Read Off the Grid (A Gerrit O'Rourke Novel) for Free Online Page B

him. The gunman seemed to have just noticed the door cracked open.
    Gerrit pulled back into the darkness, hoping—for the girl’s sake and his—that Nico didn’t see him.
    Suddenly, Nico yanked his gun toward Gerrit and fired several shots into the storage room.
    Gerrit had no place to run. He sank deeper into the shadows, expecting to be hit at any moment. The door slammed closed as the bullets passed through, leaving the room in darkness except where bullets riddled the wood.
    “Hey, what’s going on down there? I said we’d pull back.” Finch’s yell carried down the hallway.
    Nico must have slammed the bedroom door closed without answering.
    Gerrit fought the urge to feel his chest for bullet holes. The door looked like a slice of Swiss cheese, holes riddling the wood, allowing fingers of light to cut through darkness. He was alive and standing. He hoped the rest of his plan went smoother than this. Nico would be on the alert for anything. Next time, his luck might not hold out.

Chapter 5

    “A lpha-One. You Code 4?” Finch’s voice cracked in Gerrit’s ear. “We can’t see anything from our position.” The FBI agent sounded stressed.
    Gerrit whispered into his mike, “Alpha-One is Code 4. Stand down. Will advise.”
    The last thing he wanted was SWAT to rush in and kill Nico—or the girl. The Russian crook may be able to give Gerrit evidence about his parents’ deaths. He must keep the man alive. A detonation trigger found at the scene of his parents’ murders raised suspicions that a Russian crime group might have been involved. Nico was the number one crook.
    He relaxed when he heard two clicks on the radio. Finch got his message.
    Gerrit fumbled for a small LED flashlight. He flicked it and scanned the ceiling.
There it is!
A square panel, white plaster finish blending with the ceiling, recessed about four inches.
    He pushed the panel to one side, then clenched the flashlight in his teeth. Grasping the panel’s frame, he pulled himself upward, holding his breath and trying to move quickly and silently. His holster caught on the edge, making a loud clunking noise.
    He froze, caught halfway through the opening. Seconds ticked away as he listened. His arms started to shake. Unable to wait any longer, he pulled himself up into the darkness.
    Gerrit stood on a support beam, flashlight still clenched in his mouth. He inched forward as he balanced, wincing when wood creaked under his weight. He finally reached a second access panel above a walk-in closet adjacent to the master bath.
    He pulled out a knife and flicked the blade open, working it down between the panel and the wood-framed opening. He began to force the panel up so he could grasp its edge with the tip of his fingers. Gerrit almost dropped his knife when his radio squelched to life.
    “Alpha One. Status check.” Finch was getting jumpy.
    Gerrit carefully kept the knife blade in place so the panel wouldn’t slip. He reached up with a free hand and keyed the mike twice, hoping Finch might back off for a moment. He was thankful Finch’s voice became muffled in Gerrit’s earpiece. He didn’t think Nico and the others below could hear.
    “Roger that,” Finch said. Gerrit just bought a few more minutes.
    He turned off his flashlight. Holding his breath, Gerrit worked the panel up until he saw a hint of light emerge. Gently lifting the panel to one side, he saw the walk-in closet below, large enough to sleep a small family.
    Biting his lip, he started the hardest part of this operation, lowering himself through the opening without making a sound. He braced himself and began his descent.
    Just as he reached shoulder height, he heard feet running below. Someone dashing across a hard surface. Must be in the bathroom area. The building plans showed this walk-in closet as an extension of the bathroom. Someone was moving toward his location, shoes clinking on what sounded like tiles.
    Gerrit froze, sweat starting to drip down his forehead, arms