CHAPTER 32
It was the first time Puller had seen men fly without benefit of an aircraft.
Or so it seemed.
Their feet left the floor like they were attached to piano wire and someone had just hit a switch, lifting them skyward.
The next moment their heads collided. The sound was like a pair of cantaloupes smacking against one another. Puller could see the sensation of the violent collision spread to their eyes and mouths. The eyes winced, rolled in their heads, and then closed. The mouths opened wide, cries of pain came out of them, and then they closed, like the eyes. But unlike the eyes they closed only for a moment. Then they sagged open, even as their bodies became dead weight and they dropped to the floor. They hit it hard, guns skidding away. Blood pooled from their open mouths where teeth had cut deeply into tongues.
Standing behind the two small men was the giant, the man Puller had seen twice before. It seemed that the rear guard had done the unforgivable. They had used the giant’s room as their staging area without his permission. That was the only reason Puller could fathom for the man doing what he had done.
He straightened and stared at the giant. Puller’s Mu twitched in his hand. The giant was unarmed but still looked uncomfortably lethal and completely unafraid as he stood there, staring back at Puller.
Puller said, “Thanks.”
The giant said nothing. He glanced once at Puller’s sidearm, as though gauging whether this was a threat that needed to be dealt with now. Then he put one enormous boot on the torso of the first man and pushed. The man’s body slid into the room Puller was in. A moment later another push sent the other man sliding into the room.
The giant looked at Puller.
Puller looked at the giant.
Til try to keep things more quiet,” said Puller.
Puller thought he saw a hint of a smile before the giant closed the door to his room. A few moments later Puller could hear the screech of sagging bedsprings. The giant was apparently going to sleep after this minor interruption.
Puller holstered his weapon but pulled it again in an instant, found his target, and prepared to fire.
“It’s me! It’s me!”
Cheryl Landry held her gun up in a surrender position.
Puller slowly lowered his Mu and lifted up his goggles.
“Sorry.”
She gazed around at the mess of humanity that lay sprawled around his room.
“Shit, Puller. What the hell did you do? There are three more laid out in the hall.”
“I just take them on as they come.” He hol- stered his gun.
“You were smart to call me. Sorry I didn’t get here in time.”
“I could’ve waited, but that was my call. Nothing you could have done.”
“Why didn’t you wait,” she said, pouncing on this admission, “until I got here?”
“My fight. No need for you to get involved except in the cleanup.”
“Do I translate that as meaning you didn’t think I could hold my own?”
“You’re a cop, Landry. If we had fought these clowns together you’d be doing paperwork the rest of your life to explain the whys and hows. And then your career would still be in the toilet. But for that I would have no problem with you backing me up. And believe me, I don’t make such a statement lightly.”
She seemed both put off and mollified by this statement. She slid her weapon into her belt holster. She was not in uniform. She had on jeans, black-soled tennis shoes, and a gray hoodie with a sliver of black T-shirt revealed underneath.
He watched as she counted off in her head. Five here, three in the hall, he interpreted.
She looked up at him incredulously.
“You took out eight guys all by yourself?” She noted the guns, bats, and metal bar. “And they were armed?”
Puller’s gaze shifted for one millisecond to the sounds of snoring coming from the next room. The giant had dropped off fast. But something told him the man could awaken and kill any attacker within a pair of seconds. He decided it would be much too complicated to bring him into the discussion with Landry.
He said, “They were eight stupid guys. Armed has nothing to do with it, if you don’t give yourself a chance to use your weapons.”
“You said it was three guys who were attacking the girl earlier?”
Puller nodded and pointed to White, Black, and Latino. “These three idiots here. The girl is too scared to press charges. But I’ll be glad to. They weren’t here to welcome me back to my room. Attempted murder at least.” He paused. “And I doubt they have permits for those guns. You know any of them?”
Landry pulled a small but powerful light from her hoodie pocket and shined it on each of the fallen men.
She nodded. “These two, yeah,” she said, indicating Black and White. “They don’t belong to any gangs that I’m aware of. But they’ve got a rap sheet with us.”
“I heard they were too dumb and unreliable to be of any use to a gang.”
“Where did you hear that from?”
“Confidential source.”
“You’ve been here a little over twelve hours. Where do you get confidential sources that fast?” “You work at it.”
“I’m going to call for transport on this.” “Okay.”
“Paperwork to fill out.”
“I bet.”
“It can wait until morning.”
“Appreciate that.”
“You got another place to stay?”
Puller thought about this. His aunt’s house was an option. But right now he considered it an unprocessed crime scene. His moving in there, even for a night, could potentially foul up some important evidence. He couldn’t bring himself to do that, even if it was more convenient for him personally.
“My car.”
“TheVette?”
“No. Another set of wheels. Figured the Vette was too conspicuous.”
“I’d agree with that.“
“So I can sleep in my vehicle.”
“On the street?”
“Why, don’t you keep them safe?”
“Puller, you just beat the crap out of eight guys who live in Paradise. I’m sure all eight have friends and family who might want a little revenge. They’ll be looking for you, whether you’re in a car or in another cheap motel.”
“Well, I can rent a blanket and lie out on the beach.”
“You’re not getting my point. They could come and kill you.”
“You got any suggestions, then? I’m fresh out of ideas.”
Landry looked uncertain, and then she looked uncomfortable. Her changing features piqued Puller’s interest. He wondered what she would say.
“Look, you can stay at my place. Just for tonight,” she added quickly.
“You in Paradise?”
“Just next door in Destin.”
“You don’t care to live in Paradise?”
“I like the view in Destin better. Besides, it’s only fifteen minutes away. But it’s an important fifteen minutes. For you. I doubt the friends and family will find you there.”
“You don’t have to put me up.”
“I know I don’t. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to.”
“You don’t really know me.”
“I told you my brother’s in the Army. He checked you out for me. Said there’s not an enlisted with a better record in the service. The only knock against you is why you didn’t go to West Point. And my brother said your father was like Patton and Schwarzkopf rolled into one.”
“I wouldn’t disagree with that. Although he probably rotates closer to Patton, at least in his bedside manner.”
“So you’ll stay at my place?”
“Okay, just for the night.”
“Just for the night,” she repeated and then slipped her phone out and called for police and medical transport for eight men who’d had the shit kicked out of them.
After she finished and put her phone away she said, “Bullock will want to see you about this.”
“I bet he will. In fact, I’ve already seen him tonight.”
“Did he bite your head off?”
“I think we’ve reached an understanding, actually.”
“Okay. But I wouldn’t count on that holding after this.”
“Right.”
“You’ve sort of set a record for mayhem in Paradise.”
“I can see that.”
“You going to be here much longer?” “Wish I could tell you for sure, but I can’t.” “Your aunt?”
“My aunt.”
“You just don’t let go, do you?”
“Never saw the point,” replied Puller.