Pop-pop-pop.
Each of the rounds hit home, the man’s body jerking before he fell. Once he was d2own, I took aim at one of the other men. I was too late to fire—between the electricity from the fence, the alarm going off, and the gunfire, these idiots quickly got the hint that the fight was on.
I took a few more shots, putting down some suppressing fire. I wasn’t sure what was happening inside of the house, but as tempting as it was to see if I could drop the whole lot of assholes from my vantage, point, I knew I needed to reconvene with the boys and come up with a plan.
Apangsounded out overhead from some returning gunfire striking close by. It was my cue to leave. Staying in the prone position, I turned around and crawled into the house, shutting the door behind me.
I stood just in time to see Hud burst out of his room, already in gear.
“What’s the status?” he shouted, taking a look at me, seeing that I’d just come in from outside and being in the thick of it.
“Status is we’re getting shot at!” I shouted back at him. “Team out there sneaking through the damn woods! Two are down, I counted a half-dozen total.”
Kid came out of one of the other bedrooms, also dressed and ready for battle. That meant Ajax was in the panic room.
“We need to get out there and backup Ajax,” I said. “Hud, you go upstairs and get the girl. Get her down into the basement!”
He nodded, not waiting another second before running up to the third floor. I nodded to Kid, and we wasted no time running to the stairs and headed down, then waited for Hud and Vic to join us. The princess was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, a concerned look on her face.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Why’s the alarm going off?”
“We were wondering when Jurgen would make a move,” I said. “Turns out it’s now.”
“Oh no.” The color drained from her face as she realized the danger that we’d all been worried about had finally arrived. It was no longer something thatcouldhappen. It was here, and it was life and death.
“You’re going to be fine,” I said, keeping my voice calm as I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’re here with the best professionals in the business, and we’re going to keep you safe.”
There was still fear in her eyes, but I could sense my words had calmed her somewhat.
“O…OK. OK.”
“Trust us. We’re here to protect you.”
Right after I spoke, gunfire sounded from outside. It was my reminder that Ajax was out there all on his own, waiting for backup.
“Lad, let me get her downstairs,” Hud said. “You get a move on.”
Kid clapped his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go!”
We hurried through the kitchen and to one of the side doors. As we approached, I spotted another group of men coming in from the western side of the property.
“Plan?” Kid asked, his eyes on the same thing that mine were, the men emerging from the trees. The alarm was still blaring, creating all kinds of confusion.
“We check the front. If there’s no one there, I’ve got a plan.”
“Got it.”
Together, we moved to the front of the house. I peeked out through one of the windows. Just as I’d suspected, there wasn’t anyone there. I grinned.
“It’s amateur hour,” I said. “If they were smart—”
“They’d have the entire place covered,” Kid finished for me, a smile of realization on his face.
“Right. They’ve got a basic pincer movement going. And the easiest way to break a pincer…”
Kid nodded. “Is to smash it.”
“Come on, let’s take these assholes out.”