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Back The Neighborhood Save as PDF
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

Fewer than ten people remained on the pavilion, when more gunfire erupted from the north part of the hub, striking the crashed SUV and the steps to the pavilion. More screams, fire, and smoke rose into the night, and the newcomer fired his pistol at an unseen target.

He must have missed, as more gunfire peppered the front of the pavilion, just as Sam leapt up onto it and the twin flames closed in a circle of warm embrace behind her.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter
THIRTY-EIGHT

Before Brandon Harper had approached Griffin and Barrett, the two men on patrol had moved to the northeast side of the pavilion, and Zack had lost sight of the shooters behind the gigantic playground. He’d had to work his way to the right, slowly, through the edge of the woods, until he’d found a clear line of sight. By then, Brandon Harper was already engaged in a heated conversation with Griffin, which only heightened Zack’s concern, which was also when the SUV appeared. Zack had decided to break cover but held his position until the Explorer had passed.

When the SUV had reached Founder’s Circle and turned right, Zack had glimpsed the driver and was shocked to see the profile of his brother, Nick. He’d smiled at the knowledge that his brother, a formidable warrior in his own right, had been shrewd enough to realize that something unusual had happened at Hidden Refuge when all communications had been lost.

As Nick turned the Explorer right, Zack had no idea what his little brother was planning, and he didn’t care. His presence alone was a force multiplier on the suburban battlefield. That fact was enough to propel Zack into action, and he broke from the tree line just as Brandon Harper was shot in the chest. Zack skidded to a stop as he leapt off the curb onto the street. He estimated he was eighty to ninety yards away, and even with the howling winds, the odds favored him in the standing position to take Griffin down.

He might’ve had a chance to save Brandon, but the two combatants who’d been between the vans appeared in the EOTech scope, obstructing his view. He held his fire, as the two men hadn’t seen him and kept walking toward the pavilion, their heads turned to the drama playing out with their leader. If Zack fired, he’d be compromised, and he’d likely lose his shot at Griffin.

The two men cleared his scope, and Zack was afforded a view of Brandon Harper’s final act of valor and defiance as his former boss shot Griffin and was subsequently killed by Barrett Connolly. Zack’s mind recoiled in outrage and horror, and he prepared to fire, when the sound of more gunfire from the pavilion distracted him. So that’s your plan. Not very subtle, Nick.