Page 52 of Wild Temple

“You’re going about this all wrong,” I said. “What are you going to do? Beat us to a pulp and hope we tell you the truth? I want the girls back. You want the map. We can work something out where everybody wins.”

“I’ve got news for you. We’re past the point where you win. You killed some of my best people.”

“Obviously, they weren’t your best,” I muttered.

That was probably the wrong thing to say. Slim’s jaw clenched with fury. He cocked the hammer back, ready to strike. I braced for impact.

This was going to hurt.

30

The door burst open, and blistering rounds of copper spewed.

Muzzle flash flickered, and gun smoke wafted.

Brass shell casings danced on the floor, and the deafening report echoed off the tin walls.

The bullets chewed up Slim before he could swing the hammer. It fell from his grasp and clanked against the floor as his body twitched with each bullet hit. His chest cratered, and crimson gushed.

The two goons drew their weapons before Slim hit the floor. They took aim, but the phantom at the door cut their plans short.

With tactical precision and controlled bursts, he dropped the two dirtbags before they could get a shot off.

The two flopped to the ground, writhing and moaning. They sucked breaths of air as their lungs filled.

Soon, the room went still.

All was quiet except for the hissing in my ears.

Backlit by the brilliant sun, the phantom stepped into the shack—Rex had saved the day.

I gave him a curious look. “How’d you find us?”

“Brooke saw your arrest and begged me to help your dumb asses.”

That didn’t really answer my question about how he found this location.

I managed to get on my feet, my hands still cuffed behind my back.

My fingers dug my keys from my pocket, which had a standard cuff key on them. Rex took the keys and released my cuffs, then freed JD.

I rubbed my wrists and slipped the handcuffs into my pocket. I figured they might come in handy later. Rex tossed my keys back. They jingled through the air. I caught them and slipped them back into my pocket.

Rex was decked out with a short-barreled M4 with a suppressor. He wore a tactical vest with all kinds of goodies—flash-bang grenades, smoke canisters, fragmentation grenades. Iknewthe guy could get his hands on all kinds of tactical gear.

He didn't look too pleased about the situation.

"I guess I owe you one," I said.

"I knew you two were going to be trouble from the minuteyou walked into my bar.” His eyes glanced at his handiwork. The three goons lay in a pool of blood.

"How deep are you involved in all this?" I asked.

Rex gave me a somber look. It was painful for him to say, but after a long hesitation, he muttered, "I didn't have a choice."

"We all have a choice," I said, trying not to sound too judgmental.

"I just wanted to open a bar, serve drinks, enjoy paradise, and relax. Is that too much to ask? But you can't do anything around here without a local business partner. And that means doing business with Caspian Vorn and this asshole," he said, pointing to Slim.