Page 43 of Paranoia

Doyle kept peering around the dumpster, judging how long it would take him to sprint back to his stolen Toyota. He weighed the options. If he opened fire from here, he’d risk not only hitting the woman but also having a witness walking around.

As Doyle hesitated, the woman looked up and noticed him. In a loud voice, she said, “Hey, what are you doing, you pervert?”

Rios turned quickly. He reached behind his back and pulled out a pistol. When Doyle looked closer, he saw the woman had a gun too.What the hell?

Then a bullet pinged off the dumpster just above his head.

CHAPTER 62

AN ACTUAL GUNFIGHT next to a crowded bar was not what Doyle considered low-key. But now that it had started, he didn’t panic. He never panicked. This was his specialty. The government had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to train him in the use of several weapons. But his favorite was the M9, his 9mm Beretta.

He drew his Beretta from his belt holster, where it had been well concealed. He didn’t even look. He popped the gun into his left hand and reached around the dumpster. He fired two quick rounds just to get everyone’s attention and make them lower their heads.

That’s when Rios shouted to him. It made Doyle freeze.

Rios yelled, “You the cat who killed my friends? We been expecting you to show up again. Now we can settle this like men.”

Doyle knew he couldn’t waste time chatting with this asshole.He was relieved to realize no one in the bar had heard the gunshots and there was no panic or rush for the door.

Rios yelled again. “You not going to answer me,pendejo?”

This guy was going to talk until one of his friends came out to help him. It was a smart move. But Doyle knew what to do. As soon as he heard Rios start to shout again, he didn’t hesitate. He peeked around the corner of the dumpster with his pistol up and fired three times. He was already moving forward when he saw Rios drop to the ground. Doyle was certain he’d hit him twice in the chest and once in the face.

The woman got off one quick shot that went wide to the right. Doyle didn’t stop moving forward as he fired three more quick shots. Same as Rios. Two hollow-point bullets hit the woman in the chest and one in her face. She went down onto the filthy surface of the alley right next to him.

Instinctively, Doyle switched out magazines, giving himself an additional fifteen shots if something were to happen or someone came out of the bar.

He scanned the street and realized there was no one outside. He had just been lucky to see Rios. He was disappointed not to find Oscar Tass at the same time, but he had to be satisfied with one of them.

Doyle slipped the pistol back into his belt holster, covered it with his shirt, and hustled in the opposite direction of the alley. He turned the corner and was in his stolen Toyota less than thirty seconds later. He didn’t race away from the scene. That would attract attention. He pulled from the curb slowly and put on his left turn signal at the next intersection.

There was not a soul on the street. He was one step closer to being finished.

CHAPTER 63

I LOUNGED ON the bed next to Mary Catherine. Her spirits still seemed to be pretty good. A lot of that had to do with the kids keeping her entertained. She and I had just finished a game of backgammon. Before I came in, she had played a series of card games with Chrissy and Shawna. This wasn’t our usual kind of Sunday afternoon activity. We often tried to go as a family to the park and do something physical. Sometimes it was flag football; other times it was just shooting baskets or kicking a ball around an open field. Eddie liked to call that soccer. I called it exhausting and low-scoring.

My grandfather was already here in anticipation of Ricky’s Sunday meal. Some of the kids were finishing up homework assignments they had put off or watching an old war movie on TV, and I got to spend some time with my beautiful Mary Catherine. I appreciated the quiet moments we could spend together. With so many kids in the house, it was a rare opportunity.

The doorbell rang and Mary Catherine jumped. “My, Rob Trilling is a stickler for being on time, isn’t he?”

I checked my phone and saw it was 6 p.m. on the nose. “Yes, he is. It wouldn’t surprise me if he got here early and has been waiting quietly in the hallway until the clock struck six.” I kissed Mary Catherine on the forehead and went out to greet my partner.

Some of the kids headed to the door as well. Trent and Juliana stood next to me as I opened the door. They knew who it was but liked Rob so much they wanted to greet him right at the door.

As the door opened, I saw Rob holding a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of red wine. Classy. The young man from Bozeman, Montana, had decent manners. He was even smiling, something that still took me by surprise, I saw it so infrequently.

Juliana stepped forward with a big smile on her own face.

Then Rob said, “This is Mariah.”

That’s when a tall, gorgeous young woman stepped into the doorway. Her dark complexion set off her spectacular smile. She immediately extended her right hand to me and said, “Nice to meet you.”

Rob said, “You told me I could bring someone if I wanted.”

“Of course! Are you kidding? We’ve got enough food to feed a football squad. Both offense and defense.” I ushered them into the apartment. I also noticed that Ricky, Eddie, and Brian immediately sprang up to greet Rob’s attractive date. I was afraid I was going to have to turn a hose on them the way they were all gawking at her. But Jane stepped in to rescue me. She led Mariah into the living room to introduce her to my grandfather.

Juliana said, “I’m going to check on Mary Catherine.” She hurried down the hallway to our bedroom.

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