Cosmos' Promise: Cosmos' Gateway Book 4 Read Online Free PDF Page B

bench press. The thud of bullets whizzed by him, missing his head by scant inches as the men returned fire. He rolled over onto his knees and pushed up with one hand. Running as fast as he could, he fired as he raced to a thick support beam along the west side of the room. A low curse escaped his lips as he felt the burn from a bullet as it cut through the back of his left pant leg. A nagging pain and sudden moist heat followed the sharp sting. He ignored it as he flattened against the thick post, ejecting a clip and sliding another one into its place.
    “Palvo, Ви мобільний?” A voice yelled out.
    Palvo, are you mobile? Cosmos listened and waited to see if Palvo answered his friend. A dark curse in Ukrainian let Cosmos know that the man might be wounded but not bad enough to prevent him from still being a threat.
    Shit, round one goes to the bad guys, Cosmos thought in disgust. I should have taken the head shot.
    “Стріляти ублюдок! Не вбивайте його. Я хочу привілей робити це,” ‘ Shoot the bastard! Don’t kill him. I want the privilege of doing that’ Palvo muttered in a voice filled with pain.
    Great! I don’t think either one of these assholes will be giving me any information, Cosmos thought as another round of bullets shredded the sheet rock covering the beam.
    Sliding down, Cosmos rolled to the right and returned fire. “Cosmos, according to my calculations if you hit the top metal weight at a forty-five degree angle the bullet from your handgun will ricochet into the villain standing near the door to the sauna,” RITA whispered in his ear.
    Just like playing pool, Cosmos thought before he muttered a quick ‘thanks’ under his breath. He jerked his hand up and aimed for the metal weight. He fired once more before ducking back behind the beam. Crouching, he ran along the short wall that separated his running track from the rest of the room before diving behind it as a series of bullets cut a path behind him.
    “RITA, what’s the status?” Cosmos bit out as he pulled his last clip out of his back pocket and exchanged it with the spent one.
    “Perfect shot, dear,” RITA said with glee. “You hit a bulls-eye through the center of his forehead. I am detecting only yours and the other man’s respiration. Oh dear, I don’t think the one you injured is very happy with you. He is threatening some really outrageous things that he plans to do to you.”
    “You are dead!” Palvo yelled out in fury. “You think you can fuck with me, American! I’m going to gut you slowly until you beg for me to kill you.”
    Cosmos’ lips curved and he shook his head. Why did the assholes of the world think they could threaten you and you were supposed to just shake and give up? He wondered in disgust. Not only did it not work with him, it told him where the man was even without RITA’s assistance.
    “He is moving behind the Stairmaster. You never did like that piece of equipment if I remember correctly,” RITA speculated.
    “Not now, RITA,” Cosmos muttered. “Which side? Left or right?”
    “Left,” RITA replied. “If you shoot between the bars of the bench press at nine o’clock you will hit him in the right hip. He is covered otherwise.”
    “Thanks,” Cosmos murmured from where he was crouched behind the short wall.
    Rising up, he pulled the trigger three times. Wood splintered next to his head as the man returned fire, slicing into his left cheek. From the guttural cry, he had hit his target. Cosmos rose up, keeping his gun aimed where the man lay on the floor. He stepped cautiously around the edge of the wall and began walking toward the figure when RITA’s voice suddenly called out a warning to him.
    “He has a grenade, Cosmos!” RITA called out anxiously. “Cover yourself!”
    Cosmos turned and threw himself back over the wall just as an explosion rocked the room, followed by another one as additional explosives on the man detonated.