Chapter 52
The barrel shook in her trembling hand. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and mustered her resolve. Her eyes clenched tight. She couldn’t watch.
I braced for impact. “Catalina, there’s no coming back from this. It will change your life forever.”
The gun quaked in her hand.
She summoned all her will, but couldn’t pull the trigger. She lowered the weapon as tears streamed. She stammered, “I can’t.”
Diego frowned with disappointment. "Time is running out, and we are not leaving here until you find your strength.
" Diego took a deep breath. "I will not always be here to hold your hand.
You will face many difficult challenges in life.
Many choices. They will be unpleasant. You must learn to make the choice that is the best for yourself and your family.
" Diego paused. "At this point, there is no other option.
Deputy Wild is not leaving this warehouse alive, whether you kill him or not.
Take a moment and clear your head. Think about what is best."
Catalina took a deep breath. “I don’t want any part of this.”
Catalina stepped away.
The muscles in Diego’s jaw flexed. He growled, "You are weak! I will show you true strength.” He nodded to one of his thugs. "Kill him!"
The goon to my left took aim with a submachine gun.
Before he could squeeze the trigger, Catalina took aim and fired twice. Her bullets rocketed across the room and pelted the dirtbag in his torso.
Blood spewed, and he tumbled to the ground.
The goon to my right took aim at Catalina.
I launched from my chair and put a shoulder into him before he squeezed the trigger.
With my hands cuffed behind my back, we both tumbled to the ground. His machine gun clattered against the concrete.
Diego picked it up and took aim at me. His finger wrapped tight around the trigger.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Catalina squeezed the trigger, and bullets rocketed across the room and drilled her father in the chest.
It twisted him aside just as he squeezed the trigger. A wild stream of molten copper sprayed toward me, narrowly missing.
The bullets bounced off the concrete millimeters away as Diego Navarro tumbled to his doom. With his finger still tight around the trigger, bullets spewed, sweeping across the darkness.
Catalina stood mortified at what she'd just done.
Diego’s goon drew a pistol from his waistband and took aim at Catalina.
I kicked the weapon from his grasp, and it spun across the concrete.
We both launched to our feet, sprinting toward it. We darted across the warehouse, racing for the gun. I put a shoulder into him and ran him into a support pillar. The big ogre hit it with a thunk, cracking his head. He flopped to the ground.
I dove for the pistol, grabbed it behind my back, and took aim at the thug as he staggered to his feet.
I blasted.
My bullets hit the tubby bastard in the chest and staggered him back. He had a look of disbelief on his face as crimson blossomed his shirt. He clutched at his chest, then folded.
Catalina had rushed to her father. She sobbed over his body, trying to stop the bleeding, but he was too far gone.
I managed to dig into my front pocket and pull out my keys. I released the handcuffs. The key was universal.
I rubbed my wrists and climbed to my feet.
The warehouse was littered with bodies.
I checked them all for vitals and recovered my pistol that Howell’s crew had taken. Then I called the sheriff. I wasn’t about to call the Pineapple Bay PD or 9-1-1.
I joined Catalina, and I soon realized the blood on her dress was not from her father. She’d been caught with a stray bullet from his wild spray when she shot him.
Her skin went pale, and her strength faded. She collapsed.
My stomach twisted.
I applied pressure to the wound in her abdomen. "Hang in there, Catalina. Help is on the way.”
She looked up at me with sad eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Just hang on!"
The distant sounds of sirens warbled as they drew near. I hoped the sheriff’s department would be the first on the scene.