Into the Shadows Read Online Free PDF

his
hair and rammed my knee twice in rapid succession into his
face.
    I took a step back. The fucker wouldn't go
down. He was wobbling like drunk on one good leg, with no idea
where or who he was, and his face looked like bloody gristle, but
he didn't drop. I took two steps behind me, located my gun in the
snow, and then walked back and shot him twice in the forehead. Then
he fell. If all of the intruders were on PCP like that guy, I was
in deep shit.

    NEWCOMER
    I heard gunfire inside. Craig didn't answer
when I called him, but Cordell whispered a reply. "Leo, you okay?"
I heard more gunfire in the background over the radio.
    "Pretty much; give me the situation."
    I looked at the flashes of gunfire through
the first-floor windows while he answered. "No answer from the rest
of the team. Landlines and power are cut. I'm intact. I have the
client, his wife, and most of his guests in the -"
    "Wait a sec, Cord," I said over him. "I've
got more movement out here." From the back of the house, one of the
intruders came around the far corner. He more than likely was
checking on his partners. I found the Mac-11 and picked it up with
my left hand; my Glock was still in my right. I started toward the
returning intruder at a jog, raising both guns as I went.
    Someone stepped out from behind the tree
nearest to the intruder. I had no fucking clue who the surprise
visitor was or how the hell he got there. I only saw a glimpse of
the newcomer while he grabbed the intruder and yanked him behind
the tree. All I could see was the tails of a long coat on one side,
and flailing hands and feet on the other. I cautiously moved in
their direction.
    Literally two seconds later, the newcomer
came out alone from behind the wide tree. From forty yards off, he
looked in my direction for a quick second. Before I could react, he
darted toward the back of the mansion, out of sight. By his frame
and coat, he looked just like the silhouette I saw at the fancy
nightclub a couple days before.
    I heard a faint, wheezing groan to my left.
It was the guy I shot in the legs, and apparently in the torso as
well. He was still lying there with bloodstained snow all around
him. Two holes in the side of his coat were releasing thin ribbons
of steam; cold air hitting deep, open wounds will do that. I
thought about putting the guy out of his misery, but decided I
needed all my ammo. He was going to bleed out soon, anyway. I
kicked his gun away from his twitching hand and ran after the
newcomer.

    INSIDE
    I moved cautiously around the corner and
looked for any movement. Out on the large flagstone patio was an
unmoving body. I moved closer to inspect; it was one of the meal
servers. I heard more gunfire inside, a few bursts. I tapped my
earpiece. "Cord, are you with me, man?"
    He quietly answered two seconds later. "Hit,
I'm hit - not too bad. The client is next to me. We're in the
study, off the living room and foyer, front west corner. Dan is
pinned in the kitchen. I don't know if Craig was able to make a
call. I've already dialed 911."
    "I'll do the same here in a sec." I took a
deep breath. "Okay, buddy, hold tight. With all the gunfire, I bet
cops are already coming anyway." I pulled my phone out of my pocket
and dialed 911, then brushed snow off of a retaining wall and set
it down. "I'll be there in a minute, Cord."
    I crept across the patio and paused near the
hot tub. I didn't need its heat just then; my adrenaline was
keeping me plenty warm. I stepped over the dead server and to the
French door of the billiards room that was slightly ajar. Before I
stepped in, I thought of the blueprint we studied. Cordell was in
the study, cornering himself. Craig was in the monitor room, across
from the billiard room. Dan was on the other side of the first
floor in the kitchen, closer to the garage bays. No good plan came
to mind.
    The best odds were to get everyone in a car
and get the hell out of there; otherwise it might become a hostage
situation. Since I had no idea where