Trigger Pull

by Mike Ryan

  “How you making out?” Recker heard in his ear.

  “I’m on the inside. Getting in closer. Anything else on your end?”

  “Negative. Just be careful, they could have as many as twelve guys in there.”

  Recker slipped around to the back of the building again. There was a little bit of space between the buildings, which would expose Recker’s body, but he quickly ran over to it, successful in staying out of sight. He still had to get to a couple more buildings before he was in the vicinity of where the cars were. He sprinted to the next building, and the one after that, making it there unscathed. Recker took a few deep breaths, leaning his back up against the brick building.

  “All right, I’m at the building the cars stopped at.”

  “OK,” Haley replied. “If you need help, holler out.”

  “If I need help, you’ll probably know long before I say anything. Just follow the gunfire.”

  Recker went around the corner, sliding his way up the wall as he made his way to the front. He passed a window and took a peek inside, making sure nobody was in there. Once he got near the front of the building, he poked his head around the corner, not seeing anything in sight, other than the vehicles parked there. Something wasn’t right, he thought. Something seemed off.

  There didn’t appear to be anyone in the cars as he couldn’t see any shadows or movement through the front windshields. But as Recker looked around at the nearby buildings, he couldn’t see any lights on either. And he doubted they were working or having a meeting in the dark. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck and arms raise up. They had to be somewhere. He started looking all around, even looking up at the building he was clinging to, thinking that instead of looking for them, maybe they were looking for him.

  “Something’s not right here,” Recker said.

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t see anybody. It’s like they parked and disappeared. I don’t hear voices, lights, nothing.”

  “Maybe they’re having a meeting by candlelight,” Haley said with a snicker.

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  The sound of an automatic rifle pierced through the air, Recker ducking and hitting the ground, as the bullets glanced off the brick wall behind him. He quickly got back to his feet and scurried around to the back of the building. He peeked around the corner again, his eyes darting all around, not able to tell where the bullets had come from.

  “Mike, you all right?”

  “Just stay put for a second,” Recker said, not wanting to get Haley caught up in an ambush. “I can’t tell where those shots came from.”

  “Just remember there’s a lot more of them than you.”

  At this point, Recker was probably closer to the front gate than the back gate, and if he had to go anywhere in a hurry, that’s the way he was going. Plus, if he needed to be rescued, it would be quicker for Haley to get to him. Recker slid around to the other side of the building, hoping to pick up a different and better look at whoever was shooting at him. Though it was different, it wasn’t better, as he still couldn’t see anything.

  Recker peeked his head around the corner again and almost got it shot off, as a few more rounds from the rifle fired in his direction. Some of the bullets glanced off the brick, and some just whizzed past his head, Recker ducking once again. Taking a few deep breaths to think clearly, he tried to figure out what was going on. If they knew where he was, they probably had enough men to rush him right there and then. But they weren’t. They were sitting back and waiting. The question was why? He then took a quick look to his left, thinking they may have been trying to flank him. They may have been figuring why bother to rush, when they could surround him. He still didn’t want to bring Haley in yet until he knew for sure what he was bringing him into. He could try running to the next building, but that was a good sixty to seventy feet away.

  Recker slid back down to the back of the building, clinging to the wall. As he turned the corner, a few more bullets rang out. It was a different sound than the others though. This one came from a handgun, fired in rapid succession. Recker took a step back again, his back leaning up against the wall. He was right. They were trying to flank him.

  As Recker stood there, deciding on what to do, he put his left hand on his chest and looked down. He didn’t put his vest on this time. With all the dreams he’d been having, along with the incident in the alley of the jewelry store, he wished he’d have put it on before coming in there.

  “Mike, what’s going on in there? You need me to roll?” Haley asked, getting a little jumpy. He didn’t like hearing gunfire, knowing what kind of odds Recker was facing, and just sitting there on his hands.

  Recker looked around, knowing he was probably going to have to wind up putting Haley in danger too. “Yeah, just wait a minute until I give you the word.”

  “How you want me to come in?”

  “Hot and heavy.”

  Haley knew exactly what that meant. As soon as Recker gave the word, he’d start his car, rev it up, and crash through the gate, taking on whoever and whatever got in his way. Recker thought about moving back to the front of the building and shooting out some of their tires, but thought better of it, wanting to preserve as much ammunition as possible, knowing the odds weren’t in his favor.

  As Recker was thinking of his options, a shot rang out from behind him, winging him in the left arm. Recker grunted as he felt the bullet graze his skin, though it was more out of surprise than actual pain. It was actually nothing more than a scratch. Recker quickly turned around and unloaded on the man behind him, having much better aim than he did, killing the guy with three shots to the chest.

  Recker ran back to the dead man and turned the corner, ready to engage in a fight, though there was no one else there. He turned around to look at the front where he’d just been, just in time to see the outline of a man holding a gun and pointing it at him. Recker ducked behind the building just as the man fired, the bullets hitting nothing but air for the time being.

