Hard Target (The Silencer Series Book 3)

by Mike Ryan

  “Maybe Simmons told her there was a man with her. Maybe they’re looking for me.”

  “Or Simmons told him that she was a link to me,” Recker replied. “Either way, I’m the one they’re getting.”

  “Before this gets out of hand any further, we have a valuable asset on our side,” Jones said.

  “I don’t know if we need to get Vincent on this.”

  “No. I don’t mean him. I mean we already have Gallagher’s phone number.”

  “I’ll call him and see what he wants,” Recker said.

  Recker picked up his phone and looked at the screen to see Gallagher’s number. He dialed the numbers, but waited a second before hitting the call button. Recker then hit the button and anxiously waited for Gallagher to pick up. It went to voicemail though.

  “Maybe he’s one of those people who don’t answer numbers they don’t know,” Recker wondered. “I’ll send him a text.”

  “Pick up the phone idiot,” Recker texted.

  Almost immediately, he got a text back. “Who this?”

  “Pick up and find out.”

  Recker’s phone rang almost instantly, this time, Gallagher calling him.

  “Yo, who the hell are you?” Gallagher asked.

  “I hear you might be looking for me,” Recker answered.

  “I’m looking for a lot of people.”

  “That girl you just took from the hospital better be unharmed.”

  “How’d you know about that?”

  “Doesn’t matter. What does matter is what you do from here,” Recker angrily told him.

  “What’s your interest in this?”

  “Cause I’m the one that killed your cousin,” Recker revealed.

  “You dirty rotten son of a bitch. I’m gonna kill your..,” Gallagher started to threaten.

  “Enough threats. The girl has no stake in this. I’m the one that killed your cousin. You got a problem with that then take it up with me.”

  “Oh, I intend to.”

  “Let her go and give me a time and place and I’ll be there.”

  “Or maybe I’ll just kill her right now, then come for you.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Recker told him, looking at the computer screen for his personal information.

  “Why not?”

  “Cause I see that you live in Cherry Hill. That’s not too far from where I am right now. In fact, I could probably make it there before you do. You probably wouldn’t want to go back there anyway, mom might not wind up looking so good,” Recker warned.

  Gallagher was speechless for a second, knowing that the man knew where he lived. “How do you know that?”

  “Doesn’t matter. What does matter is if you harm that woman with you, I will visit your home and kill every single member of your family and I’ll do it without hesitation. You want retaliation for your cousin, then take it up with me.”

  “Fine. One hour. Mercer Cemetery in Trenton. Come alone or else I’ll kill her on the spot.”

  Jones quickly googled Mercer Cemetery to get a look at the layout of the area. They studied it for a few minutes before Recker decided to go.

  “If I leave right now I might be able to get there before they do,” Recker said. “We’re closer to Trenton than the hospital is. Those idiots shouldn’t have told me a spot to meet until they got there.”

  “I’m assuming they didn’t realize you knew their exact location,” Jones replied.

  “Their mistake.”

  “I’ll keep on tracking their GPS signal but there is one other problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “What if they meet you in the cemetery but keep Mia in the car with a guard to make sure there’s no problems? If you kill the others, maybe they’ll kill her regardless,” Jones mentioned.

  It was a situation that Recker hadn’t thought of, but it certainly seemed plausible. He’d need another person with him in that event.

  “I guess you’re volunteering,” Recker told him. “Can you still track him remotely?”

  “Of course I can. Who do you think you’re talking to?” Jones responded, quickly grabbing a laptop.

  Recker hurried out the door once more as he seemed to do all too often the last few days. Though he had the advantage of knowing the meeting spot, he was at a disadvantage of not knowing how many men Gallagher had with him. If it was whoever could fit into one car, knowing they had Mia, he probably had no more than three or four men with him. Recker raced down route one until he got into New Jersey. They got to the cemetery in about twenty five minutes and pulled up to the curb just down the street from it.

  “There’s bound to be witnesses here,” Jones noted. “Too many people not to be. Plus there’s offices right across the street.”

  “Can’t worry about that right now.”

  “I know. I’m just saying.”

  “Nobody’s there yet. Looks like we beat them there,” Recker said.

  Recker reached toward the floor of the back seat and unzippered his duffel bag, pulling out several guns. He kept three for himself and handed one to Jones.

  “You may have to use this,” Recker told him, handing him the weapon.

  “I know.”

  “You can’t hesitate or we all might wind up dead.”

  “I’ll do what has to be done,” Jones confidently stated.

  “I’m gonna go to the back of the cemetery and wait for them. Let me know when you first put eyes on them.”

  Even though Recker initially thought about going to the back and waiting, he saw a big statue near the front, easily capable of hiding him from Gallagher’s view. They waited another twenty minutes, anxiously looking out for their intended victims. As Gallagher’s car pulled up, Jones got out and walked to the corner of the cemetery, waiting by the brick siding. Gallagher and three men got out of the black SUV, looking like they were in a hurry. Mia did not get out with them. Jones could only assume that she was still in the car.

