Page 24 of The Norcross Rescue

Gunfire ripped through the hallway, bullets slamming into the glass wall. It shattered in a rain of glass shards.

Vander ducked and moved to the far side of the table. He grabbed the can of air freshener and the lighter in his hands, his fingers tightening.

The men raced in. One sprayed the room with bullets, and they thumped into the floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

“Where is he?”

The men broke apart, circling the table.

Vander waited as one man moved closer to him. That’s it. Just a little bit closer.

Boots came into view.

Vander rose, sprayed the air freshener at the man’s face, and ignited it.

Flames engulfed the man’s head. He made a garbled sound, tearing at his pig mask. The smell of burning hair and melting plastic filled the air. The mask melted onto the man’s skin.

Vander kicked him and Pig hit the wall, screaming and tearing at his face. More gunfire lit up the darkened room.

Dropping, Vander rolled under the conference table.

“Matt!” the other man yelled. “Matt, are you all right?”

Matt, aka Pig, was sobbing.

Vander crawled under the table and whipped his stolen rifle up to fire. Rabbit sprayed more bullets around the room and Vander scuttled backward. Fuck. The idiot was going to kill them all.

Before Vander could pull the trigger, Rabbit jumped onto the table with a thump.

“You’re dead, asshole. You hurt my cousin. I’m going to kill you!”

Bullets ripped through the table.

Hell. Vander scrambled backward. More bullets tore through the wood, hitting the floor. Splinters peppered his face.

He rolled sideways and leaped to his feet. In a lightning-fast move, he whipped his gun up to fire.

Rabbit kicked it out of his hand, and it flew into the wall. Then, Rabbit threw himself at Vander.

They slammed together, Rabbit’s rifle trapped between their bodies and pointing upward. The man fired, bullets slamming into the ceiling.

Vander shoved hard. The gun flew onto the table, slid on the slick surface, and disappeared over the other side.

Rabbit was fast. He landed a kick to Vander’s chest, and Vander knocked the man’s leg away.

Vander straightened. “No need for you to get hurt, too. Stand down.”

“Fuck you, asshole! Where are my other friends?”

“Around. Two are breathing, but they won’t be coming to help you.”

Rabbit made an enraged sound. He snatched up one of the chairs from the table and swung it. Vander jumped back.

The chair swung again, and Vander ducked.

It slammed into the window and glass shattered, wind whistling inside.

Shit. Vander backed up. The gunfire had clearly weakened the hardened glass.