Joshua (Book 2): Traveler Read Online Free Page B

the broken storefront. Rob hit the ground at a sprint, dashed across the street into the alley and made it to cover as a single shot rang out. The bullet was ten feet behind him. Then he got back on the radio again, “Jackal, from your position can you still see all the windows?”
    McCain had watched it all from the opposite end, “Yes, we can see all of them.”
    “Okay, just continue watching them for now.”
    He turned to the husband; D’Cruz and Cornwell held him while Rob tried to talk some sense into the man, “I want to have a sane conversation. You think you can talk without screaming or name calling ... or cussing or spitting?”
    The man gave a nod.
    “D’Cruz, let him go. You know you’re going to get your wife killed, you know that, don’t you?”
    “You’ll kill her anyway ... if you get a hold of her. No telling what you monsters would do to her. But you won’t get her. She’s a good shot, she’ll kill all of you before you get anywhere near her.”
    “I told you I don’t want to hurt anyone ...”
    “You’ll excuse me if I don’t believe you. I’ve seen your kind before, and I’ve seen what you do to people, especially women. So no, I don’t believe it when you say you won’t hurt us.”
    Rob was frustrated, and it showed, “Okay, I can see it’s no good talking to you. D’Cruz.”
    D’Cruz shut him up again.
    He thought things over and after a moment Rob got back on his radio, “Jackal, do you still have some of those incendiary shotgun rounds?”
    McCain was quick with a reply, “You mean those ‘Dragon’s breath’ rounds? Yeah, I’ve still got some.”
    “From where you’re at, can you put some through one of the Main Street windows? You think you could set the curtains on fire?”
    “Yes, I could do that, It’ll have to be the window furthest from you. I’ve got a much better shot at that one. Do you want me to kill the woman when she tries to put out the fire?”
    “No! Don’t kill anyone. Just set the curtains on fire. Give me five seconds and do it.” Rob grabbed him by his collar and all of them moved the husband to the front edge of the alley, barely peeking around the corner. “Watch this.”
    Just at the designated time, McCain stepped out around an old van with his favorite weapon, a well-worn Remington 870 with the barrel professionally cut down to twelve and a half inches. Without delay, he shouldered it and began; it threw a stream of fire thirty-five feet right through the window. After rapidly shooting four rounds, McCain dropped back down out of sight.
    He made the husband watch the horror of it all and immediately dragged him back into the alley. Then Rob’s men held him against the wall and kept his mouth shut. Rob seized the man by the neck and got right in his face. “You’re going to get her killed. You’re going to get her shot ... or worse; you ever see somebody burn to death? It’s not pretty. It’s not quick, and it’s not painless. Now imagine watching the woman you love dying like that. This is your last chance to get out of this alive. I’m giving you this chance because I made a promise. If you’re smart you’ll take it. I know you’ve seen ‘my kind’ before so you don’t have any real reason to take my word for it, but you better. And this is it. I’m giving you my word that you or your wife will not be hurt if you give up now. You can either take my word for it, or we can go back around the corner and you can watch your wife die.”
    Rob got back on the radio again, “Jackal, what’s going on?”
    McCain answered, “She put out the fire. I had a perfect shot but now she’s stepped back from the window.”
    Rob turned to the husband again, “What’s it going to be? D’Cruz, let him go.”
    Mister Whitman was beaten at last, “Okay, I guess I don’t have a choice.”
    “No, you really don’t.”
    The husband talked his wife down and the two to them were searched and tied to street signs, sitting on the sidewalk