Page 5 of Shadow Break

He fired several shots before entering the house. Once he got past the threshold, he slipped into a side bedroom where he crouched waiting.

Pushing thoughts of death from his mind, he fired a couple more rounds and ducked through to the kitchen, catching sight of the open basement door.

He raced to the door, where a swaying light bulb sent a wave of shadows across the staircase below.

Leaning into the stairwell, he got a restricted view of the downstairs. He couldn’t see anyone, but with so many places to hide, Bobby could be concealed anywhere.

His survey of the room located a door on the far side of the basement. The most likely location of the explosives.

Aaron blew out two short sharp breaths, then rocketed down the steps and jumped for cover behind an old chest freezer.

When no further shots were fired, he bolted toward the room at the back, aiming the gun. And as he came around the door, he found Bobby with his fingers wrapped around a detonator.

“Boom,” Bobby whispered before he laughed, exposing his yellow teeth. His smile caved in the cheeks of his gaunt face. “What do you think? Should I give it a minute? Let a few more of your pals join us?”

“No one has to die here tonight.”

Bobby tittered. “What’s your name, son?” he said in an exaggerated Southern drawl. “Would you like me to pray for you?” He laughed again. “You’re gonna die tonight.”

His eyes were black pits, and Aaron swallowed back a knot of fear. He’d never struggled with fear before. He’d been tense at work plenty of times, but even in the drug house, he was never really afraid.

“Let’s talk about this,” Aaron said. Clement would be proud.

“Talk? We already tried that. But you guys are all a bunch of liars and cheats. Poor little Karly didn’t make it, remember? She had a little accident.” The pitch of his voice rose.

“If you want to call it an accident, we can call it an accident.”

“Accident, murder. You guys murdered her. It was you. You didn’t give me what I wanted.” He scratched furiously at his head with the butt of the detonator. “You didn’t give me what I asked for. It’s your fault.” He spat on the ground. “And if you shoot me,” he said with a giggle, “you shoot me and I release this lever, and then it really is your fault. You’re a dead man walking.”

Aaron glanced at the ceiling as the thump of boots echoed through the floor above.

Bobby grinned. “Sounds like your friends have arrived. You think my pal is with them? The liar? I really hope he is. What was his name? Dave? Davey Clement? He said he wanted to help. He wanted to help me. Nice guy. I hope he’s here. I’d like to blow him up.”

“No, he wouldn’t come inside.”

“Really? Coward.” Bobby shrugged, then shifted.

“I can go get him if you want.”

“Tooooo late.”

“Wait!” Aaron retracted his arm, lifting his gun and replacing it in his holster. It wouldn’t do him much good here anyway. “Just wait.”

“Nup. I’m tired of waitin’.”

Aaron dove for Bobby’s hand, enclosing it in an iron grip as he wrestled him to the floor.

Bobby’s elbow connected with Aaron’s head and light erupted. The muscles in his hand weakened in his daze. He let go of Bobby’s other hand so he could grasp the detonator with both of his own.

Bobby punched him in the jaw and Aaron did his best to protect himself while his hands remained clenched around Bobby’s fist. But his vision was darkening.

Don’t let go.It was a cry from his heart to God, but he wouldn’t remember it that way later.

Fingernails scraped across his arm. Then teeth. He ignored the pain and squeezed his eyes closed tightly while he focused on the grip of his fingers. When a bang filled his ears, a weight fell upon him, and the thrashing stopped.

He ignored the muffled voices because he couldn’t understand them through the ringing in his ears. His only thought was to not let go.

It wasn’t until he felt a tap on his arm that he finally opened his eyes and found Thomson standing over him. “You okay?”

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