Chapter 45
JD and I hopped out of the car. We moved up the lawn, darted between two houses, and headed down the slope to the canal. From there, we took the seawall east, heading toward Vladimir's estate.
All manner of pleasure craft were docked behind the houses—sailboats, motor yachts, and even small starter yachts.
The rain still poured down, and my shirt stuck to my chest.
As we approached, a massive explosion inside Vlad’s boat sent shards of fiberglass and wood scattering in all directions. An orange fireball rolled into the night sky, and black smoke billowed.
The whole neighborhood had to hear.
Bits of smoldering debris rained down, splashing the water and littering the dock.
JD and I took off running toward Vladimir's backyard.
There was no doubt in my mind that Shane was responsible. It was a distraction to draw focus away from the intended target.
JD and I reached Vladimir's property and sprinted up the sprawling slope toward the pool. A terrace just off the master bedroom offered a view of the pool and the canal beyond.
Lights flicked on inside the house and in the master bedroom.
Vladimir stepped to the French doors to see what the commotion was all about. The flames aboard the boat reflected in the glass.
Dressed in black and shouldering an AR-15, a figure waited in the shadows on the terrace. With a black balaclava covering his face, it was impossible to ID the assailant. But I knew it was Shane.
His finger squeezed the trigger, and a flurry of bullets pierced the glass, blasting through French doors, pelting Vladimir in the chest.
Crimson spewed.
The Russian gangster tumbled back, crashing to the carpet.
By that time, two of Vlad’s thugs had run onto the patio to see what was happening.
The assailant on the terrace took them out with a series of quick bursts.
Muzzle flash flickered, and bullets streaked through the air.
The thugs twitched and convulsed with each bullet hit before flopping to the ground.
JD and I reached the pool and took cover behind a large plant box. I held out my badge and shouted, "Coconut County! Drop the weapon."
The gunman on the terrace took aim at me.
"Shane, put the gun down!”
Normally, I would have put a bullet into him right away. But I just couldn't pull the trigger and kill my friend. I hoped he felt the same.