Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Hammer was a creature of habit and always left the padlock with the brand name-marked side on top. Now it was facing down.
Dex shifted, about to approach, but Hammer gestured for him to stay away. A bad feeling spread through him like poison, and he was glad that Dex didn’t start an onslaught of questions. Hammer’s boy did as told, staying in the cold rain with his gun in hand.
Hammer looked up at the steel door.
Someone had opened and then closed it, which would make no sense if this were a burglary. Someone had specifically targeted Hammer. Someone with a grudge, who had recently been seen in town.
Hammer tried to calm himself when his heartbeat quickened, and he glanced at the front entrance. If Ryker managed to get in through the garage, he could have entered the house from there and easily closed the padlock before moving back inside.
If Dex hadn’t asked for them to use the garage, Hammer might have walked into the house, exhausted after this emotionally draining day, and not even noticed any strange presence before a bullet ended his life.
Hammer’s chest tightened around his heart when he realized that if Ryker wanted a fair fight, he’d have waited outside. Instead, he chose to sneak in, likely intent on executing him when Hammer was at his most vulnerable. In his sleep. Cooking. Watching a movie.
But if Hammer were him, he’d have struck in the garage, while the target was distracted by the bad weather and the task of tending to his motorcycle.
He dropped into a crouch and removed the padlock as the rain slowly turned his longish hair into damp tresses sticking to his face. Each movement he made was calculated, because Ryker had surely noticed that Hammer hadn’t arrived alone, and was likely weighing his options, not yet aware that his presence had been discovered.
Hammer swallowed and met Dex’s gaze, making a series of gestures in an attempt to communicate that he’d open the garage soon. Dex spread his arms in a universal signal for I don’t understand. It was only when Hammer urged him to duck behind the motorcycle with another gesture that he got the message and followed the order.
Good. It was late, and Hammer had no patience to play cat and mouse on his own property, so he took a deep breath and pushed the garage door up.
The single bulb in the middle of the crowded interior, most of which was used for storage, lit up in response to the movement, but Hammer’s gaze darted between tall blocks of shelves taken over by boxes, his work station, and the pile of firewood stored at the back. He didn’t see anything suspicious at first glance yet could smell the damn rat lurking in the shadows already.
“Show yourself!”
“Fuck you!” Ryker yelled from somewhere at the back of the garage, but Hammer was done waiting and rolled aside, to hide behind the wall right as the onslaught of bullets began. Going by the sound, Ryker only had a handgun.
As muddy water soaked into his pants, Hammer glanced at Dex, but the boy had stayed hidden behind the motorcycle, as asked.
“Be a good boy, Ryker!” Hammer shouted, but when he attempted to peek inside, a bullet chipped some of the plaster at the corner, where his head had just been.
Just great.
“Are you fucking kidding, you murderous psycho? My next bullet’s got your name on it!”
But Ryker’s voice sounded like a branch about to break under a great weight. He’d expected Hammer to arrive on his own, thought that the kill would be easy, but he had no practice in quiet assassinations and hadn’t known that things rarely went according to plan. Were Ryker as experienced as Hammer, he’d have been prepared to adapt, but since he was not, this one mistake that would cost him his life.
“Be reasonable. I could call your brother, and I’m sure he’d spare you once he sees what a pathetic mess you’ve become,” Hammer said, once again checking on Dex, who hid behind his bike, lying flat on the gravel.
This standoff was already taking way too long, and the longer Hammer allowed it to continue the greater the risk of escalation. It needed to stop. Now.
Sucking in air, Hammer pulled off his jacket and tossed it at the garage door. He winced when bullets swished, piercing the poor garment, only to come to a rapid stop that brought a smile to his face.
He shot up and dashed inside, intent on reaching the fucker before he could reload. Wide eyes met his from behind two boxes on the big storage shelf, but as he approached, Ryker pushed the ceiling-high contraption over, so it spilled its contents toward him. Hammer leapt back, unwilling to end up with a dumbbell embedded in the skull, but he was back on course the moment Ryker flashed on the other end of the garage, dashing for the door leading into the house.