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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

The tree snapped in the woods beyond the man just as he extended his hand toward Kevin. Even though Kevin didn’t see a weapon in the low-level illumination of the central area’s lights, the reverberating crack tricked his mind for the briefest of moments, which was, unfortunately, all it took.

Kevin Oliver squeezed the trigger of the Glock 17 and struck the man squarely in the center of his chest. He knew it was a kill shot even as the echo reverberated across the neighborhood.

The man’s momentum ceased, and his run turned to a slow walk, a look of confusion on his face. Less than ten feet from Kevin, the man looked down, took one more step, and looked back up at Kevin.

“I’ll wake up soon,” the old man muttered, sending a chill across Kevin’s back, and collapsed face-first to the damp grass.

The screams of agony and loss erupted immediately, as the man’s family members rushed across the lawn, their panicked cries of concern louder than the wind.

“Oh shit. You just killed a civilian, dude,” said Kevin’s partner.

“Shut the fuck up. I know,” Kevin replied, and grabbed the radio off his vest. “Whiskey Six, this is Whiskey Four. We have a problem.”

More car doors opened and closed, and Kevin felt the confused gaze of people directed at him. He sensed people moving away from the area as well, likely fleeing the sudden violence for the sanctuary of their homes. Train accident or not, he couldn’t blame them. “Shit,” his partner said. “We have to get this under control, or this whole thing goes sideways fast.”

Kevin knew Barrett was going to be furious, but he hadn’t had a choice. The man had charged him, and he’d thought he’d had a gun. Even as adrenaline coursed through his veins, he cursed the gods that he’d been forced into this situation.

A calm voice erupted from his radio, and Barrett issued the one order all of the contractors knew but hoped they wouldn’t hear: “Understood. Commence lockdown. I say again, commence lockdown.”

Chapter Ten

Chapter
TEN