I didn't even try to hide what I was carrying, coming loaded full bore in a tactical vest, my Glocks in cross grab holsters against my ribs. I had my throwing knives in a thigh sheath on my right leg, and was as ready as I could get. Sophie on the other hand looked like she was wearing just a hooded sweatshirt, although it was different from the one she had worn earlier. She had borrowed one of mine, in order to fit the armored vest underneath. I just hoped she didn't have to use either of her two surprises she had under the shirt.
"Yo, I'm here," I called into the seemingly empty club. I knew all of the entrances and exits by heart, and immediately cut to my right, reaching for the Glock under my right arm, pulling it out and scanning. Sophie stayed right on my heels, exactly as I had asked her to do. She was quiet, her body semi-crouched as we made our way around the inside wall. Staying there had trade-offs. On one hand, I couldn't be crept up on from behind with my back to the wall. I could keep my eyes on the entire first floor of the club. However, I also couldn't see about two thirds of the upper floor, especially directly above me. Thankfully, they couldn't see us either. "Come out, it's just the two of us, like you asked."
There was motion near the VIP rooms, close to the hallway that led to the manager's office. Shaun, the manager, came out holding Tabby, along with two other men. He had his favorite pistol, a Colt 1911 in his hand by his side. "Snowman. I honestly didn't think you would do it. I mean, we all knew you'd stashed money away like my grandma used to. All those hits you made, and jobs you pulled, and you still didn't live anywhere near as good as you could have. I figured you for one, maybe two more years in the game. But I didn't think you'd go out like this. You were always too smart. I mean, it's not like you couldn't get yourself a dime bitch after you got out. Giordano wouldn't have had any problems with that, you know, after a year or two."
"So it was Sal who signed off on this?" I asked, trying to draw them out. Keeping them talking was vital to my plan. There was no way I could take them out without knowing exactly how many men Shaun had with him, or where they were located in the club. "He told me he gave me the rest of that night."
"Sal's a good judge of character, you know that. Didn't get to where he was without it. He saw in your eyes that you wouldn't take out your girl. Don't know why, either. I see better girls than her in here all the damn time."
"I'm not interested in girls, Shaun. I've always been interested in women."
Shaun laughed and stepped forward. "Come up here, man. Both of you. When you're at the bottom of the stairs, my boys will let the girl go."
"Fine. We'll come up the east side stairs. I see any of your boys anywhere near it, I start shooting. Let the girl go and she can come over to the east side as well. That cool?"
"Cool."
I nodded to Sophie, who followed me. I was proud of the fact that she hadn't said a word since we came in. There was no point in creeping up the stairs, they were open to the center of the club on all sides. Instead, Sophie and I took them at a quick but even pace, making sure my Glock in my left hand was visible, but not pointed in Shaun's direction. I wanted him aware but distracted, not fearful.
When we reached the second floor, my eyes swept the walkway, spotting two other men. Shaun was smart, he knew me. In normal circumstances, five on one would be odds I would walk away from. "All right Shaun. Let her go."
Shaun laughed like I'd just told a funny joke. "Come on, Snowman, you think I'm stupid? I know how good you are. I let this bitch go, and before I can count to ten I'm a dead man. No way. Drop your guns, and then I let her go."
Now, I could have talked more. I could have dropped the guns. But one of the main personal rules of my training is that once you're in the zone, you just go. I felt that familiar, welcome coldness drop over my emotions, and I went with it. Squeezing the trigger on the Glock in my left hand, I put a round in the head of the man on Shaun's left before my right hand even cleared my other Glock from its holster. It is one of the secrets of my success, I'm not only almost totally ambidextrous with my hands, but with my eyes as well. I put a round in the thigh of the second bodyguard while my right hand snapped into place, firing as soon as I could. There was an instant when Shaun could have gotten the drop on me, while I was shooting his guards. If he had just raised his pistol in that split second, he could have gotten a shot off at me. Instead, he hesitated, torn between shooting me and trying to use Tabby as a human shield, and in that hesitation I had him dead to rights. The round took Shaun in between his eyes, the 9mm hollowpoint turning the back of his head into a giant bloody flower petal of bone, hair and skin. It took less than two seconds.