She nodded, yanking the covers back. I had no time to ensure she followed my orders, instead returning to the doorway where I could see both doors in my periphery of vision.
I pulled the magazine of ammunition, thankful I’d switched to a full one.
Remaining in the darkness, I pressed my back against the wall and waited.
It didn’t take long; the slight click as someone picked the lock from the deck caught my attention. A single slight flash of lightning worked to my benefit.
There were two outside on the deck and at least one in the front. If I had to guess, I’d say there were more. Very slowly and quietly the door was opened, two dark figures stepping inside.
At the same time, I heard another click indicating the front door had been compromised.
The key to any successful attack was surprise. On the flipside, when outnumbered, the key was to remain undetected for as long as possible.
I held my breath as the assailants walked inside. Even their faces were covered. I would enjoy unmasking them, but right now, I had one goal in mind.
Killing the motherfuckers.
I’d been right in my calculations, four men slinking inside. They obviously didn’t know me or my skillset. I’d taken on eight men before and lived.
Too bad not one of the bastards had joined me.
They moved through the kitchen, heading in my direction. I lifted my weapon, calculating the distance.
When one closed the distance, I stepped from the shadows.
Pop! Pop!
The fucker went down and I slunk back into position, waiting to see how the other three would react.
A shot was fired, missing me by a few feet. That meant they couldn’t see where I was standing. I’d use the element of surprise as long as possible.
I took a long stride forward, catching a second one, but he’d anticipated the move.
Pop!
Pop! Pop!
The shot barely missed me.
Now all hell was about to break loose.
Dropping to the floor, I slid on my ass and fired off another round, the first bullet hitting the assailant in the chest, the other in the head.
It would be a good thing to keep one of them alive.
A third came at me and instead of killing him instantly, I issued a brutal kick with my foot, sending him backward into the wall.
The loud crash was followed by an anguished grunt, but the asshole wasn’t down for the count.
Rallying, he pitched himself forward as the fourth in the bunch attempted to tackle me from behind. I didn’t waste any time, firing off a single shot that caught the third man in the leg. His howl was a pleasant reward, but I had no time for celebration.
The hard hit on the back of my head brought stars to my eyes, but my training kept me from going down, I grabbed the man by the neck, tossing him into the coffee table. He went down with a savage thud and I jerked him up again, pushing him forward as the third man rallied once again.
Only this time, his gunfire killed his own associate.
A laugh bubbled to the surface as I tossed the jerk aside, now concentrating my efforts on the last man standing.
My thoughts drifted to a Jimmy Buffett song. Maybe a different scenario, but still somewhat the same.