Aaron’s reach.
He’d failed. He cringed and waited for the inevitable, his heart in his throat.
“Move the big man off you,” the shooter said. “Or I will shoot through him and into your face.”
Aaron waited a heartbeat. He had tried. There was nothing else he could think to do. The only weapon he had was his hands. He didn’t have a knife or a gun. He was out of options.
He eased the bouncer off and stared into the eyes of the man Aaron had hit in the throat at the airport that morning. The same man Aaron saw on camera taking his sister out of her apartment building.
Anger coursed through him. The man with all the answers stood right in front of him. The man who kidnapped Joanne and probably killed her.
“Stand up,” the man ordered as he gave Aaron space.
He knows I’m dangerous.
Aaron got to his feet, slowly, methodically, every muscle in his body ready to take the man out. “Why?” he asked. “Tell me. Why’d you do it?”
The man offered a crooked smile. “Vodka. Believe it or not, it’s all about vodka. But you have to tell me how you knew. What brought you to the airport this morning and now here? Tell me everything before I kill you.”
“One day, when you die, your life will flash before your eyes. You should’ve made that movie worth watching.”
Before the shooter could react, something knocked him into the doorframe so hard Aaron heard the wood crack. Aaron dropped and dove aside as the man’s weapon went to full automatic fire again.
Then it stopped as Alex drove his foot into the man’s face and throat.
“Enough!” Aaron shouted. “Don’t kill him.”
Alex stopped instantly.
“I asked you guys here to help. I couldn’t live with myself if you were up on murder charges.” Aaron got to his feet and brushed himself off. “Oh, and thanks. You saved my life. I owe you.”
“That’s why you brought us,” Alex said. “I’m here to help.”
Aaron wondered how he would explain this to the police. The DJ was dead. The bouncer was now bleeding in three spots as the second round of bullets caught him in his sleep. It looked like he wouldn’t be waking up again.
They had to leave, disappear.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
He started out of the booth with Alex on his heels when an explosion rocked the building from somewhere by the back door.
“What the fuck ?” Aaron yelled, covering his ears.
The lights flickered and dust drifted down from the tiled ceiling.
“We have to get out of here,” Aaron yelled. Two tables over, he spotted the shooter’s driver from the airport. Daniel and Benjamin nodded toward Alex, who shrugged and smiled.
Alex, always the top of his class, the most dangerous.
They owed their lives to Alex, but the celebration had to be postponed.
He spied an exit sign in the far corner to his right.
“Come on,” he said as the distant wail of police sirens resounded throughout the building.
Another explosion knocked them all to their knees. The lights went out. Aaron balanced on a chair and got to his feet. The battery-operated emergency lights flickered on above the exit door. There was enough light for Aaron to see that all of them were holding hands now, including the waitress from the bathroom.
I wonder if she knows anything.
He guided them to the exit door and kicked it open as police cars roared into the parking lot.
“Follow me,” he shouted behind him as everyone released each other’s hands.
The emergency vehicles were lining up at the front of the building on The Queensway, multicolored lights flashing across the walls of the buildings on the street. Only two cruisers had come to the back of the building so far. A fire had started by the back door where most of the customers came and went. He quickly deduced that the two men from the airport that morning had shown up with explosives, intent
He’d failed. He cringed and waited for the inevitable, his heart in his throat.
“Move the big man off you,” the shooter said. “Or I will shoot through him and into your face.”
Aaron waited a heartbeat. He had tried. There was nothing else he could think to do. The only weapon he had was his hands. He didn’t have a knife or a gun. He was out of options.
He eased the bouncer off and stared into the eyes of the man Aaron had hit in the throat at the airport that morning. The same man Aaron saw on camera taking his sister out of her apartment building.
Anger coursed through him. The man with all the answers stood right in front of him. The man who kidnapped Joanne and probably killed her.
“Stand up,” the man ordered as he gave Aaron space.
He knows I’m dangerous.
Aaron got to his feet, slowly, methodically, every muscle in his body ready to take the man out. “Why?” he asked. “Tell me. Why’d you do it?”
The man offered a crooked smile. “Vodka. Believe it or not, it’s all about vodka. But you have to tell me how you knew. What brought you to the airport this morning and now here? Tell me everything before I kill you.”
“One day, when you die, your life will flash before your eyes. You should’ve made that movie worth watching.”
Before the shooter could react, something knocked him into the doorframe so hard Aaron heard the wood crack. Aaron dropped and dove aside as the man’s weapon went to full automatic fire again.
Then it stopped as Alex drove his foot into the man’s face and throat.
“Enough!” Aaron shouted. “Don’t kill him.”
Alex stopped instantly.
“I asked you guys here to help. I couldn’t live with myself if you were up on murder charges.” Aaron got to his feet and brushed himself off. “Oh, and thanks. You saved my life. I owe you.”
“That’s why you brought us,” Alex said. “I’m here to help.”
Aaron wondered how he would explain this to the police. The DJ was dead. The bouncer was now bleeding in three spots as the second round of bullets caught him in his sleep. It looked like he wouldn’t be waking up again.
They had to leave, disappear.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
He started out of the booth with Alex on his heels when an explosion rocked the building from somewhere by the back door.
“What the fuck ?” Aaron yelled, covering his ears.
The lights flickered and dust drifted down from the tiled ceiling.
“We have to get out of here,” Aaron yelled. Two tables over, he spotted the shooter’s driver from the airport. Daniel and Benjamin nodded toward Alex, who shrugged and smiled.
Alex, always the top of his class, the most dangerous.
They owed their lives to Alex, but the celebration had to be postponed.
He spied an exit sign in the far corner to his right.
“Come on,” he said as the distant wail of police sirens resounded throughout the building.
Another explosion knocked them all to their knees. The lights went out. Aaron balanced on a chair and got to his feet. The battery-operated emergency lights flickered on above the exit door. There was enough light for Aaron to see that all of them were holding hands now, including the waitress from the bathroom.
I wonder if she knows anything.
He guided them to the exit door and kicked it open as police cars roared into the parking lot.
“Follow me,” he shouted behind him as everyone released each other’s hands.
The emergency vehicles were lining up at the front of the building on The Queensway, multicolored lights flashing across the walls of the buildings on the street. Only two cruisers had come to the back of the building so far. A fire had started by the back door where most of the customers came and went. He quickly deduced that the two men from the airport that morning had shown up with explosives, intent
Similar Books