  Recker knew it was now time to bring in the cavalry. They were surprising him, coming at him in different directions, and they were getting closer. Each bullet seemed like it had his name on it. As much as he didn’t want to bring Haley into a bad situation, he had no other choice. He wasn’t sure he was getting out of there without Haley’s assistance.

  “Chris, I could probably use some help now.”

  “How will I know where you’re at?”

  “Just keep your headlights on,” Recker said. “I’ll find you.”

  “On the way.”

  Haley was already prepared for battle, having a couple of handguns, along with an automatic rifle sitting on the passenger seat. He turned his car on, then started driving toward the gate, rolling his window down, but not yet turning his lights on. He grabbed one of the handguns, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. Once he got closer to the gate, he turned his headlights on, lighting up the area. He noticed the guard near the gate stand up as he sped towards it. Haley’s car crashed through the entrance, knocking the gates wide open, one of which was completely demolished and sent flying into the air.

  As Haley sped through the gates, he reached his gun arm out the window, shooting the guard before he was able to get a shot off at him. Haley continued down the path to reach the main buildings, prepared to do a lot of shooting. It was tough to see anything, considering there were no lights on anywhere on the property, but all Haley was concerned about was getting to Recker.

  A massive amount of gunfire erupted as the men saw Haley’s car come barreling towards them. Hearing the gunfire come from a different area, Recker knew it was Haley coming. He sprinted back to the front of the building, looking out, and seeing the bright headlights from Haley’s vehicle. As bullets ripped into Haley’s car, looking like it was being turned into swiss cheese, he stopped as he reached the other cars. He grabbed his assault rifle, then jumped out of the driver seat, and sprayed the cars with bullets, taking out the windows, tire
s, everything. He was making sure if the men went anywhere, they’d be going on foot.

  As Haley took the brunt of the assault at the moment, Recker knew it was his best chance to go. He made a mad dash to the car, the other men recognizing that he was making a break for it. Grass and dirt flew high into the air in every direction as the barrage of bullets hit the ground around Recker’s feet. As he got to Haley’s car, Recker dropped to the ground and rolled underneath the black SUV until he got to the other side. Haley briefly looked back, seeing his partner had seemingly made it unscathed.

  “Nice to see ya!” Haley said.

  Recker chuckled. “Yeah, likewise. You got something bigger than this handgun I got?”

  “Back seat.”

  Recker, keeping his head down, opened the back door, immediately seeing an assault rifle on the cushioned seat. He reached in and grabbed it, then dropped back down to the ground, crawling underneath the vehicle for cover. As he took up his position, he could see the flashes from the guns being fired at them, so he knew which direction he was shooting at. After a few minutes of continuous gunfire from both directions, it was clear neither side was gaining the upper hand. And neither seemed interested in advancing their positions at the present time either.

  “Mike!” Haley yelled, trying to get the attention of his friend over the booming sounds of gunfire. “Mike!”

  Recker couldn’t hear him, focused on his targets, as well as the fact that the action was louder than Haley’s voice.

  “Mike!” Haley yelled again, this time successful in getting his partner’s attention since there was a brief lull in the action.

  “Yeah?”

  “I think we need to get out of here. We’re at a standstill here, and if this car takes any more bullets, especially in the hood, getting out of here’s gonna be a lot harder than it was getting in.”

  Recker knew he was right. They weren’t progressing in the fight and the odds were too great from where they were to significantly chop them down. If the engine got shot, they were gonna be in a world of trouble, having to get out of there on foot. He crawled out from underneath the car and opened the back door again.

  “All right, you drive us out of here,” Recker said. “I’ll hop in the trunk and open the door. I’ll keep on firing to give us some cover until we get out of sight.”

  “OK.”

  “What about the guy on the gate?”

  “He’s out of commission,” Haley answered. “Took care of him on the way in.”

  Haley kept on firing, giving Recker a chance to get in position first. Recker hopped in the back seat, then put the back seats down, that way he could lie down as he fired. He opened the trunk, then let Haley know he was ready to go. Haley stopped firing, then jumped in the car, immediately putting the car in drive. He spun the car around, making a beeline for the back gate. As he drove towards it, Recker kept firing, not so much trying to hit anyone in particular, but more so to try and keep their enemies at bay and keep them ducking, though they kept firing at them as well.

  Haley put his foot on the pedal so hard it felt like he almost went through the floor. As Recker kept firing away, Haley revved the engines, quickly speeding up to a hundred miles per hour as they raced toward the back gate. Though they were out of the property’s boundaries in less than a minute, every second in a situation like that feels like an eternity.

  After speeding along the city streets for a minute, Recker had long since stopped firing since the men were no longer in sight, and Haley finally slowed down, stopping along the side of the road. Recker got out of the car and closed the trunk, then hopped in the passenger seat. As Recker sat down, Haley looked more closely at his friend’s arm.

