“You came out of the back room?” The man was broad chested, with heavily muscled arms. For now, he was ignoring his earpiece.
“Yeah, everyone had too many alcopops, mate.”
“The Man usually calls to say you can go,” the bouncer grunted. “Wait there.”
Alicia’s eyes flashed. “To say we can go? What the hell does that mean?”
The bouncer held up a finger, which drew Alicia like a moth to a flame. Flexing muscles, she was about to explain her physical point of view to the man when Mai put a hand on her shoulder.
She whispered, “Let’s see what he says.”
Alicia held back with an effort. The man soon finished and then unhooked a two-way radio from his belt. “Figures approaching outside,” he said. “Not cops. Check it out.”
Alicia wondered if it might be Drake and Luther, but didn’t have time to think it through. The bouncer acknowledged them once again.
“You will have to stay inside,” he said, offering no other explanation because, in this nightclub, he didn’t have to.
Alicia knew they had to take their chances. “I don’t think so, mate.”
The bouncer frowned. “I said—”
“Go on,” Alicia leaned into his personal space, “I dare you. Raise that finger one more time and see where it ends up.”
Mai and Kenzie backed her, stepping to each side. This would be easy. The bouncer stared at all three of them and then beyond them, eyes widening.
Alicia sensed it was coming before she heard it.
Mattheus’s voice: “Stop those bitches! Stop them now!”
Alicia kicked out, stunning the bouncer who folded quickly. Kenzie pushed him further to the floor. Alicia yanked the exit door open. Mai was right by her side.
A gunshot rang out and a bullet struck the frame above their heads.
“Do not move any further. Or at least one of you will die.”
Alicia weighed the odds. She could make it; probably Mai too. But Kenzie was at the back and would get shot first.
This was no joke. Alicia halted and raised her hands, turning back to the dance floor. To her right Mai did the same. Kenzie was already facing Mattheus. Across the dance floor the black-haired man stood, face bruised where Mai had punched him and nose red with encrusted blood. By now, the remaining revelers had gotten the message too and were clustered around the outer walls, trying to appear as unobtrusive as possible. Alicia saw guards at every side and more emerging from the back, where Drake and Luther had relieved Mattheus of an entire safe.
The crime boss waved at them. “What has been going on in my club?”
“A burglary, boss,” one said. “We have men searching for them now.”
“What did they take?” Mattheus’s voice rose an octave, making several guards flinch.
“The… safe,” came the quiet answer.
Mattheus glared in disbelief at first, but then, quickly, his face grew intensely red. “You call that a burglary? My entire safe? Missing? You should shoot yourself quickly, idiot, and save me the trouble.”
“See,” Kenzie murmured. “Always kill the messenger.”
Mattheus’s head whipped toward them. He started walking, holding out a hand which was hastily filled with a small 9mm Beretta. “Her.” He pointed at Mai. “I want her first. I want her to suffer.”
The guards crowded forward, surrounding them as they drifted to the center of the dance floor with its still-flashing lights and music beat. As if by good fortune one of Alicia’s favorite songs started playing, I Like The Way, by the Bodyrockers.
She caught the eyes of Mai and Kenzie. “Three minutes to the end,” she said. “Let’s make ’em count.”
As the beat kicked in, Alicia smashed the nearest gun out of its holder’s hands, sending it skidding across the floor. She grabbed another wrist and broke it, letting the gun fall. Mai and Kenzie pounced to either side, the Japanese woman leaping into Mattheus’s arms as if he were a long-lost friend.
The movement certainly shocked him. At first, he linked his arms, grabbing her, then realized his error and tried to let her fall. The gun useless, Mai brought her forehead smashing down into his already broken nose.
The scream drowned out the Bodyrocker’s chorus for just a few seconds. Alicia’s lips moved as she sang along, using the throbbing rhythm of the song to guide her movements and fire her adrenalin. A shot was fired, the bullet passing between everyone. The bouncer at the door waded in, only to find himself dumped very quickly onto his face, now becoming the bowling ball in Alicia’s strike at the oncoming guards. Several went sprawling over the rolling bulk. Bones broke. Those that remained standing aimed at the women and prepared to fire.
But Mai managed to shove Mattheus in the way. Terrified, the guards held off as their boss staggered between them. Mai was riding his back, careful not to let him fall since he was their only shield. Alicia spun in time to the musical pounding, tripping one guard, pocketing his weapon, then rising to punch directly under the chin of another. The disco beams flashed bright red, green and blue strobe lights flickering through the half-dark. Guards crawled around the filth-encrusted, sticky floor.
Mattheus bucked Mai again and again, finally managing to dislodge her by falling to his knees. Blood poured from his nose. He came around but Mai felled him once more, at the same time dealing with another guard. All of them were down now, or trying to stand. Alicia knew immediately that they couldn’t hope to flatten them all, not simultaneously. There had to be another way.
Unfortunately, four were already on their feet. Two more were finding their guns and another was rising with a Glock to hand. Alicia heard the song coming to an end and saw her life about to expire with it. Mattheus was on his knees, a rictus of a grin stretched across his face as he saw most of his guards still in the fight.
“Revenge,” he blurted. “I want—”
Alicia didn’t hear the rest, launching herself headlong at three guards. Two staggered but the third remained upright, carefully focusing the short barrel of his gun upon her.
Ah, crap…
All hell erupted around her. Windows blew inward, shattering to fragments. Frames and even block work followed as one wall was battered. Revelers fell dead and wounded, bleeding on the floor. Alicia was struck by flying shards of brick, the lethal ragged edges drawing blood from her cheek. Kenzie was knocked to the ground, her head bloody as a brick-sized chunk struck her skull. It soon became clear that unceasing firepower was being used to gain entry to the nightclub.
Tempest, was Alicia’s only thought. They arrived late but they arrived in force.
Hooking Kenzie underneath the armpits, she dragged the struggling Israeli along the debris-filled floor, pushing guards out of the way as she went. Two were dead, others injured. Mattheus was groaning, rolling in the scattered remains of his empire and his employees. The bar was being destroyed, glasses dancing and breaking, large capacity bottles of spirit exploding and pouring their contents out onto the floor.
Alicia crawled faster. Mai pushed Kenzie from behind, pressing her haunches hard to encourage her to go faster. Kenzie groaned and tried to keep her head still as her body slithered under no volition of its own.
They snaked and scrambled their way past the bar and through the door marked Private that led to Mattheus’s back rooms, aware of a brand new exit. Alicia saw rooms to left and right, dens where drugs were prepped and money laundered. Where porn was distributed and computers hacked. She took the opportunity to scream at all the occupants, sending them into panic and hoping they would never return.
Behind them the nightclub took more heavy fire; the lights crashed to the floor and the music finally died. Men with machine guns jumped through the new entrances and fought with the remaining guards and Mattheus.