chances of you reproducing will be cut by at least a half. You get me?”
Russo made the grunt.
Healey grinned. “Oh, he’d just throw the bike onto the nearest roof.”
Alicia lined up with the far corner. When the fastest of their enemy showed his face she took aim, waited a few seconds, then opened fire. The man folded, blood spraying the wall at his back and the man to his right, whom Alicia also took out. There followed a momentary lull before a new weapon appeared, clasped in the hands of a man wearing full body armor.
“Shit. Are you kidding me? Is that a fucking Steyr?”
“Start running.” Russo rumbled and began to turn.
Alicia dived on top of him, dragging him to the ground. “It’s a tactical machine pistol, you idiot. Stay down or it’ll shred you to pieces.”
The Steyr burst into action, ripping through the car in a matter of moments, bullets passing straight through the torn metal. Their enemies ran hard under cover of the Steyr, crossing the road and approaching the area where Alicia, Healey and Russo were pinned down. The three twisted and covered up as best they could, rolling a short way down a sharp incline away from the side of the road and onto the grass-covered playing field.
But, prone as they were, when the well-armed pursuers flowed around both sides of the dead vehicle, Alicia and her two comrades didn’t stand a chance.
It was utter mayhem, utter devastation. Bullets chewed up the concrete and the soil and grass near the car. Lines of lethal lead stitched several haphazard paths of random death. Their only savior was that they had rolled out of the way, but now their enemies had seen them. Alicia fired back with Russo and Healey at her side, all three on their knees and with weapons held to their shoulders.
Men collapsed, tripping others; some were slammed back into the already devastated car. But there were too many; the stream kept coming. In another two seconds Alicia guessed the bullets would reach her.
Then another sound joined forces with the nightmare cacophony. Different caliber pistols, fresh gunfire. It came from behind Alicia. Without being able to turn she saw the oncoming men fall even harder and silently threw a grateful prayer toward Michael Crouch. The extra firepower deterred those attackers who hadn’t already committed themselves, giving Alicia the chance to scramble away.
The ditch was deeper than anyone anticipated. She flew ass over head, all the way down to the bottom, tangling with Healey and only just managing to get her head up at the bottom before seeing the mass of bodies rolling down toward her.
“Oh fu—”
NINE
Alicia ducked as the bodies slammed into her, forcing them over her lowered back and away. Still more came, some dead, some dying, tangled with others that were very much alive. Alicia fought to keep her balance, to keep her head above the growing jumble of arms and legs, whilst dodging out of the way of even more heavy, tumbling bodies.
At last the flow came to an end. Russo stood to her left, a man withstanding a tide, using the considerable strength in his arms and legs to divide the waters. In the end Alicia almost expected him to start beating his chest.
She fought to pull herself free, kicking with her legs, all efforts at grace or skill put aside. She used the cargo vest of a dead man to haul herself free, balancing on top of his body. Where the hell was Healey?
Russo was also searching the mass. Bullets still flew from Crouch’s position behind them, where they used the kids’ slide for cover. Alicia knew it was only a matter of moments before their enemies brought the guy with the Steyr forward.
One man rose before her. She headbutted him back down among his brethren. Another challenged Russo and found himself launched into the air, arms and legs flapping as if trying to fly. Alicia hopped from man to man, using their backs and chests as purchase.
“Healey!” Russo’s bellow surely woke half of Mexico