by Mike Ryan
“OK,” Jones nervously said.
Recker and Haley walked over some of the fallen bodies, making their way to Malloy, who was standing near the door of the office. Malloy had a satisfying smile on his face, pleased with how everything turned out.
“About time we turned the tables on these schmucks,” Malloy said.
“How’d you guys make out?” Recker asked. “Any of your boys hurt?”
“Two guys, nothing major though, they’ll survive.”
“One of them’s still alive down here,” one of Malloy’s men said.
“Finish him,” Malloy replied.
“No, wait,” Recker said, thinking the injured man might still be of some use to them. “He might know something about Nowak.”
The three of them went down to the location of the nearly-dead man, lying by one of the windows of the building. Recker knelt next to the man, who looked like he was losing a large amount of blood from his midsection. Recker felt badly for him, thinking he wasn’t much more than twenty years old, if he was even that.
“You’re hurt bad, son,” Recker said, grabbing the kid’s hand.
The man took a second to reply, finding it hard to get the energy to speak. “I know.”
“I’ll tell you what I can do. If you tell me where Nowak is right now, I’ll call for an ambulance to take you to the hospital. It’s the only chance you’ve got.”
The man looked at him, almost not believing him. “You would do that?”
“Nothing here’s personal. At least not with you. I don’t have any desire to see you dead. But you gotta decide now before it’s too late.”
The man slightly nodded his head. It was the best he could do. “She lives at 6826 Wilshire Road. She’s waiting on a report from us.”
“How many men she got there with her?”
“Umm, I dunno, not many. Most were here. Maybe six or eight, something like that.”
Recker felt a tap on his shoulder and looked back, seeing Haley’s hand on him.
“Sirens,” Haley said. “We gotta go.”
“I’ll round up my boys,” Malloy said.
“All right, you just sit tight and hang in there,” Recker said, talking to the kid. “Help’s on the way, OK?”
The man nodded, not sure if he was going to make it.
Recker looked back to Haley. “Help David clear his equipment out.”
As Malloy’s bunch rushed to their cars, and Haley ran to the trailer to help Jones empty it, Recker remained stationary, trying to help the kid remain calm in the face of his impending death. About thirty seconds later, the young man closed his eyes for the final time. Though Recker heard the police sirens getting closer, he wasn’t in any rush. He finally let go of the kid’s hand and gently placed it on his bullet-ridden stomach. Though they were technically on opposite sides, there was something about seeing him dead that made Recker feel a sense of sadness.
Haley and Jones came out of the trailer, each hurrying to their car with laptops under their arms. Haley looked over and saw Recker still standing over the kid.
“Mike, come on!” Haley yelled.
Recker looked over and finally got his feet moving, running over to them.
“We’re all done, let’s go,” Haley said.
The three of them got in their car and took off, speeding out of the property and down the road, only a minute behind Malloy’s bunch. As they drove away, they could see the bright lights of the police cars driving onto the trucking facility.
“We heading to Nowak’s?” Haley asked, since he was driving.
“Yeah, let’s end this,” Recker answered. He then patched himself through to Malloy, letting him know of their plans. “Malloy, we’re heading to Nowak’s now.”
“So are we,” Malloy replied. “We’re only a minute or two ahead of you. We’ll wait for you before we move in.”
“Roger that.”
It was only ten-minute drive before they got to Nowak’s address, a newly cleared street with homes that were only built in the past six months. Each home was over three thousand square feet, with updated features, costing well over six-hundred thousand dollars. It was a secluded street, with only a couple of homes on it. Nowak’s was the last one, with woods on the side of it.
“You know, she might have cleared out by the time we get there,” Haley said. “Especially if she’s tried to contact her team and they’re not answering, she might assume something’s up and get out.”
“Could be,” Recker replied.
Their suspicions were soon answered, as a few minutes before they got there, they heard gunfire.
“Looks like we’re already too late,” Haley said.
They drove onto her property, already seeing Malloy’s team out of their vehicles and engaged with Nowak’s men.
“Someone’s a little overeager,” Jones said.
Seeing several dead men in the driveway already, Recker and Haley jumped out of the car, running over to Malloy’s car.
“Sorry,” Malloy said. “They came running out of the house, looked like they were about to jet out of here. Had to start without you.”
“Probably realized what happened to the others,” Recker said.
“Yeah, that’s what I figured. I got some of my boys already heading around the back to make sure she doesn’t slip out back there.”
Malloy then heard the voice of one of his men in his ear. “Nowak started coming out back here but retreated back inside.”
Malloy grinned. “We got her trapped.”
“Back door’s secured. We’re going in.”
After the last of Nowak’s men in the front dropped dead by the front door, Malloy gently tapped Recker on the arm. “Let’s get this.”
They all ran toward the front door, passing over four of Nowak’s men, not one of them still living. They broke through the front door and started clearing each room. With all of the help they had, they quickly cleared the first floor. While some of the men went to the second floor, Recker, Haley, and Malloy went down to the finished basement. About halfway down the steps, they ducked to avoid incoming gunfire. They quickly rushed down the steps, identifying their targets, the last two remaining men that Nowak had.
With Nowak nowhere in sight, they started checking doors. One housed the electrical system, one had plumbing pipes, and one led to what was being used as a games room. Nowak stood there, in front of a pool table, seemingly resigned to her fate. She knew there was no escape, not unless she was somehow able to reason with them.
“I can make you all extremely wealthy,” Nowak said. “Work for me and anything you desire is yours.”
“I don’t do things for money,” Recker said.
Nowak shrugged. “Well, I’m unarmed, and I don’t plan on putting up a fight. And I don’t peg you for a man who would shoot an unarmed woman, so I don’t know what you plan on doing here.”
Recker sighed. “You’re right. I wouldn’t shoot an unarmed woman.”
Then a shot rang out, Recker quickly snapping his head to look over his shoulder. He saw Malloy, still holding the gun in his hand, pointing at Nowak’s direction.
“I don’t have the same reservations,” Malloy said.
Recker said nothing but turned his head back around to see Nowak’s body lying on the floor. Haley went over to it, turning her lifeless body over and seeing the hole in the middle of her forehead. He just looked up at his partner and shook his head, letting him know she was gone. Recker turned around and just looked at Malloy.
“Had to be done,” Malloy said. “We both know that.”
Recker solemnly nodded, agreeing with him on principle. Haley then walked by the both of them, tapping Recker on the arm.
“C’mon, we gotta get out of here before the cops get here too,” Haley said.
The entire team cleared out of the house and was gone within a minute, long before the police were to get there. Once back in their car, Haley started driving away, Jones wondering what happened.
“Sh
ould I ask?” Jones said.
“Nowak’s dead,” Recker replied.
“How?”
“Malloy.”
“Should I inquire about the details?”
“Let’s not argue about semantics now,” Recker said. “She’s gone, that’s the only thing that matters anymore. She’s gone and we don’t have to worry about her again.”
“I guess that is the main thing, isn’t it? Now we can get back to our normal business.”
“At least until the next big thing comes along. And as I’m sure we all know by now… something else will come along.”
About the Author
Mike Ryan lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and four children. If you would like to be notified of new releases, enter monthly giveaways, and more, sign up for his newsletter at www.mikeryanbooks.com
Also by Mike Ryan
The Silencer Series
The Ghost Series
The Cain Series
The Eliminator Series
The Last Job
A Dangerous Man
The Crew