Page 100 of Edge of Honor

Pausing outside the partially open door, he listened for any sound of Hale. There was no snoring, no rustling of bedclothes, only the droning of a large box fan.

Like many vets who had experienced hearing damage from being exposed to explosions and weapons fire, the man probably suffered from tinnitus, which could be more debilitating at night.

Harvath would have to keep that in mind. If he ended up deciding to kill Hale, he’d make sure he had a suppressor on his weapon, just out of kindness.

Easing into the bedroom, he could see Hale in sweats lying on the bed, the sheets and blankets having been kicked to the floor. The guy was a monster; much bigger than Harvath had expected. Based on sheer size alone, before ever getting to his resume, it was obvious why the man might make a compelling head of security.

But to those in the know, security wasn’t about size, it was about smarts. And by not sufficiently scrubbing his trail, Hale had screwed up and led Harvath right to him. Definitely not smart.

Activating the laser sight on his Taser, Harvath took a step forward and found the one board in the entire carriage house that groaned.

CHAPTER 51

Despite the thrum of the box fan, the sound of Harvath’s weight atop the warped floorboard was like an air horn going off.

Hale shot straight up in bed, with his eyes blinking and his head swinging back and forth as he tried to pinpoint the threat.

His element of surprise obliterated, Harvath did the only thing he could do. Aiming the Taser at center mass on Hale, he pressed the trigger and fired.

The nitrogen-propelled probes sizzled across the bedroom and embedded themselves right in the security chief’s chest.

The metal barbs went straight through his sweatshirt and dug into his flesh, then pulses of electricity began racing down the attached copper wires, intent on inducing neuromuscular incapacitation.

Hale let out a howl and stiffened up, but then he did something Harvath had only heard about before. Reaching down, he grabbed hold of the insulated wires and ripped the probes out.

Harvath didn’t hesitate. Pressing his trigger, he deployed a new set of probes and let the man ride the lightning again.

There was another howl from Hale, but this time as he stiffened, he rolled toward his right side.

It took Harvath a moment to realize that the movement wasn’t caused by the Taser. Hale was going for his nightstand. Which could only mean one thing. He had a gun.

Lighting him up with the strobe from his flashlight, Harvath triedto disorient him as he rapidly closed the distance between them. And, knowing that clothing could sometimes disrupt the efficacy of a Taser, he also changed his point of aim, trying to hit Hale somewhere in the neck, or the side of the face.

Pressing the trigger, he let a third pair of probes fly, but only one found its mark, just below the man’s left ear. The other probe kept going, hitting the wall behind the nightstand.

There wasn’t time for Harvath to take aim and fire again. Hale had already opened the drawer and had his hand inside the nightstand.

Launching himself forward, Harvath delivered a blistering kick to the front of the drawer, breaking the man’s forearm.

Hale roared in pain.

Pulling his arm back, he brought the entire drawer with it, which he swung at Harvath.

As the drawer flew at Harvath’s face and he put up his hands to parry it away, Hale spun out of bed. Planting his right foot on the floor, he used his left leg to kick Harvath in his exposed rib cage. The force of the blow sent Harvath into the wall next to the bed.

Before Harvath could regain his balance, Hale delivered an incredibly painful peroneal strike to his right leg and took him to the ground.

In an instant, Hale was on top of him and had him in a crushing pin. He was not only half a foot taller, but also weighed a good seventy pounds more and was using that weight to make it difficult for Harvath to breathe and keep him locked in place so he could rain down punches with his uninjured left hand.

Isolating the man’s injured arm, Harvath applied as much pressure as he could, causing Hale intense pain as he pulled it in close, trapping it to his side. He then blocked the man’s right foot with his own to keep him off-balance, and then, locking his hands behind the giant’s back, he lifted his hips as high as possible in a bridge, leaned to the man’s right, and rolled over.

Instantly, the fight had changed. Now Harvath was on top, and the first thing he did was deliver a blistering headbutt, shattering the man’s nose and sending a spray of blood everywhere.

He followed it with two more, further bludgeoning the man’s cinderblock of a head before freeing up his left hand and fumbling for something in his left cargo pocket.

As he did, he felt Hale’s good arm move, as if reaching for something off to the side. Instantly, Harvath knew what it had to be—the gun.

Delivering a forearm choke, he applied downward pressure across Hale’s throat as he used his right hand to try to wrestle the pistol away from him. Even after all the punishment he had dished out, the man was insanely strong.

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