Page 113 of Triple Threat

“I saw him crawl,” the other said. “Ajahi wants him alive if we can get him.”

“We want him first, dead or alive,” the woman said. “We have to pay out if the Ivans or the Wongs get any of them.”

“Fuck them foreigners,” the older man said, sniffing closer to where I was. “And this was a sharper outfit before General Snail-Eater started letting you broads in.”

“Shut the fuck up, Grab-ass, and find the hitman,” she hissed at him.

He came around the island and looked at me, his eyes lighting up. “Smile for the flash, asshole,” I said and covered my face. He took a step toward me and the mine concealed in the island went off. For what seemed like forever there was only a painful high-pitch tone in my ears and I couldn’t focus my eyes. Grab-ass was sitting against the counter opposite the island, covered in blood. He was moving slowly, his hands tangled in his own entrails. He picked up something and looked at it with his one remaining eye.

It took me a second to focus and realize he was holding what was left of his manhood.

The other two came toward me, from the other direction. I lift the gun and put two rounds in the chest of the first figure, then fired three toward the second blob I assumed as a person. Then I dropped the gun, my hand aching.

“C’mon, get up, mate.”

“Conan?” I asked. He hooked his hands under my arms and pulled me up to my feet.

“Yeah, it’s me, we’ve got thirty seconds to get to the Bat Cave, because she’s alone in there.” I felt my legs jerk as I forced them to move. I half stumbled; half walked back to the door. There were bodies everywhere and shouting outside. Once inside, he slammed the door and pulled the lever engaging the four steel locking arms. It would take a demolition team to get through that door.

“It’s bad,” I said, looking up at the two of them.

“Sadie, check him, make sure he hasn’t been shot,” Roan said. “I have to see what’s left of the defenses.”

She pulled my vest off and grimaced. “There is a lot of blood.”

“Is it his?” he asked.

“I don’t know!” She sounded panicked I touched the side of her face and her eyes met mine. I willed her to be still. She sucked in a sharp breath and got ahold of herself.That’s my girl.“I’m not finding any entry or exit wounds,” she said, finally.

“My arm, thigh, grazed me,” I said. My voice felt like it was coming from the bottom of a barrel. She had a first aid kit and started dabbing at the wounds.

“I think it’s time to start evac,” Roan said gravely.

“There are three boats out in the water,” I said. “The woman mentioned the Chinese, I think they are Triad ships, they have at least a fifty-cal. Damn near busted the bay window with it.”

“That’s not great,” Roan said. “But we have a cure for that.”

“What in the hell is that?” Sadie asked as he opened a hard case.

“Javelin missile launcher,” Roan said. “Only slightly expensive, and four missiles.”

“You two, take these, carry them down to the boat, I’ll be right behind you,” he said.

“You might be in better shape to carry things, bro,” I said. I could feel my legs trembling, and I knew I didn’t have much in me.

“Yeah, but you’re in no shape to hold the rear,” he said, his eyes like emerald ice.

“Goddamnit, Roan, this isn’t the time,” I said through gritted teeth.

“This is precisely the time, mate,” he said. “The general is out there, and he has all of his goddamn wankers with him, even that blonde one, the poisoner. And I think I know why they’re fired up to kill all of us.” Even Sadie looked up at that.

“Why?” she asked for me.

“Because the old man in Oasis, that was Bertrand Chauvignon, Guillame’s younger brother. We got thrown into the middle of a family feud where we were supposed to go down. You were supposed to be killed in Texas, and then they would come back together and get rid of me.”

“Fucking frogs,” I grimaced.

“Aye, bloody fucking frogs,” he said. “Now here’s what is going to happen. You and Poppet are going to get your asses down that tunnel, and start the boat, and then we’re going to get out of here.”

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