ripped it from her wrist and smashed it. She glared at him then turned her face away, most likely assuming she was about to die. It was a safe assumption. There was no sense in asking her who she was, why she was there, or for whom she was working. That kind of nonsense only happened in the movies. He would receive no answer. Instinct told him to put a bullet through her brain, but her survival might send a more advantageous message. He bent over to examine her wounds. She was out of commission for a while. That her comrades had trusted her abilities and left her alone would delay their pursuit.

Brand stood back up and looked at the bar. Leah was gone.

He bolted for the doors. The crowd inside had evaporated but outside people were still mobbing the sidewalk and screaming. In the distance he could hear sirens. Brand squeezed his way through and ran into the street to get a better view.