Page 62 of Jacqueline's Quest

Chapter 9

Murray coughed. The ringing in his ears annoyed him as he surveyed the area before shutting them again, desperate to block out the intense flash of light from another flash-bang.What in the fuck happened? How did I get on the floor? The events leading up to being thrown from his chair by the concussive blast and onto the floor of the club were foggy at best. The last thing he remembered was the second sub—a guy had been up on the platform kneeling in front of the gathered audience, waiting for the auction to begin once more and then...

Nothing.

He pried his eyes open, but all he saw was spots of colors. None of it made sense. A voice from far away called his name. He tried to focus on it, but his head pounded, and his ears were plugged up. The buzzing ring filling his head drove him to the brink. If he could focus for a second, catch his bearings, maybe he could figure out what the fuck happened. He patted the floor around him, but there was nothing there.Hannah. Jaqueline.Fear and adrenaline got his heart pumping, pushing back some of the fog clogging his mind. He couldn’t lose either of them. Not when he’d been reunited with his sister after so long.

“Murray!” The voice was clearer now. “Answer me, damn it.”

He groaned, pushing himself off the floor. He coughed hard, knocking more of the cobwebs loose. “What the fuck.”

"Thank fuck," Noah said. "I thought I lost all of you. Those fucking Federales double-crossed us. Someone ratted us out."

It didn't make sense. Did someone rat them out? Someone told the Federales what they were doing? Weren't they the good guys too? "Can't find Jaqueline."

“I gotcha buddy, but right now, I need you to get up off your ass and get to work. You’re pinned down and these bastards aren’t stopping anytime soon.” The gruff determination in Noah’s voice snapped Murray out of his stupor.

“Yeah, heard you the first time.” He got to his feet and the world spun. Murray sucked air as he gut-checked himself. The noise around him startled him as haziness in his head began to clear.

Screams from those injured in the explosion surrounded him. The sheer chaos was enough for him to lose his shit. People shoved and pushed their way into the tunnel leading to the exit, while those Federales not with Noah picked them off one at a time. Life was life. None of them deserved to die. No matter who they were, Federales weren't judge, jury or executioners for those people. However, it would appear, whoever paid off the Federales, didn't care. This was a cleanup for them. To make all of Raul's business dealings disappear. Or, perhaps, something more nefarious.

Murray took a step and his knees buckled, causing him to have to brace himself on the wall beside him. They must have been closer to the impact of the explosion than he thought. His heart hammered and his head swam. Concussions big or small were shitty at best and he knew the signs, nonetheless, he couldn't stop. People were counting on them. He pushed off the wall and put one foot in front of the other. The more he moved the easier it was to think. As he hurried across the debris, he covered his face as a canister was thrown into the middle of the room.

"Flashbang! Flashbang!" Noah yelled.

Son of a Bitch. When he found the bastard who sold them out, he was going to take his time killing them. He crouched and turned away from the blast. When he was clear, he stood again and continued running to the right. He didn’t know where he was going or what he’d find there, but being in the middle of the room was going to get him killed.

Thepop, pop, popof semi-automatic weapons drew his attention to the entrance of the building where a Bearcat had breached the building. A second Humvee had been parked catty-corner to it and both of the turrets were open. Two men wearing Federales uniforms picked people off left and right. If they were going to get out of there alive, those two be the first to go down.

“Do you have the shot,” Murray shouted.

“Fuckers keep using their vehicles as cover. I’ve almost got their timing down.” The crack of his sniper rifle sounded as another man fell near the entrance of the building. “Once I get them, make your move.”

"I'm kind of not dressed for this shit," Murray muttered. "At least I have boots on or else I'd be fucked."

“Fuck,” Noah snarled.

“Hey!”

Murray's attention snapped in the direction the voice came from. There stood Oscar. His shirt had blood and grime on it. There was a cut above his eye and if Murray didn't know any better, he'd been shot in the left shoulder. "What the fuck you want?"

The man threw an AR-15 at Murray then smirked. “Think you can do some damage?”

Fuck yeah, he could. “On it.” He found a space where he could hide while also taking out the enemy. He glanced at Oscar who’d joined him. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Santiago Velasquez,” the man said. “Sorry about earlier.”

Murray didn't know if he wanted to beat the shit out of the guy or hug him. Instead, he focused his ire at the group of Federales infiltrating the club. "You're an asshole."

“So I’ve been told,” Santiago said. “If we don’t get some support soon, we’re going to be fucked.”

“Going to be?” Murray popped his head up and began firing again. “I think we already are. Where’s my sister and Jaqueline?”

“Jaqueline safe, I have her in a room.” Santiago peeked around the corner of their hiding place and took out two more men. “I did the best I could considering. I couldn’t find Hannah.”

“She’s out there somewhere?” The accusation hung heavy between them.

“I’m sorry. We got separated. Not like I was expecting the whole front of the building to come down on us,” Santiago snarled. “What happened to the plan?”

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