His finger squeezed the trigger, and a flurry of bullets pierced the glass, blasting through French doors, pelting Vladimir in the chest.
Crimson spewed.
The Russian gangster tumbled back, crashing to the carpet.
By that time, two of Vlad’s thugs had run onto the patio to see what was happening.
The assailant on the terrace took them out with a series of quick bursts.
Muzzle flash flickered, and bullets streaked through the air.
The thugs twitched and convulsed with each bullet hit before flopping to the ground.
JD and I reached the pool and took cover behind a large plant box. I held out my badge and shouted, "Coconut County! Drop the weapon."
The gunman on the terrace took aim at me.
"Shane, put the gun down!”
Normally, I would have put a bullet into him right away. But I just couldn't pull the trigger and kill my friend. I hoped he felt the same.
46
With my barrel aimed at him, my finger felt the trigger. I shouted one more time. "Shane! Put the gun down!"
A flurry of bullets erupted from inside the master bedroom.
They hit Shane in the side, spinning him around. His weapon clattered to the ground, and Shane followed, moaning in agony.
The goon who shot him stepped onto the terrace. He aimed his rifle at Shane, ready to put the finishing touches on him.
"Coconut County!” I shouted, holding my badge high as we closed in with caution. Out of uniform, we could easily be mistaken for intruders.
The goon on the terrace glanced at us, then back at Shane. With two cops on the property, he thought better about shooting the assassin in cold blood.
JD and I made it to the patio and checked the fallen goons for vitals and cleared away their weapons.
They were both gone.
Jack called dispatch, and I stepped into the house and identified myself once again. I hurried across the living room, then took the stairs. I hustled down the hallway to the master bedroom, continuing to identify myself the entire way.
Vladimir lay dead on the silver carpet in a pool of blood.
I hurried across the room, checked his vitals, then stepped out onto the terrace.
The goon still had his weapon aimed at Shane.
"Coconut County! Put the gun down, now."
He complied, then backed away as I approached the assailant. I swept Shane’s rifle away, knelt down, and pressed my fingers against his neck.
There was no pulse.
I pulled off Shane's balaclava. His lifeless eyes stared at the sky. Rain poured down, turning the blood on the terrace into a pink swirl that flowed toward the drain.
My face tightened, and my throat swelled. I hated to see it end like this.
I backed away and stepped out of the rain with the goon. For all I knew, this was one of the guys that had kidnapped Riley. This could have been one of the guys that took me out to Crystal Key.
