He hoped to God that Lindy was conscious because someone was going to have to find a way to cut the restraints off after he somehow took them both down with his hands tied behind his back.
The man got close and Cal was fucking thrilled beyond belief that he did it stupidly, moving in front of the other one. Cal let him get close and at the last minute he dipped a shoulder and hauled ass. He took the man in the gut with his shoulder, the man let out a surprised, winded, “oof,” and went back into the other one. When they hit the second man Cal kept right on moving. Both men hit the wall, Cal pulled back then moved again, catching the one in front with a sharp knee to the balls.
He dropped his gun, made that winded noise again and this time it even hurt Cal to hear it considering why he made it. His hands went between his legs and he instantly went down to his knees.
The other one recovered and started to lift his gun but Cal was faster. Moving in, he head butted him. The man took the blow to the head twice, front from Cal and then against the wall at the back.
He let out a yowl even as he blinked but Cal moved again, whirling, he planted a foot and lifted the other leg. Connecting with his boot, Cal roundhouse kicked him away from the wall.
Going fast, Cal recovered, got close then twisted his lower body. He clipped the man with a calf around his knees and the man went down. Then Cal kicked him, boot straight to the face and watched his head and neck jerk back, as did his torso. The gun went flying but Cal stayed focused and aimed a boot to his crotch. This connected, also sharp but this time vicious, and the man groaned as he curled forward immediately, knees up, forming a man-sized ball.
Cal’s attention turned to the other one who had yet to recover but Cal didn’t hesitate. He needed them incapacitated. Cal landed another kick then another, the force of the blows sending the man rolling. Arms, face, spine, gut, ribs, any target he could get, again and again, Cal following him as he rolled.
He heard a gunshot, his body jolted and he whirled around.
Lindy was up, balancing on one foot and holding a smoking gun in two bloody hands.
“Don’t fucking move!” she shrieked, her eyes were wild and they were on the other man who was up on a forearm, the other hand still cupping his crotch but his eyes were glued to the gun that she had right in his face.
They’d been stupid to sexually discriminate. They should have restrained her too. Then again, captured she’d gone docile and acted scared. She’d even managed a few terrified whimpers on the long drive to Chicago. Clearly these were bullshit.
Christ, he had GI Jane as his receptionist.
“Jesus, Cal, you didn’t leave me anything to do,” Cal heard Benny’s voice and he, Lindy and the man down but not whining all looked at Benny who was strolling casually into the room like he was walking through his Pizzeria except he had a gun in his hand and a crazy motherfucking grin on his face.
“What the fuck?” Cal whispered but Benny lifted his gun and pointed it at the roller.
“Think you should stay still,” Benny suggested to him and came to a stop close to Cal, his eyes not leaving the man on the ground.
“Like I said, what the fuck?” Cal ignored the man and stared at Benny.
“Frankie came callin’ early with info. Couldn’t get you on your phone so I moved out. I been on your tail since Indiana,” Benny answered, his hand went into his front pocket and he came out with a small army knife. “You,” he said to Lindy, “limp over here and cut Cal loose.”
Cal watched Lindy do as she was told and limp toward Cal and Benny, keeping her eyes on her target and her gun up as she dragged her leg with her. She took the knife, opened it and cut Cal loose. The minute he was freed, he pulled the gun out of her hand and trained it on her man.
“Next time bullets are flyin’ and I say the words, ‘leave out the backdoor’, you leave out the fucking backdoor,” Cal ground out.
“If there’s a next time, Joe Callahan, I quit,” Lindy snapped back.
“Can’t quit seein’ as your fuckin’ fired,” Cal returned.
“Kids, can we have this domestic somewhere on the way to Violet?” Benny asked and Cal’s head swung to him.
Then he walked to man one who took one look at his face and started crab walking backwards on all fours. Without hesitation, Cal drilled a round in each of his thighs which made him stop crab walking and start screaming in pain.
Cal ignored this and turned to man two who was scrambling in the direction of the loose gun but Cal got to him, kicked him in the chest so he flew to his back and he drilled a round in each of his thighs.
Then he walked to the gun, picked it up and handed it to Lindy on his way out the door. He heard Benny helping Lindy and following. He walked straight to the Escalade and shot out all four tires. Then he walked to Benny’s Ford Explorer.
When they were all in and Benny was on the road, Cal in the passenger side, Lindy rifling through a First Aid kit in the back, Cal asked, “You know where she is?”