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 round flattened Barret to the ground, and he shouted, “Mother . . . fucker!” as he writhed in pain and rolled over to confront his attacker. His right hand was darkened with blood, where either the bullet or a piece of the Glock had struck him.

Nick stared at the man who’d terrorized his brother’s neighborhood, a man responsible for two innocent deaths, as well as the deaths of his own entire assault force. The amount of blood on his head was staggering, and Nick had one question for him. “I just need to know, was it all worth it?” he asked curiously, the Glock steady.

The pure expression of rage and hatred contradicted the quiet, condescending level of his voice as Barrett answered. “Who the hell are you? Another resident we overlooked? It’s bad enough we royally screwed up and missed that Chambers guy.”

“That Chambers guy is my brother, and you’re lucky he didn’t come for you, because you wouldn’t be breathing right now. But he’s got some personal matters to attend to with your boss, and I’m sure he’s making the most of it.”

Barrett laughed hard and looked up at the swaying canopy of trees. “Of course you are. That’s just fucking tremendous. Why am I not surprised?” His laughter ceased. “So, what’s your backstory? I just have to know.”

Nick considered how to answer, wondering why it even mattered. “Former Special Forces and US Marshall on their Fugitive Task Force. So running through the woods isn’t new to me, although hunting domestic terrorists in suburbia is. But it’s irrelevant. Question-and-answer time is over. Now, get up. We’re getting out of here. While I considered putting a bullet in the back of your head while you were on your knees, I think justice is better served if you stand trial for the entire world to see what you’ve done.”

Barrett stared hard at Nick, his eyes transforming from sparkling malevolence to a flat-black matte, devoid of all emotion, and Nick understood precisely why his brother had referred to him as psychotic. No matter how functional he’d been throughout his life, standing before Nick was a broken man whose apathy was now his driving force, which made him extremely dangerous. He’s going to fight or force you to kill him. You have seconds before he strikes.

“Don’t do it. I won’t hesitate to shoot you. You have to know that,” Nick said, his voice reflecting the seriousness with which he commanded.