  “Mike, they’re here,” Jones told him.

  “Mia?”

  “I don’t see her.”

  “Check the car,” Recker replied. “How many are there?”

  “Four walking in now.”

  “This is gonna happen quick. Check the car now.”

  Jones scurried over to the car, but did so in a way where it didn’t appear he was running right for it. He looked through the back window but couldn’t see much through the dark tinted glass. He cautiously walked around to the back window on the passenger side and peered through, still not seeing anything. Knowing he had to get in there somehow and was running out of time, he forcefully knocked on the glass. If someone was there, he figured he’d just pretend to ask for directions. He got no response though. Jones knocked once more but still heard nothing. He tried to open the doors but they were locked.

  “Mia?” Jones shouted.

  He put his ear up to the window as the car started shaking slightly. Jones took a step back and looked at the car. Someone was moving in there.

  “Mia, are you in there?” Jones asked again.

  He put his ear up to the window again and thought he heard some muffled screams, though they were faint. Figuring they left Mia alone but tied up, Jones took a quick look around to make sure nobody saw what he was about to do. With the coast clear for the time being, Jones took the handle of the gun and smashed the driver side window open. He reached his hand in and unlocked the door, getting in the seat and quickly taking a look toward the back. There was Mia. She was on the floor of the back seat, tied up and gagged but otherwise unharmed. Jones reached back and took the gag out of her mouth.

  “Are you OK?” Jones asked.

  She was breathing heavily from the scare she’d gotten, but was relieved to see the professor. “Yeah, I think so.”

  Jones unlocked all the doors, then got out and opened the back door to help Mia get out of the car. He untied her ropes and helped her out of the car. Thrilled to see him, Mia gave him a hug so hard that it almost squeezed the life o
ut of him.

  “I’m so happy to see you,” Mia said.

  “We have to go to the car,” Jones replied.

  “Is Mike here?”

  “Yes and we’re going to have to move very quickly in a minute.”

  “Why, what’s going on?”

  “You’re about to hear it in a minute.”

  Jones took Mia by the hand and the two of them ran back toward his car. He knew they’d have to get out of there fast once the shooting started. To avoid any police entanglements, Recker would most likely be running toward the car as quickly as possible. Mia tried looking back toward the cemetery to see if she could see Recker but they were moving too quickly for her to find him.

  Recker was still standing behind the ten foot high statue, out of sight from Gallagher and his men. He patiently waited there, looking to both sides of him, ready to start firing in each direction. He stuck his ear out, hoping to catch them talking or even moving closer to him.

  “Where’s he at?” one of the men asked.

  “Spread out,” Gallagher stated.

  They were hoping that once they found Recker they could surround him or at least trap him, with two of them meeting him head on and the other two coming up on each side of him, leaving him nowhere to go. Recker knew one was about to come up behind him on his right and readied to fire. He moved a little closer to the corner edge of the statue as he readied to pounce on the unsuspecting man. He quietly listened for the man to step on a twig or a leaf, giving his position away.

  Once he did, though, Recker knew he’d quickly have to locate the others as then bullets would start flying fast and furious in every direction. Ten seconds later, Recker heard a leaf crunching underneath a heavy foot. Giving the man a few more seconds to pass his position, Recker stepped away from the statue as he had the man in his sights. Recker calmly put his gun up to the back of the man’s head and put a hole through it.

  “What was that?” Gallagher worriedly asked, turning to the direction of the shot.

  Almost immediately after firing the shot, Recker jumped back behind the cover of the statue, waiting for the others to come running. If he was lucky, he could gun them down rapid fire. Gallagher and the man he was with slowly started walking over, unsure what they were walking into. Knowing they were relatively close, Recker figured he could get the jump on them and surprise them. He emerged from the shadow of the statue, catching the two hoodlums completely off guard. As soon as Recker saw the outlines of the two men, he fired six shots at them in succession, not even giving them a chance to return fire. Four shots wound up hitting Gallagher, the other two hitting his friend. Both men died instantaneously.

  As Recker looked at the two dead bodies in front of him, another shot rang out from the remaining crew member. The shot whizzed past Recker’s head, grazing off the statue behind him. Recker dropped to a knee and quickly identified where the shot came from and located his target. Dodging another bullet in his direction, Recker returned fire with a couple shots of his own. His missed as well. Figuring he couldn’t stand there all day in a shootout and wait for police to arrive, Recker took matters into his own hands. He stood and calmly started walking toward the man.