  “You all right?”

  Recker looked down at his arm, seeing tiny splotches of blood on his sleeve. He moved his arm around in a circular pattern, not really feeling any pain. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch. Just grazed me.”

  “What the hell happened back there?”

  “I believe that would be what’s referred to as an ambush.”

  Haley drove around for a few minutes, eventually coming back around the front of the property in order to get to Recker’s car. From the front, though they couldn’t see too far in, it looked like nothing had ever happened. It was quiet as could be. Haley kept driving until they got to Recker’s car, pulling over to let him out. Recker sighed, not able to hide his disappointment.

  “You sure you’re all right?” Haley asked, seeing his demeanor, not sure if he was more hurt than he was letting on, or if it was just frustration setting in.

  “Yeah, I’m good. Let’s head back to the office and kick this around a little.”

  Haley nodded, assuming that’s what they would do anyway. Unless it was extremely late, like after one in the morning, anytime they had a situation, they usually went back to the office to discuss it with Jones. They found it better to talk about things when it was still fresh in their minds. Plus, it was usually hard to sleep right after they’d been in some type of confrontation anyway, since they were often still hyped up from the events.

  Before driving away, Haley waited until Recker was in his car and started the engine. Once he did, the two drove back to the office. They let Jones know they had a situation and to be expecting them. Before going, Haley figured it was better to drop his car off somewhere. He didn’t think it was a good idea to park his bullet-riddled vehicle in front of their office for everyone to see and question. The office was still located in a small shopping center, with customers constantly coming and going, and it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out the car was in some type of firefight.

  They eventually wound up taking it to a local mechanic, dropping it off at his garage. They’d used him before and knew he wouldn’t ask questions, and more importantly, he wouldn’t talk. The mechanic had a small, one-man operation, doing most of the repairs himself. If there was something he couldn’t do, or he had more cars than he could handle, he would bring in his cousin, also a shady character in his own right, to help out. For a fee, he didn’t mind passing things through inspection that shouldn’t be, or clamming up if the police showed up inquiring about a car, or repainting a car that had a little too much heat on it. As long as the money was there, he really didn’t care what happened before it got to him.

  Recker and Haley then drove to the office after leaving the car at the garage, letting Jones know to call the guy in the morning to let him know it was there. Once they paraded through the office, Jones stopped working as he looked at the pair coming in.

  “You two look like a sight,” Jones said.

  “I feel worse,” Recker replied, plopping down on the couch.

  Haley took another chair in the corner of the room, a recliner so he could put his feet up to relax.

  “So, what happened?” Jones asked.

  “It was an ambush, pure and simple,” Recker answered.

  “How? How could they have known we were there?”

  “Well, we were staking the place out for a few days. I have a feeling while we were watching for them, they were somewhere else watching us.”

  “So, they were just waiting for us to come along?”

  “That’s how I have it figured. Don’t know how else they could’ve done it.”

  “Nowak?”

  Recker shrugged, believing it was her, though he couldn’t prove it. “I dunno. My gut says it was, but I couldn’t definitely make anyone out, it was too dark.”

  “Cars too,” Haley said. “Nothing we’ve come across before.”

  “It’s her MO though. Everything about her, she’s sneaky, she ambushes, that’s what she’s always done from the minute she rolled into town.”

  “But that doesn’t make proof,” Jones said.

  “I don’t care,” Recker replied. “I don’t need proof. I know it was her.”

  “The question is, did she know it was us, or was she just trying to trap whoever she thought was staking out her new place?”

  �
��I don’t even care at this point. As far as I’m concerned, she’s declared war on us.”

  Jones noticed the small specks of blood on the sleeve of Recker’s shirt. “Did you get hit again?”

  Recker didn’t even look at his arm this time. “Just grazed my arm. No biggie.”

  “So, did they purchase this property, assuming that we would find it, hoping that something like this would happen? Or did they have genuine intentions on using, then noticed they were being watched, and decided to make the most of it?”

  “I have a hard time believing that they’d use the place again after this. Then again, they paid a lot of money for the property, didn’t they?”

  “They did.”

  “Be an expensive ambush.”

  “Especially one that didn’t work,” Haley said.

  “Must be aiming to do something with it.”

  17

  Over the next few days, Recker and Haley took turns driving by the property that they assumed Nowak bought. Assuming that they’d been watched the last time, they were there, they were uncomfortable staking the place out again, especially knowing that they didn’t realize they were being watched before. But this time, they’d just drive by to see if someone was there, or they’d sit and park for a few minutes before moving on. The back gate wound up getting repaired two days after Haley busted through it.

  Recker and Haley had just gotten back to the office after taking care of an intended robbery of a convenience store. Jones was at the refrigerator getting a bottled water when they came in the door.

  “How’d it go?” Jones asked.