Waiting until the hostile paused to reload, he leapt to his feet, took aim and fired a single shot. The impact was deafening, and the subsequent explosion destroyed the doorway and surrounding walls, punching a hole straight through to the street.
“Holy shit!” he yelled, laughing.
He saw movement to his right, and spun round to see Julie enter the room, gun raised.
She glanced past Collins at the damage, before looking at him questioningly.
He shrugged, turning to Vincent. “Danny Boy, she’s with me,” he said, pointing to Julie. “Go with her.”
“Wh-what are you doing?” he asked.
“I need to get the rest of these people outta here,” he said. “She’ll keep ya safe, and we’ve got another guy outside who’ll help protect ya, okay? Just do what she says.”
He nodded uncertainly and hurried over to her. Without a word, she grabbed his arm and dragged him back the way she’d come, through the opposite doors and out into the hotel.
He turned back just as the hostile re-appeared in the doorway to the restaurant, an assault rifle raised. The man smiled for a moment as time seemed to freeze. Collins looked on as the hostile leveled his weapon. Time resumed its normal pace a moment later, and he ran to his right, diving over the top of the bar for cover as a cacophony of stuttering death was unleashed toward him.
He heard screams as he landed, and bullets splintered the counter above him, shattering the glasses stacked up behind.
After a few moments, it went silent. He chanced a look over the bar and saw the guy had gone. He stood, gun raised, and quickly scanned the room. The two young women were sprawled across their table; a river of blood at their feet.
“Fuck…” he muttered, looking over at the family, who were, thankfully, still hiding behind their table. “Jerry, I’ve got two civvies dead in here… hostile’s gone, possibly comin’ your way.”
Outside, Jericho had taken up position next to the main entrance, covered by the wall. He peered around the doors into the lobby. “Copy that,” he said. “I’m here, Ray. The street’s clear.” He looked over his shoulder, back down the alley, toward their car. He saw movement at the other end; people running, scattering in all directions. “But I think we’re about to have incoming. Julie, what’s your position?”
“Heading out the back entrance and round the building now, coming to you,” said Julie. “No sign of our hostile.”
Jericho took cover against the wall of an adjacent building, alternating between glancing over his shoulder, waiting for Julie to appear with Vincent, and looking down the alley, waiting for who he assumed would be Baker to break his cover.
Julie and Vincent appeared next to him a few moments later. “On me,” he said to them, nodding a curt greeting to Vincent before turning and heading back down the alley. “Watch for the sniper,” he called over his shoulder. “On your one-o-clock as you exit.”
“Roger that,” shouted Julie.
They made their way down the alley quickly and emerged onto the street, prompting more screams and panic from everyone nearby who saw their guns. Jericho scanned the crowds, struggling to focus amid the chaos. He couldn’t see Baker, but figured he had to be nearby. LaSharde was likely still in place as well, which complicated matters further. Knowing the remaining member of the unit, Rick Santiago, usually occupied the same role Josh was covering for them, he could only assume the one Collins was chasing was Chris Black. He wrinkled his face in a moment of anger, and then let it pass. It wasn’t the time.
They moved over to the car. Julie was behind Vincent with a hand on his shoulder.
“In the back,” she said to him. “Stay down.”
As he gripped the door handle, Jericho happened to glance down at the road, which was wet following a recent downpour. There were a few puddles, but it was mostly damp to the point where it was reflective in the sunlight. He could see a blinking light in the surface of the road, just underneath their car. Straight away, he knew what it meant.
“Get back!” he yelled to Julie, running into the center of the Square, away from the car. He looked around frantically at the crowds. “Everybody, move!” He raised his gun and fired twice into the air, causing more screams and chaos as people stampeded away from them in every direction.
Julie and Vincent drew level with him just as the car exploded. The blast was violent and loud, and the shockwave sent the three of them flying backward, landing heavy and awkward on the other side of the Square.
Jericho sat up, quickly looking around and blinking rapidly. “Fuck!”
Next to him, Vincent was lying face down, with Julie sprawled on top of him; her gun aimed and ready.
Jericho placed a finger to his ear to help reduce the surrounding noise. “Ray… do you… copy?” he asked.
On the other side of the flaming wreckage, in an adjacent alley, Collins was running after the hostile from inside the hotel, who he could see just ahead of him. He didn’t have a clear shot, and had paused momentarily when he heard the blast.
“I’m here, Jerry!” he yelled. “What the fuck was that?”
“Our ride!” he shouted back.
“Everyone alright?”
“We’re alive. Where are you?”
“Just comin’ out of the next alley over, chasing the fucker who shot at me.”
Collins picked up the pace, exiting the alley at full speed and skidding to the ground on instinct as automatic gunfire erupted to his left. He fired blind as he rolled into the street, shielding his face from the heat of the burning car nearby.
He yelled a guttural roar, clambering to his feet and heading over to the others, all the while trying not to hit any innocent civilians on the way.
Suddenly, more gunfire sounded out in front of him — slow, deliberate shots, which Collins identified immediately as sniper rounds. He dove to the ground, sliding to a stop a few feet away from the rest of his team; his right arm bleeding from the friction.
“You alright?” shouted Jericho.
“I’m a little pissed off to be honest with ya!” replied Collins, shuffling over to them while keeping as low as he could. “This whole thing went to shit real fucking fast, didn’t it?”
They were taking cover behind a bench on the island in the center of the boulevard that ran the length of Wenceslas Square. Ahead of them was the flaming wreck of their vehicle, and just to the left of that was Chris Black. Over to their right, on their three o’clock, they knew Damian Baker was among the crowd somewhere, so they couldn’t head in that direction without endangering more innocent lives. And behind them, on the rooftop looking down, was Charlotte LaSharde and her sniper rifle, keeping them in check.
Julie touched her ear. “Josh, we’re pinned down here. Any suggestions?”
“I’m working on it,” he replied, sounding stressed. “Gimme a minute…”
Jericho looked down at Vincent, who was trembling — presumably from shock and fear. He was clutching his briefcase like his life depended on it.
“Daniel, what information do you have?” he asked.
Vincent looked at him for a moment, thinking. “G-get me out of here, and I’ll s-show you,” he replied.
Jericho exchanged a look with Collins, who positioned himself upright, sitting on the other side of Vincent.
“Listen, matey,” he said, his Irish accent sounding more flustered than usual. “We’re surrounded by the best people the CIA have, and they want what’s in that briefcase. It may be that our only option is to destroy it, taking their mission away from them.”