BooksBarbecue
Back The Neighborhood
Chapters (59)
  1. Part I Reconnaissance
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Part II Incursion
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Part III Under Siege
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Part IV Course Correction
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Part V Balance of Power
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-One
  27. Chapter Twenty-Two
  28. Chapter Twenty-Three
  29. Chapter Twenty-Four
  30. Chapter Twenty-Five
  31. Chapter Twenty-Six
  32. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  33. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  34. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  35. Part VI Spy versus Spy
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Part VII Winds of War and Flame
  41. Chapter Thirty-Four
  42. Chapter Thirty-Five
  43. Chapter Thirty-Six
  44. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  45. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  46. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Chapter Forty-One
  49. Part VIII Strong to the Finish
  50. Chapter Forty-Two
  51. Chapter Forty-Three
  52. Part IX Spy Games
  53. Chapter Forty-Four
  54. Chapter Forty-Five
  55. Chapter Forty-Six
  56. Part X What Goes Around
  57. Chapter Forty-Seven
  58. Chapter Forty-Eight
  59. About the Author

The front right corner smashed into the legs of the first shooter, who screamed upon impact, although his scream didn’t last long. The force placed on the lower half of his body caused the top half to smash forward face-first onto the hood of the SUV, breaking his nose, jaw, and cheekbones.

The second man received a slightly less painful but no less lethal impact as the passenger mirror slammed into his chest and shattered his sternum with blunt force.

As the SUV skidded to a halt almost immediately upon impact, both men were flung off the Explorer. The first man, whose legs had been shattered and face ruined, was propelled backward into the steps, and the base of his head struck the edge of a step, crushing his skull and vertebrae, leaving him to die unconscious. The second shooter was flung backward and upward, as if he’d been shot out of a cannon. He flew up and over the stairs, spinning to his right from the blow to his chest. He nearly cleared the landing, but his right foot caught the lip of the top step, violently ending the flight of the gunman. Temporarily anchored to the pavilion, he slammed down to the surface as though pushed from above and behind. Unfortunately for him, he hadn’t released the M4, and as he struck the pavilion floor, his throat slammed down on the top of the red-dot scope with enough force to rupture his trachea and obstruct his airway. He convulsed on the floor as he began to suffocate, spasming in unspoken agony during the final moments of his life.

Sam sat up in the seat and looked out the window at the pandemonium inside the pavilion.

As the two gunmen had opened fire on the SUV, the residents had stood up as one and inched closer to the sole shooter who held them at bay. The crash and violent deaths of his two partners in crime had caused him to look away from the throng just feet from him. The last shooter turned toward the SUV, swinging the M4 down and around toward Sam, which was when Sam saw Ben for the first time that night, and her heart leapt at the sight of him.

He was just behind the shooter, creeping forward. She realized his intent, and her mind panicked in fear for him. She grabbed the handle to open the door, to shout at him to stop what he was about to do, and pulled the release just as her boyfriend launched himself at the gunman.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter
THIRTY-SEVEN