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 gunman looked up at the last moment and saw a dark shape rush at him from under the play-set clubhouse. He had no time to react as he was struck with a tremendous impact that moved him sideways, knocked the breath out of him, and slammed him into the back of the steps that led up to the clubhouse floor. The Glock he held had been knocked out of his hands, and he tried to wrap his arms, to no avail, around his attacker.

The tackle would’ve made Zack’s college football coach at the University of Michigan proud, but it wasn’t enough to end the fight, and Zack wasn’t about to risk the boy’s life. He wanted to end the confrontation immediately. As the two men bounced off the wall, Zack pressed the suppressor against the man’s chest and fired. He felt the impacts, momentarily forgetting the gunman was wearing a vest but reminded of it when a blow caught him in the right jaw. Was worth a shot, he thought, and felt another strike catch him in the ribs. The two punches were enough to stop his momentum. Fine. Have it your way. Zack raised the pistol to the man’s head, but his attacker regained his situational awareness, grabbed the pistol, and moved it aside as Zack fired.

The bullet tore chunks from beneath the play-set clubhouse, spraying the two men with splinters, although the gunman caught most of the debris due to his proximity to the muzzle. The Glock wouldn’t move, and Zack found himself in a struggle with an opponent who matched his strength, if not his abilities. Okay, sport. Deal with this. Zack fired several more shots, pulling the trigger until the weapon emptied, and he felt the slide lock backward. Each shot sent a spray of sharp, wooden shards down upon them, but it was the gunman who took the worst of it, as Zack had closed his eyes and looked away.

Zack was rewarded with a loud and genuine shriek of pain, and he smiled inwardly. Must have caught him in the eyes. Too bad for him. Good for you.

Zack released the useless weapon and delivered an uppercut that landed squarely under the man’s chin. He felt the jarring blow and heard a hard thump as the top of the gunman’s head was driven into the bottom of the platform. The man started to fall forward, and Zack grabbed the edge of the Kevlar vest at both armholes. He pivoted to his left and flung the man to the ground. He hit the side of the hanging tire and bounced off it like a pinball, crashing to the dark earth, yet somehow still had a little fight left in him. He scrambled forward, escaping the underside of the clubhouse.