Bad Nights by REBECCA YORK Read Free Book Online Page B

bedroom door, trying to see down the hall. “Jack?”
    Another barrage of fire came from outside the house, and she saw him hit the floor, shouting at her above the clatter of the weapons, “Stay down. Stay back. Don’t come any closer.”
    She held her position, waiting with her heart pounding while the house seemed to shake around her like someone had thrown it into a giant cement mixer. When the noise stopped, she looked toward the living room, seeing the holes that had materialized in the wall—and Jack holding a sofa cushion in front of his body.
    â€œJack Barnes, come out with your hands up, and the woman won’t be hurt,” a voice from outside boomed.
    â€œThey’re lying,” he spat out as he ducked low and ran for the hallway where Morgan crouched.
    â€œJack Barnes? Is that your real name?”
    â€œNo. It’s the name I was using with them.”
    â€œJack Barnes, come out with your hands up,” the voice boomed again.
    When he ignored it, she looked toward the window. “How many are out there?”
    â€œThree or four firing. At least around front. Is there a back door?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThat’s good. They may not have the back covered.”
    â€œWhat are we going to do?”
    He took her shoulders and turned her toward him, his expression grim. “You’re going out a back window. Do you have more bullets?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œTake your gun and take more ammunition, but don’t engage them unless you have to. Don’t take anything with you. Run as fast as you can. Head through the woods. If you come to a road, make sure they’re not patrolling it. As soon as you can get to a phone, call Rockfort Security in Rockville, Maryland. Talk to my partners, Shane Gallagher or Max Lyon. Tell them what happened. Tell them… Jack Brandt wasn’t able to discover Trainer’s main mission.”
    Doubt and disbelief crossed his features.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œAt least I don’t think I know Trainer’s main mission,” he clipped out.
    â€œWhat does that mean?”
    â€œLike I said, my memory’s got some holes.” He gave her a hard look. “You’d better get going.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?”
    â€œDraw their fire while you get away.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œIt’s the only way for one of us to get out of this. And one of us has to tell Rockfort what happened.”
    â€œWe’re both going,” she said.
    â€œI don’t think so.”

Chapter 6
    Jack checked the clips on the guns he’d taken off the two men who’d come to the house pretending to be FBI agents. He was getting low on ammunition.
    When he spared Morgan a look, he saw a steely determination. “You’re not going out there,” she said. “I won’t let you kill yourself because of me.”
    â€œMaybe I’ll take them out.”
    She made a rough noise. “You have a couple of handguns. They’ve got machine guns.”
    He flapped an arm in frustration. “We don’t have a lot of time to argue about it.”
    He hadn’t known how right he was. The shooting was apparently over and also the offer of safe conduct for Morgan.
    In the next second, a canister crashed through the living room window and landed on the sofa, spewing smoke and fire in all directions. Almost immediately, the chintz slipcover went up in flames.
    Morgan gasped.
    Jack grabbed her arm and herded her farther down the hall, wondering how long before the flames reached them.
    Outside he could hear whoops of triumph from Trainer’s men. Maybe the colonel was there himself, directing the operation.
    â€œCome on out if you don’t want to roast,” someone called. He thought it was Ryder, one of the men who had played FBI agent earlier. Cocky again now that his buddies had rescued him.
    Jack didn’t spare the breath to respond.
    Behind him, more furnishings