Home Invasion - J. A. Johnstone [122]
The guy in the truck was doubled over, though, blood spurting between his fingers as he pressed his hands to his midsection. He toppled out of the vehicle and thudded to the street.
“Go!” Ford shouted to Bud from the ground. “Get in there and destroy that equipment!”
Bud was pale and terrified looking, but he jumped over the corpse and started climbing into the truck. Ford rolled over on his belly and lifted his rifle, hoping to be able to cover Parker, who lay unmoving on the asphalt now. Ford loosed several shots at a group of thugs who started toward the fallen agent.
Footsteps slapped on the pavement behind him. Ford glanced around, convinced he was about to be shot to pieces.
Instead, he saw Earl Trussell and Rye Callahan firing their rifles as they flanked him. Earl dropped to a knee beside him and shouted over the racket of gunfire, “Are you all right, you big gorilla?”
“Better now,” Ford yelled back. There was no time for explanations, so he added, “We gotta keep those bastards outta this truck!”
“They’ll have to come through us,” Callahan grated. He sprayed lead up the street at the invaders.
Earl suddenly looked up. “What th—Is that a helicopter I hear?”
Ford heard the distinctive eggbeater sound and knew Earl was right. A chopper was coming toward Home.
Had help somehow gotten here already?
CHAPTER 48
“Damn it, no!”
The woman’s angry shout made Jimmy and Eloise turned swiftly from the library window. They were shocked to see the blond reporter struggling with Clayton Cochrum. The lawyer had a pair of scissors he must have gotten from the librarian’s desk.
Worse that that, one of General Garaldo’s arms was free, and he was struggling to get the other ropes off himself.
“You son of a bitch!” Wilma yelled at Cochrum. “I didn’t think you’d really do it!”
She was grappling with him and had hold of his arms, but he suddenly pulled loose from her and struck her with a vicious backhanded blow that sent her sprawling back over one of the library tables.
That brought her within reach of Garaldo, who abandoned his efforts to free himself and lunged toward her instead, reaching out as much as he could while still tied in the chair. He grabbed her arm and jerked her into his lap. Wilma was too stunned by the blow Cochrum had landed to fight back until it was too late. Garaldo looped his arm around her neck and held her in front of him like a human shield.
Eloise had started to lift her rifle, but she stopped when she saw she couldn’t get a clear shot at the general. “Drop your guns!” Garaldo shouted. “Drop your guns and free me, or I snap her neck!”
“The hell I will!” Eloise yelled back at him. “Let that girl go!”
Garaldo smirked. “You will not shoot her, any more than you shot me when you had your chance.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Eloise warned. “All she and her kind ever do is tell lies about the American people.”
“All right, go ahead,” Garaldo taunted. “Those weapons will shoot right through her into me. Kill us both.”
Cochrum began circling, getting to the side where Eloise couldn’t cover both him and Garaldo.
“Watch him, Jimmy,” Eloise said.
“I don’t want to … shoot anybody,” Jimmy said.
“Neither do I, honey, but we may have to.”
“Look, just let the general go,” Cochrum urged. “Nobody else has to die here.”
“You weasel,” Eloise practically spat. “What’d you do, sell out to him?”
Garaldo laughed. “The counselor has been working for Rey del Sol all along. Who do you think paid him to represent Emilio Navarre?”
“Hey, those fees were paid by an anonymous donor interested injustice,” Cochrum protested.
Another harsh laugh came from Garaldo. “That was cartel money, and you know it. Now, take the gun away from that halfwit and let’s get out of here.”
“You shouldn’t call people names,” Jimmy scolded.
Cochrum held out a hand. “Gimme the gun, kid. You know you don’t want to hurt anybody. I’ll bet your parents always taught you to stay away from guns.”
“Well … they said