My first target was a guy with an automatic rifle spraying bullets at Ben and Sage. After taking him out, all hell broke loose. Some returned my fire, others ran for cover, which only put them back in Ben’s range. He took the opportunity to dispatch a few more.
A guy launched over the bar with a shotgun. Sage moved fast and shot him straight through the heart. That was a surprise; she wielded her Glock like a pro.
Out of ammo, I found cover behind a booth. I swapped pistols, then got back in the game. A guy sprang from the curtained-off back rooms, belt buckle undone, firing twin pistols like some kind of wild-west outlaw. The booth protected me but erupted with splinters of timber and exploding chunks of foam. I counted the rounds as he shot them in quick succession, and when he’d exhausted his ammo, I emerged from my cover to take him out. Two shots. Body, head.
Dirt nap for you, cowboy.
While Landers fired, I dashed to another booth. From there, I took out two more thugs while they were reloading.
Between the three of us, Franky’s guys had nowhere to hide. Those still breathing realized they were screwed, so they ran for the exit, firing as they went. Some got away, but we dispatched a few more before the room went silent.
I glanced at Ben who used hand signals to indicate that there were two more hiding behind the bar, determined to fight their way out.
Ben unloaded an entire magazine at the bar. Splinters flew, glass exploded, and liquor rained down on the pair still hiding. While Ben re-loaded, they broke cover to return fire. But I was ready for that. Two clean shots and they were down. The room became quiet again.
I walked through the club floor with my pistol raised and cleared the room like I’d done a thousand times while deployed.
“Floor clear!” I called.
A shot rang out from above.Fuck!Lou, one of Franky’s captains, staggered from an upstairs office, the pistol in his hand flailing like he was drunk.
I took aim.
Two shots were fired, but not by me.
Lou was hit. He collapsed onto the handrail, then tumbled over the balustrade, crashing to the club floor with a meaty thud.
I turned to find Cam holding her discharged weapon still aimed where Lou had been standing moments before. She lowered the pistol and her shellshocked eyes came to mine.
I went to her and pulled her against me. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I thought he was going to shoot you,” she said on a ragged breath.
Christ, I hadn’t thought it was possible for her to be more appealing, but seeing Cam take down a piece of shit like Lou filled me with pride.
“For Christ’s sake,” Landers grumbled from his position. “He winged me. Should’ve shot his unconscious ass when I had the chance.”
Ben wasn’t seriously injured. A bullet to the arm wouldn’t kill a tough bastard like him.
“Jesus, you’re bleeding!” Sage dropped to her knees next to Ben, ripped off her apron and tied it around his bicep.
Landers watched while she fussed over him, more interested in the woman than the wound she tended to.
I took Cam’s face between my palms. “It’s done. You’re safe.”
She flung her arms around my neck and squeezed tight enough to cut my air off. She pulled back and did a head-to-toe scan, her hands running over my chest and shoulders.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“I’m fine.”
“And Justin?”
“I don’t know yet, but we should move. Eyes up while we walk through. It’s kind of a mess in here.” There wasn’t much else I could do to prevent her from seeing the carnage. I took Cam’s hand and led the way, but when we came to Lou’s body, she stopped and dropped my hand. He was on his back with a pool of blood around his skull and one leg bent at an unnatural angle. Two bullet holes pierced his chest.
Her gaze roamed the corpse at her feet. “I’m glad he’s dead.”
My jaw clenched as I glanced between her and the sack of shit on the floor. What had he done to her? That question would have to wait for later because Landers, Sage, and Cam’s brother had made their way downstairs.