Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I swear, Kozlov based his whole operation off a movie he watched once. Next I'm expecting vampire cowls and smoke effects. I glance over at Piston, who returns it with a shrug. Drama or not, machine guns are no fucking joke.
"I'm just gonna ignore the fucking disrespect of sending a stooge to do his negotiations here for a moment. What's his offer? Anything less than staying the fuck out of the Ditch is a no go. We don't have to own it, and we don't fucking need it, but we're not letting him set up camp just outside our border." Eagle-eye crosses his big arms over his barrel chest. His thick mustache bristles.
"That's going to limit our expansion. We need at least half of Detch. The other half should be more than enough buffer for you. Who bothers the mighty Screaming Eagles anyway?" He shrugs. "No one dares."
King scowls at Dimitry, looking as skeptical as I feel. "Funny, this feels like someone daring. I don't fucking buy it."
"He's had time to calm down. To think. There's nothing to be gained by a war between our organizations. Why don't we just split the pot and we both profit?"
I squint into the darkness behind Dimitry, trying to see what's going on beyond the big garage door. Quickshot said some kinda vehicle. There's something looming in the shadows, and I don't think it's just someone's pickup truck. I know it’s a trick, but what? Two more guys with assault rifles come out the door and take up positions on either side.
"Ballsy," Eagle-eye rasps. "Considering that we hold all the cards. What’s in it for us? The Ditch is a buffer zone. We don’t own it or profit off it other than as a safety net. Here’s my counteroffer. You stay out of it, and we're not gonna hunt you down."
"That's unreasonable," Dimitry snarls. "That's no compromise. Just a threat."
Something moves on the roof.
Eagle-eye shrugs. "You didn't have to come piss on our doorstep. That was your—"
"Down!" I throw myself at Eagle-eye, just as the crack of two gunshots fill the air, one right after the other. Something passes by with a high-pitched whine, but doesn't hit anyone. There's a scream, but it comes from the roof, as a man dressed in black is knocked back by the force of Quickshot's bullet. He bounces off the wall he used for support and falls over the edge.
The body hits the ground like a wet rag, his sniper rifle landing next to him with a loud rattle.
"What offer was he going to make?" Zero asks calmly, but his piece is in his hand pointed right at Dimitry's head. "Pretty sure there was no compromise there."
"Should've known Kozlov was too much of a fucking coward to even show up to his own ambush," Eagle-eye scoffs. "Or maybe he knew, and you're just a sacrifice."
I don't see this Dimitry guy volunteering as a sacrifice. Kozlov can't possibly have that kind of loyalty among his men. He'd need something way bigger than this.
Something mechanical roars to life inside the garage.
"The fuck?" Piston peers at the garage door.
Whatever it is, the engine sounds like it's running on nails and broken glass. Metal squeals and the thick scent of motor oil fills the air.
"Fuck, get outta there!" Quickshot's voice is loud enough through the receiver that we all hear it.
The vehicle that comes out of the factory is a monstrosity. Body of a pickup truck, tank treads, armor plates welded to it with narrow cracks to see and shoot through, sprouting barrels like a fucking hedgehog. And a mounted machine gun on top that swivels as the guy manning it points it in our direction.
Dimitry jumps out of the way, taking advantage of the distraction. His goons with the assault rifles bring them to bear and then hell breaks loose. Everyone spreads and jumps for cover. Rebel and Badass gun down one of the guys together, Zero puts a bullet between the eyes of another, but there were more inside. Had to have hidden deep enough that not even Quickshot's scope could pick them out.
I run for the closest loading station, throwing myself behind one of the support walls. Piston joins me, and Zero a few moments after.
Animal roars and goes down, clutching his thigh. Motherfucker. I aim my gun, looking for who it might've been, but the guy drops in time with a crack from somewhere behind us. Quickshot or one of the other snipers.
"Cover me!" Hunching over so I'm a smaller target, I run over to him as quickly as I can. Piston and Zero lay down cover, and I get there at the same time as Badass. "This way."
I get Animal up and over one of my shoulders, while Badass takes the other side, and we run him back to our cover, bullets kicking up dirt around our feet, but thankfully not quite connecting. Animal grunts when we put him down, but the wound doesn't look too bad. Badass already has a bandage out.