Page 57 of Terminal Voyage

I did.

“You insult me,” the ringleader said. He gave another nod to his comrade. In a split second, he would kill Vanessa.

My heart raced. My ears throbbed. My vision narrowed on the target.

I held my breath and squeezed the trigger.

DAK!

The unmistakable sound of an AK echoed through the jungle.

The rifle hammered my shoulder, and muzzle flash flickered from the barrel.

Smoke wafted.

My right ear rang.

Birds scattered.

My bullet ripped through the air and pelted the scumbag in the chest with a thump.

Blood spewed.

He twisted around and fell to the deck.

The two other goons looked dumbstruck for a moment, then scanned the jungle for the threat. It didn’t take long for them to key in on me and take aim.

A torrent of gunfire erupted.

Barrels lit up.

Bullets peppered the trees, chewing up leaves and bark.

I scampered for cover.

The distraction gave Kyle and Silas the opportunity to strike. They lunged to their feet and tackled the scumbags. Both with former military experience, they stripped the weapons from the dirtbags. With the tables turned, they put bullets into them.

The goons twitched and convulsed with each hit.

Bleeding out on the deck, they gasped and gurgled. Their last breaths finally left, and their bodies went still.

The jungle went quiet again.

With my heart sprinting, and my ears still ringing, I stood up and hurried down the trail to the others. My knees wobbled so much from nerves I could barely stand.

The others took in the carnage with wide eyes, still trembling in fear.

“Are you okay?” Declan asked as he rushed to Vanessa.

She nodded and squeezed him tight.

Silas looked at me in disbelief when I reached the deck. “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

I shrugged, still in a stupor. “A friend.”

“Sounds like a good friend to have. You saved our asses.” He still couldn’t believe it and had to chuckle.

Declan rushed to me and gave me a hug. “I take back everything I ever said about you.”