Read Online Undeclared War by Dennis Chalker - Free Book Online

first glance, Nicholas and Amman Murat didn’t look like brothers at all. Amman was taller than his bother as well as being a bodybuilder. Heavy muscles covered Amman’s frame, and he liked to use his strength to solve problems. His mean streak was satisfied when he helped enforce his cousin’s directives. And he knew that Paxtun was in charge.
    Nicholas Murat was the physical opposite of his brother, but no less mean. His smaller size was balanced out by being much faster than most people. Nicholas hadn’t put his speed to use learning a martial art. Instead, he had developed a taste for and skill in the use of firearms. Taste would be something of an understatement. Nicholas was fascinated by guns, all kinds of guns. He made up for his slight stature by using large and powerful weapons. And he kept up on the latest developments in the firearm market.
    Moving into the office from his usual position near the outside door, Nicholas came to see whatPaxtun wanted. Not being one to speak a lot, the gunman waited quietly for his boss to speak to him.
    â€œNicholas,” Paxtun asked, “what’s the hottest piece of firepower on the market at this moment?”
    â€œThat would depend on what you mean, boss,” Nicholas said, “hand-held, vehicle mounted, what?”
    â€œSomething an individual could use for an assault.”
    â€œWell, there’s an outfit down in North Carolina that’s making a pump-action 40mm grenade launcher. They’re reproducing one from the Vietnam War.”
    â€œA grenade launcher?” Paxtun said. “No, that would have too many ammunition supply problems for what I’m thinking of. Besides, North Carolina is too far away to consider. Anything made closer to here?”
    â€œThere’s just been an article published in Small Arms Review about a full-automatic shotgun going on the market,” Nicholas said as he warmed to his subject. “It was demonstrated earlier this year down in Florida at the SHOT show. It’s called the Jackhammer. Ten-round magazine and a really short overall package. Hottest piece of hand-held firepower there is right now, and the company making it isn’t more than an hour’s drive from here, somewhere up near Port Huron.”
    â€œDo you have that magazine available?”
    â€œYes,” Nicholas said, “I was just reading it a while ago.”
    â€œCould you get it for me please?” Paxtun said.
    As Nicholas left the room, Paxtun sat with a pensive smile on his face. “A machine shotgun,” he said. “That would be just the weapon for a fast raiding party. Its effective range would be pretty short compared to a rifle, but close-in, it would rip a target apart.”
    Quickly returning with an issue of Small Arms Review in his hands, Nicholas laid the magazine down on the desk in front of Paxtun. Pointing to the cover, he said, “They must have thought a lot about this weapon themselves, they mentioned the article right on the cover. I marked the page for you there.”
    Flipping the magazine open to the indicated page, Paxtun just looked at the picture that led off the article. It showed a large man holding a very futuristic-looking weapon. Nicholas took Paxtun’s intent look at the article as showing interest in the weapon.
    â€œThis was written by Matt Smith,” Nicholas said, “he says he was at the demonstration firing. That’s it, the Jackhammer Mark 3-A3 shotgun. It’s only thirty-one inches overall length. That’s barely more than an inch longer than a military M4 carbine with the stock collapsed. And the bullpup design puts the firing mechanism behind the trigger group, that lets the weapon have nearly a twenty-one-inch-long barrel and still be very compact. It’s short enough to hide under a coat.
    â€œThat big drum at the rear holds ten rounds of twelve-gauge ammo. With magnum 00 buckshot, that’s twelve pellets downrange for