The Furies Read Online Free PDF

in motion too, leaving his own hiding place and charging across the rooftop at high speed. Although John didn’t have a gun, he had the advantage of surprise. The thug didn’t see him coming from the other side of the roof, and he couldn’t hear anything either because he was still blasting away with his rifle. When the bastard reached the vent he fired another burst at Ariel, hitting her bare legs and making her scream. But as he pointed the gun at her torso, ready to finish her off, John tackled him from behind. He knocked the thug down and shoved his face into the tar and grit of the rooftop.
    The assault rifle was trapped underneath the guy’s torso, and John didn’t give him a chance to use it. He knelt on the thug’s back and pounded his head, over and over, pummeling him into unconsciousness. John hadn’t beaten anyone like this in almost ten years, but it all came back to him in a second. This was his specialty when he ran with the Disciples, giving beatdowns to anyone who stole from the gang’s drug crews. It never bothered him back then, but now he felt sick as he hammered the thug’s skull. His stomach roiled and his knuckles ached.
    Once he was sure the bastard was out cold, he rushed over to Ariel. Her shoulder wasn’t so bad—the bullet had just grazed her there—but her legs were bleeding from deep wounds in her calves and thighs. He needed to get her to an emergency room, fast. Bending over, he slid one arm under her back and the other under her blood-spattered knees. Ariel let out a gasp as he lifted her, and she writhed in his arms as he carried her across the roof. The old frayed notebook slipped out of the waistband of her skirt, but despite the pain she grabbed the thing and clutched it against her chest.
    Although the door to the row house’s stairwell stood wide open, John ran past it. More thugs might still be in the building. It would be safer to try one of the other row houses on the block. He lugged Ariel to the roof of the neighboring building, but the emergency-exit door there was locked, and so was the door on the roof of the next row house. On the roof of the third building, though, the door was ajar. John dashed inside and went down the steps, trying not to joggle Ariel too much.
    This row house was an ordinary apartment building rather than a hotel. Once John reached the ground floor he peered through a small glass square near the top of the building’s front door. The sidewalk in front of the Evergreen Inn was empty now. The loitering teenagers must’ve run off when they heard the gunfire. John’s Kia was parked just twenty yards away, sitting in a circle of darkness under a broken streetlight.
    He looked up and down Evergreen Avenue, searching for signs of movement. Although he didn’t see anyone, he was still plenty worried. One of the soldiers from the other gang could be hiding in a doorway or behind one of the parked cars. And if the asshole had a gun, he could pop them in a second. But John had no choice. He had to make a run for it. He prepared himself by taking his car keys out of his pocket and tightening his grip on Ariel, whose eyes were closed now. Then he threw his shoulder against the door and hurtled outside.
    He bent low, keeping his head down as he raced toward his car. Twenty yards, just twenty yards. He was halfway there in a couple of seconds. He pressed the UNLOCK button on his car keys and the Kia’s hazard lights flashed yellow in the darkness.
    He was diving for the back door on the driver’s side when he heard the first gunshots. The bullets ripped through the air just above his head, but he didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate for a moment. He opened the door and threw Ariel into the backseat. She might’ve yelped, she might’ve screamed, but he couldn’t hear her because he’d already slammed the door shut and jumped into the driver’s seat. As he started the engine