Read Online Carolina Rain by Rick Murcer - Free Book Online

both. Maybe it was adrenaline—or the most potent of all instincts: survival—that helped him deliver the blow or maybe even God’s providence. Whatever the reason, his wannabe killer now writhed on the tiled floor, screaming in agony. Her focus was on her tibia which now pr o truded through the side of her bloodstained uniform pants. As she’d reached for her leg, the gun had skittered a few feet from her hand and , as luck would have it, just an arm’s length from him.
    Closing his eyes in anticipation of the intense pain that was coming next, Manny twisted his body to the left, arm stretched. He heard another yell and then realized it had come from him. His desperate reach had sent his pain to a new height . He gave his best effort to shut it out and continued stretching for the gun. Two inches, then one. He began to lose count of the little colored dots which tangoed in front of his eyes as his strength suddenly disappeared. He wasn’t going to make it.
    Like hell I’m not .
    Opening his eyes, he gave one last thrust forward and felt the cold steel of the .38 caress his fingers and then climb into his hand. The coolness of the weapon felt virtuous and seemed to stimulate the rest of him as his strength rejoined him.
    Manny turned over on his back, sweat dripping from his face and running into his eyes, but he clutched the weapon like a new toy at Christmas. It felt serene and smooth to his touch; he liked it. It dawned on him that he’d missed the feel of his own Glock in his hand. He gripped the gun a little tighter. Hell would freeze over before he gave it up.
    Footsteps clattered down the hall and his sense of relief was just short of enormous . Susan must have gone for help . R ight now, there was nothing he wanted more.
    Manny frowned. While he adored the sound of the c avalry, he realized that the screaming from the security guard had stopped. She was crawling just a few feet away, a jagged blade held tightly in her blood i ed hand.
    “I’m . . . I’m still going to kill you, Williams. You don’t deserve . . . deserve to live for what you . . . did,” she hissed through her clenched jaw.
    The look on her face said that she was crazy and her intentions were even more insane. But g ood God, he had a gun, and by the sound of the voices echoing from down the hall , help would be here any second.
    “Don’t be stupid. This will only end badly for you. Put down the knife.”
    Then he pointed the gun in the direction of her face.
    Her smile was unnerving. “That didn’t shoot, remember?”
    “Do you want to take a chance it won’t this time?” he said, breathing hard. He suddenly felt lightheaded. His hand began to quiver and the .38 felt like a five-hundred-pound weight. His sight had become blurry . H e knew he’d never be able to pull the trigger. The next second, the gun and his arm hit the floor. His attacker crawled even closer. He tried to raise the gun again , but it only came halfway up, then hit the floor a gain .
    “You’re a dead man.”
    The swoosh was noticeable as something sped by his ear. Close. Far too close. There was another scream that brought him back to the world of the conscious. He glanced at his assailant and saw a pink throwing star buried deep in her chunky bicep. He smiled a tired smile. Damn, t he girl is good at that.
    Sophie sprinted past him, cuffed the would-be guard , and th en kneeled down to Manny’s left. Chloe showed up on his right.
    “You okay, man?” said Chloe, worry lacing her voice.
    “Yeah, what she said,” said Sophie.
    “I’m fine.”
    “Your chest is bleeding, though,” said Chloe.
    Looking down, Manny noticed the small red bloom directly above the incision.
    “Okay. Maybe not that fine. But I think I’ll live.”
    “You’d better,” said Chloe softly. She put her hands on the sides of his face and kissed him, then again, the second one lingering longer. He had almost forgotten how soft her lips were. Not to mention the fire that seemed to