Reaper's Salvation (Road to Salvation A Last Rider's Trilogy 3)

“Puck, get ready!” Viper yelled right before Knox drove the sheriff’s Bronco onto the sidewalk on the other side of the Dodge.

“Puck, go.” Viper sent another volley of bullets to cover Puck, Jesus, and Razer. Staying behind the Bronco, they were able to fire at the remaining gunmen using the Escalade as cover.

Reaper saw two of the perps taking off toward Dalton’s neighbor. Both of them started firing at will.

“Fuck.” Swearing, Reaper saw the two men run inside the house where earlier he’d seen a woman getting her mail.

“Cover me,” Reaper told Dalton as he rose from the front of the car, taking off toward the side yard. Keeping low, Reaper went to the window at the side of the house. He raised his head slightly and saw the woman and a man standing in the dining room. Lowering his head, he made his way to the back door, finding it locked. “Why can’t just one fucking time something be fucking easy?”

Gauging the door, Reaper took a step back just as he saw Dalton come around the corner.

Using his booted foot, Reaper kicked at the weakest part of the door, and it flew open. When it did, Reaper launch himself inside, taking in the room at a glance. Aiming his gun at the perp, who came running into the room, he hit him in the abdomen just before Reaper landed on his stomach. At the same time, the perp fell to the floor, spilling blood onto the tiles.

He was still getting his knees under him when the second perp came running in. Reaper managed to hit him in the throat.

He was getting to his feet when Dalton came through the broken door.

“I could have saved myself the trouble,” Dalton said, lowering his gun at seeing the prone bodies on the ground.

“How many live here?” Reaper asked, moving toward an open doorway.

“An older couple, man and woman.”

Entering the room that he had seen from the outside, Reaper didn’t see the older couple.

Dalton followed him, both men searching for the couple to make sure they were all right. Rounding the corner, Reaper entered a hallway. Gunshots outside had him wanting to hurry so he could help the brothers.

Seeing a partially opened door down the hallway, Reaper went to the side of the door, using the wall to protect his body; he turned his head slightly to peer inside the room. “You’re safe! I’m here with your neighbor, Dalton,” Reaper called out.

Hearing his voice, they turned from the window to him, the curtains fluttering, revealing the man was holding a gun.

Reaper held up two fingers behind his back to keep Dalton from moving closer. He had only a moment to process that the elderly couple weren’t frightened and they hadn’t only just been looking outside—the man had been firing a gun.

Reaper moved his finger to the trigger. “Damn. I have to give it to the fucker. Allerton is good. He’s been having you watch T.A. since she moved in, hasn’t he?” he yelled out to the couple.

The woman’s gave a quick glance to her partner, her face growing pinched, as if cautioning him to remain silent.

Staring at them closer, Reaper realized they were much younger than he originally assumed. He’d taken a wild guess that they were Allerton’s people, and when neither of them said anything, he figured they knew who he was, proving him right.

“I thought you were fucking nosy. Damn good fucking job. You’re how those fuckers outside knew Ginny was here.”

The man glanced wildly at the woman. When he saw him waver his weapon, Reaper figured out what he was silently telling her.

“Ah … you’re out of bullets? That’s what you trying to tell her?” Reaper gave him a grim smile. “Then I suggest you place the weapon down and take off. Bank the money you earned today. At least you’ll live to see another day.”

Reaper was cutting it close with his own ammo. He was just better at hiding it than the man inside the bedroom. The problem was that he couldn’t tell if the woman had a gun or not with the way she stood partially behind the curtain.

“Put your weapons down,” Reaper ordered.

“You first. I have bullets; you’re the one out of bullets.” The fucker finally grew a set of balls, even though, Reaper knew he was lying.

“I have a couple left; one for each of you.” With his head cocked around the door jam, Reaper nodded at the man while Dalton remained behind him out of sight. “Put it down and step away. Take my advice. It’s the only chance you have.”

A gust of wind had the curtain billowing out, exposing the weapon in the woman’s hand; she had it pointed directly at him.

Reaper froze. His mind went back to the lifeless eyes that he still saw in his nightmares. Then his mind flashed back to the day Rider’s wife had denoted the bomb when they’d been overseas. Rider hadn’t been able to extinguish his wife’s life with her carrying his unborn child.