The Hard Way Duncan Brockwell (romance book recommendations .TXT) 📖

as you’re damn well told. I’m the sarge here, not you. If I say you’re blowing her brains out, you’ll do it, or we’ll bury you with her, Luke. Am I clear? You either put a bullet in her, or I put a hole in you.”

“This is fucking ridiculous. Look at you all, acting like the thugs you swore to protect the public from. I’m ashamed of you, Sarge,” chirped the farmer. “And when this is dead and buried, I want you all off my property.”

Turning the gun on the farmer, Sarge ordered him to shut up. “You won’t see us again after this night, ever. But we need to finish it.” Sarge handed Walker the pistol. “Take it! Shoot her in the forehead, or I’ll put one in your brain, got it?”

“You don’t need to do this, Luke. It’s not too late to let me go.” Demirci’s eyes pleaded with him not to kill her.

Walker narrowed his eyes, unable to believe how his evening had turned on him. He was now accessory to a double murder, about to commit his first. He’d have laughed if someone told him he would murder someone tonight. He took hold of the pistol.

“For fuck’s sake, just kill her already,” Zuccari hissed. “Put her out of her misery, before I do it for you.”

When he raised the gun at Demirci, she cried. Her eyes begged him not to kill her. His hand shook. Every particle in his body defied him, preventing him from pulling the trigger, knowing he was committing a damnable offence. And just because he didn’t go to church, didn’t mean he was a non-believer. Thou Shalt Not Kill, simple as that.

“Please, you don’t have to do this. You’re better than them.”

“Shut up, you scum,” Walker growled, pulling the hammer back. “You had those radio presenters killed, didn’t you? You had the owner murdered.”

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she shook her head again. “I didn’t. I needed Henry Curtis. He was making me lots of money; why would I have him killed?”

Walker was confused. “Then why have Zuccari on the payroll snooping around Rachel’s case? Why the interest in it?”

“Because I’m their prime suspect. It pays to have ears close to an investigation when you’re that deep into a case. I needed to know what was going on. I didn’t pay to have them killed, Luke, you have to believe me.”

Confused, the gun started shaking in his hand.

“This is boring, give me that,” Zuccari hissed. He grabbed the gun out of Walker’s hand and stepped towards Demirci. “Lights out time, bitch!”

Walker rushed at Zuccari, too late, as his “colleague” pulled the trigger and the shock of it made Melodi Demirci’s body fall backwards. “No!” Too late, he stared down at the dark red mark in the centre of her forehead, and the blood pooling around her head.

“Now that’s over with, can we get on with burying these scumbags? I’ve got plans tonight.” Vodicka grabbed a shovel off the wall of the barn and launched it at Walker. “You’ve done nothing to help so far, get shovelling.”

He couldn’t believe only half an hour earlier, he’d have laid his life on the line for her. Now? He wanted to pummel that face. Respect to hatred in the space of a night. How was that even possible? His whole unit were now accessories to a triple murder.

56

Breathless, Miller stopped and leaned against a tree in the dark, the woods lit by moonlight only. Sight wouldn’t do her any good here, hearing was her best friend. Picking up rustling behind her, she held her breath, listening.

A twig snapped. Her attacker mumbled a curse.

His footsteps grew louder.

With her butterfly knife in one hand, and cosh in the other, her weapons wouldn’t stand for anything if he managed to fire his pistol. Talk about bringing a knife to a gunfight!

When she thought he was close enough, she followed him around the tree, until she stood behind him. Seizing her chance, Miller pulled the cosh behind her, ready to swing through him, when he caught her off-guard with a back kick to the chest.

Being thrown back, and falling, the shock made her drop her knife.

On the mud on her back, she readied herself for his assault.

Deep, fast footsteps caught her attention.

Her assailant stared down at her, his pistol trained on her.

The fast footsteps made him look up. “What the hell is–”

Miller swung her cosh along the ground, as it caught his shin. A loud groan preceded a body leaping through the air, landing on her assailant. She got to her feet in record time, only noticing the bound hands behind Shin’s back. It was the other assailant!

“Miller!” Hayes’ voice reached her before her partner did. When Hayes arrived, she was out of breath. “Are you okay? I was scared there for a minute.” Her partner stepped up to the fallen duo. “Drop it! Don’t even think about it!”

Beneath Bound Guy, Miller’s assailant dropped the gun. Hayes stepped in and kicked it out of the way. “Right, does one of you want to spill why you’re trying to kill us? Come on, don’t be shy. Because one way or another, we’re getting answers from you two geniuses. Honestly, Miller, how thick can you get?”

“Fuck you!” spat Bound Guy, who lay on top of the other. “We’re not telling you shit!” He yelled in the other’s face, until Miller’s assailant rolled him off. “Let us go, or we’re going to fucking kill you.”

Miller glanced at Hayes and smiled. “Yeah, I don’t know if you’re keeping up with current events, but you’re in no position to bark orders at us.” She took out a second pair of cuffs, bent down and put them around his ankles roughly, making sure they hurt. “You big dummy. Whoever hired you to kill all these people, I hope you gave them a discount; you’re the worst hitmen ever.”

Bound Guy told her to fuck herself once more.

With a sigh, she said, “And you set the