  With bullets flying past him, Recker didn’t even flinch. He looked and acted like he had a suit of armor on that the bullets couldn’t penetrate. But just like that night in London, he believed that he was just as likely to run into a bullet as it was if he took his time. He also knew it wasn’t normal behavior and thought it might intimidate whoever was firing on him, causing them to panic knowing that he was coming closer, making their aim worse as they fidgeted around with their weapon. As Recker closed in on his target, the man eventually ran out of bullets. He kept firing, though, hoping somehow a bullet would magically emerge from the chamber. Once Recker had him in his sights, he saw the worried look on the young man’s face, thinking his life was soon to be over. And he was right as Recker quickly put the man out of his misery and fired two shots that hit him in the chest.

  “David, pull the car down the alley,” Recker told him, looking at all the dead bodies.

  There was a seldom used alley to the side that led around to the back of the cemetery that Recker figured would be an easier escape path. If he just walked out the front, there were sure to be prying eyes, not only at him, but also the getaway car, putting all of them in danger of being identified. But in the back he could just climb over the short brick wall without as many eyes looking down at them. Jones did as requested, making sure that he didn’t drive erratically and attract attention to the car. Recker ran toward the back of the cemetery and easily climbed over the wall. As his feet hit the ground, his gun still in hand and ready to fire in case of police. Luckily, there was nobody else back there, not even anybody walking through. Recker waited a few seconds until he saw Jones pulling up, Mia safe and sound in the back seat. She opened the back door for him as Recker quickly jumped in and sat next to her.

  “Just drive like nothing happened,” Recker stated. “We’ll stick out like a sore thumb if we speed out of here.”

  Jones drove back out of the alley, slowly passing by the front of the cemetery. The three of them took a look, noticing an increasing crowd that started pouring through the front gate. Police weren’t there yet, but they did detect the sound of a siren that appeared to be coming closer. Jones kept driving, a feeling of relief coming over him as he drove away.

  “Once we get back to the office I’ll start to monitor the situation and see what leads they have,” Jones said.

  “I think I need a vacation,” Mia joked, not used to as much excitement as she had experience over the past couple days.

  Mia looked at Recker, so thankful for him coming after her. The feelings she had for him only intensified as she stared into his eyes, even though she knew it would never be reciprocated. She put her hand on the side of his cheek and rubbed her thumb against it as she looked at him.

  “Thank you,” she told him, leaning in and gently kissing him on the lips.

  Recker didn’t pull away even though he knew he should. After a few seconds, they mutually parted lips and Mia inched over closer to him, giving him a warm embrace as she buried her head into his chest. Recker knew it was a bad idea and simply looked down at the top of her head, leaving his hands free in the air, not wanting to caress her. But as he looked at her, he realized that this would probably be the only chance he ever had, or would permit himself to have, to be with her. He finally relented and dropped his arms, putting them around her back and holding her tightly.

  Even though they were caught up in an embrace at the moment, the situation at the cemetery only reinforced what Recker believed to be true. If they were together, she’d always be a target. Though these thugs didn’t know the connection between them, it was proof in his mind that it was a situation that they’d have to replay multiple times if it was known of their relationship. Mia would be used as bait to get to him. They hugged for about five minutes before finally separating. They gazed into each other’s eyes for another minute, each knowing it was never going any further than what just happened. Mia was actually surprised at the amount of affection that he returned to her. But she could tell by his eyes that he was a man conflicted and she probably just caught him in a weak moment of his after the excitement of the gun battle.

  Recker was a man conflicted. Though there was nothing he wanted more at the moment than to keep her in his arms, he couldn’t allow himself that pleasure. Holding each other the way they just were was an intoxicating feeling, but he had to restrain himself from giving Mia the wrong impression. For her safety, he needed to keep a distance between them. He looked out the window as they drove over the bridge back into Pennsylvania, and for the second time in as many days, started to wish for a different life, a life that he could never have.

  About the author:

  Mike grew up in Bucks County, Pa and currently resides in Bensalem, just outside Philadelphia. He lives with his wife, Liz, and three children. H
e also has four dogs--two Labs, one Boxer, and a mixed breed that was rescued from the woods as a puppy. He is an avid animal lover and supporter of animal rights.

  In his spare time, Mike enjoys spending time with his family. They enjoy going to the beach, the mountains, riding horses, going to amusement parks, or just hanging out in the backyard. Mike is also a big sports fanatic and loves watching baseball and football. During football season, Mike can always be found sitting in front of a TV on Sunday afternoon's watching the games. He is also a major Star Wars fan and is always willing to talk about it at the drop of a hat. Mike also loves all things Superheroes, including Marvel and DC.

  Mike is the author of several bestselling books, including The Cain Series, The CIA Ghost Series, and The Silencer Series, all of which have reached the tops of the Amazon charts. He is always working on another book.

  You can reach or interact with Mike in the following places:

  E-mail: mikeryan36@verizon.net

  Twitter: @Mike_Ryan36

  Website: www.mikeryanbooks.com

  Other Books

  The Cain Conspiracy

  The Cain Deception

  The Cain Directive

  The Cain Redemption

  Rogue Ghost

  Ghost Pursuit

  Ghost Fall

  The Silencer

  Fully Loaded