Temple of the Gods - Andy McDermott [65]
She had nowhere left to go.
Even with that frightening knowledge, she kept moving, destroying more bulbs. The passage bent round, another light ahead. She reached up to break it—
And saw the end of the tunnel as it opened into a chamber lined with burial niches, all packed with ancient records. A cool breeze from an air conditioner wafted around her as she skidded to a halt.
No way out.
And no hiding places either. The room was cramped enough for Agnelli to find her even in the dark. She would have no choice but to fight – against a much larger and heavier foe armed with a gun. Despite having been taught the basics of unarmed combat by Eddie, she didn’t like the odds.
But it was that or stand there and wait to be shot. She was about to hit the bulb when an idea came to her.
The air conditioner. Its power cord snaked back down the tunnel . . .
Nina burned its position into her mind – then smashed the final light.
Agnelli blinked as the passage ahead went completely dark. He slowed to a cautious walk. The only remaining illumination was a dim glow from far behind him, and even that would be gone when he rounded the next bend.
But he knew exactly what lay ahead. ‘You can’t hide from me!’ he called, growing more confident despite the adrenalin making the blood hiss in his ears. ‘And – and I can tell the Brotherhood that you shot everyone before I stopped you. They’ll believe me – they know you hate us!’
‘You’ve got to find me first,’ came an echoing voice from the end of the tunnel. ‘You fat fuck!’ it added, New York accent becoming more pronounced.
Agnelli’s face tightened with pricked pride. She was insulting him? ‘Give up and – and I’ll make it quick for you,’ he said, dredging up half-remembered dialogue from some movie in an attempt to sound more threatening.
It didn’t work. ‘You couldn’t be quick if you tried, you fucking greaseball! Come on, get your fat ass down here – if it’ll squeeze through the door!’
Anger rising over his anxiety, Agnelli started to jog, right hand stretched out to feel his way along the tunnel wall as he held the gun at the ready in his left. There was no way she could slip past him in the passage, so she would be trapped in the end chamber. He went round the last turn, total darkness enshrouding him. Now he’d show her that he had more muscle than fat—
Something snagged round his ankles – and he went flying over the makeshift tripwire Nina had made from the air con’s power cable, slamming down face-first in the small room. Before he could recover a foot drove into his side, followed by another kick that caught his elbow. He yelled, then panic returned as he realised he had let go of the gun.
Nina heard the clatter of metal on the floor. Run while Agnelli was down, or go for the gun and turn the tables? She chose the latter, crouching and fumbling in the blackness. Stone and dirt were all she felt. She heard the Italian also groping blindly for his fallen weapon. Where was the damn thing?
Cold, angular steel. She grabbed the gun, trying to flip it round to get a proper hold—
Agnelli gripped her wrist.
He was too strong for her to pull free, dragging her towards him. She lashed out with her other hand, hitting the side of his face, but before she could go for his eyes he bashed her hand against the floor.
She gasped in pain. Agnelli pounded her hand down again, harder. The pistol jolted loose and clacked on to the stone. The Italian batted savagely at her body with his other arm, then scrambled for the weapon—
A bell sounded, its clamour echoing through the catacomb.
Agnelli let out a gasp of horror as he realised what it meant. The wounded Popadopoulos must have managed to drag himself to the archive entrance and set off the alarm. More members of the Brotherhood would be on their way – and the old man would tell them everything.
He abandoned the gun and leapt back to his feet, scrambling down the tunnel. Ribs aching where he had hit her, Nina found the pistol in the blackness, then quickly