Nothing Special (Nothing Special 1)

Other team leaders were strategically placing their officers to get into a flush-out position and Day did the same. They moved in closer to the rooms at the back and Day saw bullets fly in from over their heads, the sharpshooters effectively taking out three of the kingpin’s five-man guard.

Semiautomatics rang out in the hangar, Day and God dove behind a couple of metal barrels. Day saw God check the label on the container, careful that they weren’t hiding behind anything explosive. God gave him a thumbs-up. When there was a brief pause in the fire from the dockworkers, Day and God rose simultaneously and opened fire, both men almost emptying their clips before they had to duck back down. As soon as they did, Ronowski’s team rose and opened fire.

A loud scream pierced the air, and Day looked over to see Ronowski dragging Seasel into one of the back rooms.

Day clicked his mic on. “Officer down! Gunshot wound to the right arm.”

Vikki had been hit.

Sharpshooters fired at two men closing in on Ronowski as he tried to tend to his partner. Day heard the SWAT leader yell through his bullhorn.

“You are completely surrounded. Lay down your weapons and come out with your hands up!”

Day leaned against God’s back and peered around their cover. Two ducked heads were moving fast along the back end, trying to stay low and effectively moving out of sight of the sharpshooters firing from the rooftops seventy yards away. Day turned and saw that the back corridor intersected with the room where Ronowski was tending to Seasel’s wound.

There was still too much gunfire going on for Ronowski to safely move Seasel out the back exit. Ronowski didn’t even have his weapon out as he stayed low and used both his hands to apply pressure to the wound that was bleeding profusely. From where Day stood, he could see that Vikki had gone very pale and she wasn’t moving. Ronowski was shaking her and yelling her name.

“Ronowski!” Day yelled but the gunshots were too loud.

The last of the dockworkers were either out of the building being taken down by the outside team, or were lying dead inside. But Hansen and his last bodyguard were closing in on Ronowski fast, obviously planning to use the room as a means to get to the outside. Ordinarily they’d fire in a couple of flash grenades and temporarily blind their suspects, but they had two of their own in close range.

Day had a split second to think. If he didn’t move now, as soon as Hansen and his man entered the room, they would fire on his teammates.

“Cover me,” Day yelled and took off toward the room.

“Day!”

Day heard God yelling for him, but he had no time. He barreled through the door, startling Ronowski, and charged into Hansen’s guard as he turned the corner into the back door of the room. The hallway behind the rooms was narrow and there were few windows. He grappled with the bodyguard in the confinement of the small room. Neither man could fire their weapon nor could Hansen get past them. The bodyguard had at least three inches and forty pounds minimum on him.

Day slammed the large man into the wall, grasping the lapels of his suit jacket, yanking him away and spinning him around to slam him into the other wall. Day dropped his weapon as the man elbowed him in the ribs. With both hands free, Day connected rapidly successive punches with both fists. He landed at least half the hard blows to the man’s face and kneed him with all his might in his stomach.

He vaguely saw Hansen turn and try to run in the opposite direction but gunfire from the sharpshooters stopped him as soon as his head came into view through one of the windows.

Day took a hard left to his temple before he kneed the man in the groin, causing him to crumble to the floor. He stepped back and kicked the guard square in the chin with his steel-toed boot, propelling the man back into the corridor.

Day turned and yelled to Ronowski, “Get her out of here now!”

Ronowski needed to get Vikki out of there and to medical attention fast while he had the chance.

Ronowski had just barreled through the side door leading outside when Day spun around and came face to face with his own chrome 9mm handgun that he’d dropped during the fight. Hansen had an evil glare in his eyes as he waved it at Day to move over toward him.

“Keep your hands where I can see them,” Hansen snarled quietly through clenched teeth.

Day heard the SWAT leader on his bullhorn again.

“Joe Hansen, you are completely surrounded. Come out with your hands up or you will be fired upon!”

“Day, what’s your position goddammit?” God’s voice was strained coming across the mic on his shoulder.