Free Undercover Magic by Judy Teel Page B

collapsed. Dead.
    "That's the third one," Marc said, his voice echoing the anger and frustration burning
     through Cooper.
    "Whoever sent them won't risk losing another. They're too rare."
    "And expensive." Marc leaned over and checked the right wrist of the body. "Same mark
     on it. Did Stillman get anything before she left?"
    Cooper shook his head.
    "What now?"
    "We stay alive and hope Addison finds something."
     
    *  *  *
     
    Fumbling the silver tube out of my pocket, I aimed it at the camera. The light went
     solid again.
    "Ten minutes? Try seven!" I hissed, rounding on Falcon.
    He looked frightened. "Maybe they'll think it's just a glitch."
    "Janitors opening a magically hidden safe is quite a glitch, Falcon." I pulled a stack
     of papers out of the safe and handed half of them to him.
    "Take as many pictures as you can in the next twenty seconds."
    Shoving the tube back into my jumpsuit, I took out my iC. As quickly as I could, I
     snapped pictures of the pages in my stack. Falcon did the same with his stack.
    I got through about ten before I figured our time was almost up and shoved the papers
     back into the safe. I grabbed Falcon's pile and dropped it in, too.
    A small white card in the back corner caught my attention. Frowning, I grabbed it
     and stowed it in the jumpsuit with the iC. Slamming the door shut, I spun the lock.
     The safe disappeared leaving a normal looking wall.
    I yanked the mop out of the bucket and tossed it aside. Reaching into the dirty water,
     I pulled out a sealed plastic bag with my Browning in it.
    "Time to run," I said, tearing open the bag.
     
    *  *  *
     
    Falcon and I crouched behind a Greek-styled statue of Hermes and a nymph cooing over
     a fat baby with the legs of a goat. Four armed security guards streamed across the
     lush, well-kept grounds of the school, spreading out from the low brick building like
     an angry swarm of bees.
    While I kept watch, Falcon stripped out of his uniform and disguise. In a matter of
     seconds he looked like an average teenage boy; jeans, faded T-shirt, mussed hair.
    While he stuffed his jumpsuit against the base of the statue and covered it with dirt,
     I cleared my fake uniform of gadgets and stowed them in the regular clothes I wore
     under it, as well as my boots and utility belt. When I finished, I zipped up the jumpsuit
     and snugged the obnoxious blonde wig tighter onto my head.
    "I'll lead them away," I said, setting my gun to bullets and flicking off the safety.
     "Count to twenty and then head for tunnel entry four. We'll meet back at the shop."
    Falcon nodded and I took off across the lawn.
    Just like I'd hoped, the security team immediately spotted me and gave chase. I smiled
     and picked up my speed enough to keep the guards focused. I was in for a long night,
     but Falcon would get away.
    That was all that mattered.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN
     
     
    I gave school security a good run for their money, and about twenty minutes into the
     chase, the police were called in. I had a few near misses, but had finally managed
     to draw them into the section of the city known as the Dead Zone.
    Strangers to Charlotte thought we called it that because restoration of the multi-block
     area wasn't even a sparkle in the eyes of city officials. What they didn't understand
     was the real meaning was much more to the point.
    Go into the old banking district without knowing your way around and die. Simple.
    But, if you understood the Dead Zone's ways, there was no better place for dodging
     capture. I happened to know every crumbling building, every alley, and every dark
     corner. Tonight, I was about to put that knowledge to good use again.  
    From the shadows at the mouth of one of my old escape routes, I watched another police
     car cruise by, its search lights wiping over the pitted walls and rubble of the once
     beautiful skyline of Charlotte. When they moved on down the street, I stripped out
     of