Our walk soon turned into a jog. I practically leaped into the rear of the truck where, sure enough, Scott had my gear waiting for me. The only thing protecting me from the incoming storm was the lightweight cloth of a canopy over the rear. Suffice to say that Scott was counting on my instincts more than the canopy to protect me.
I’d barely gotten everything into one corner of the trunk when the truck accelerated forward, almost knocking me on my face. Thankfully, honed instincts from years in DOM prevented me from tipping over and I regrouped. Scott could drive like a devil, but we needed to go through a bit of hell to get to Snake.
I got everything on, equipped my rifle, and tried to crawl to the back so that I had a chance to line up some shots. The rain had now hit the island. I was less concerned with that than with this truck going off-balance and rolling. I could handle gunfire, but the Hulk I was not.
As it turned out, I didn’t need to wait for too long for the showdown to begin.
Probably within no more than two minutes, I heard the first eruption of gunfire. Liam, in the front, and Scott, presumably out the window, were laying down fire somewhere. I felt fucking useless in the back, here to defend the rear from an attack that was not yet coming. I would prove invaluable on the escape, but I was fucking pissed that I wasn’t getting to have my shot at Snake.
“On the move!” Liam yelled.
Here we go.
I braced myself, and sure enough, moments later, the truck lurched forward. I kept an eye out on the rear in case anyone decided to follow, if this retreat was meant to be more of a surprise.
And wouldn’t you fucking know it, Snake wasn’t so inclined to just hand over everything and surrender. Three motorcyclists appeared from seemingly nowhere, giving chase and trying to take out Scott and Liam on the side.
Two of them were easy targets. I shot one and then the other before they realized what was coming, but the third reacted accordingly and accelerated ahead. I had to duck under the tarp on the side, lean over the railing, and shoot the bastard in the back.
But my troubles were just getting started.
Two Jeeps pulled out momentarily after. I got down low to the ground and fired my machine gun. The good news was I was as accurate in my firing as I usually was.
The bad news was they had bulletproof glass, which meant little bullets like this weren’t going to work. I needed something heavier.
I glanced back and found what I hoped to see—a grenade launcher. I hurried over, loaded a shell, and took aim at my first target. I fired.
The Jeep went up in the most glorious fireball I had ever seen in my life. Thing was a fucking beauty.
I loaded the second round but quickly had to take cover when the other Jeep opened fire on me. Loading when I was flat to the ground was a giant pain in the ass, and now the question was how I’d fire upon it while having bullets hailed at me.
I waited for a pause in the action. It came about ten seconds later. I hurriedly sat up, took aim, and fired.
And at the very same moment, my truck slammed on the brakes, sending me backward at full throttle. Also at the same time, bullets from the Jeep I was firing upon hit me square in the shoulder and chest. I put a finger up to it.
Blood?
I’d been fucking…hit?
“Burke!”
I started feeling weak. Had I been struck before and missed it? Had being thrown to the back of the truck dislodged the body armor…had…
Fuck…
“Burke! Liam, go check!”
It was the last thing I heard before I went to black.
Beeping.
Distant sounds.
My vision was slowly coming back. Where the hell was I?
I was…nowhere.
It was hard to describe. I could hear the distant echoes of what sounded like a hospital. Heart rate monitors. Blood pressure valves. Doctors talking. I heard something like “needs at least two weeks rest” and “lucky to survive” but I couldn’t actually see anyone around me.
But it wasn’t exactly a cliche white light or anything like that. There was just a foggy outline of a room. I knew I wasn’t dead, or was I? I couldn’t see but my eyes were open.
I also felt extremely light and relaxed. I didn’t know how to describe it either. Maybe I was on a shitload of drugs. It wouldn’t have been the first time that I had fallen into some sort of blissful state. As long as I didn’t die, that would be…
That would be fine.
I closed my eyes.
When I opened them up once again, this time, I wasn’t in the hospital room. The beeping had stopped. Instead, I was…back in Emily’s apartment? I mean, it definitely looked like her place, down to the color of her couch, but how did that make any fucking sense?
“Burke…”
I could hear her voice begging from me on the other side of the door. She sounded like she was fingering herself. There was so much pleasure, erotic tension in her voice.
I’d been in this spot before. The last time, I’d just remained on the couch, figuring it better to remain where I was. But this time…
“Burke…”
But now, that damn voice begged for me, called to me like it was yearning for my presence. Like she had to have me. Had to.
“Burke, please…”
My cock was hard as a rock. Was this real? Did it
