AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Riley stands partially behind a column on the front of the house, leaning the top half of his body beyond the protection to pick off Juan’s accomplices. He has a sniper’s precision, but he enjoys this fight about as much as I do.
Lorenzo doesn’t duck or take cover of any sort. He darts away from the bullet-proof car like a giddy child up to no good. But he does it to split the group’s attention. Now that we aren’t standing together, they’ve got to work harder to take us out.
I divide my focus between the incoming projectiles and Juan.
His death is mine, and I’m taking it today.
He dips behind his open car door, using the gap between the window frame and the body to take shots at me. I stay low, calculating the risks of standing up. Juan is a stellar shot, so I don’t want to chance a bullet in my head before I can return the favor.
But what I can do is rather simple and a somewhat safe bet to take him out.
I lie flat on my belly, crawling halfway under the Merc to find the right window of opportunity. Juan is keeping his head and torso covered, but everything below the door frame is open for the picking.
His slacks give the illusion of wider legs, but they fall just above the center of his loafers. I follow the line of his leather-covered right foot.
Toe.
Heel.
Ankle bone.
Trigger.
Juan stumbles and shouts as the bullet tears through the lower portion of his leg. I shoot him a second time, hitting his left ankle before he can crawl into the car.
I put another bullet in someone’s knee as he approaches the front of the house. Then I shimmy from underneath the car and stand to survey the damage. Carnage is everywhere. Bullet holes litter the front of Copeland Estate, leaving no exposed window untouched.
Lory and Riot take care of the last three while I sneak across the yard, trying to come at Juan head on. He still has his gun, and he’s only down seven bullets. That could be all his magazine holds, but there’s no way he showed up with only one clip.
First, I need to know if he’s alive.
I creep behind an ornamental fence of giant bushes, peering through the thinning edges to examine Juan. There’s no protection here, but when I see him, I’m no longer worried. His breathing is shallow as he peeks through the windshield, looking for me at the Merc.
He’s probably hoping I’m dead.
But you can’t kill a ghost.
Blood drips onto the ground where his legs still hang out of the car. I’ve mangled his ankles. If I were to leave him alive, he’d most definitely lose his feet from the damage.
Lory and Riot check and clear the immediate driveway, shooting one last gunner to leave only bodies. No survivors.
Juan takes a shot, and the bullet soars between them into a gaping window. Quin screams, though it’s not a pain-filled shriek. It’s more of a frustrated roar of pent up violence.
I get it.
I’ve brought this bullshit to their doorstep.
I should have known Senior would go after them before he came for me… I should have. But I didn’t account for it.
“Why is he screaming?” Lory asks Riot.
“I don’t know,” he mutters.
Kane snarls, “Get out of the fucking living room. What part of stray bullets didn’t you understand?”
I move farther down the driveway, getting to the end of the fence. The last car is void of life, so I dash to the rear and circle around the opposite side. My goal is to reach the trunk of the first car. From there, I can disarm Juan and end this.
“Where is she?” Juan shouts.
