Chapter 5
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Jane yelled from the back of the house, “They crashed the gate!”
Mace was the first to run that way, with Johnny close behind.
Johnny veered toward the garage. “Dirk! Tres! Come get a vest!”
Mace met Jane at the door as she switched the tablet to the security displays. “I count thirteen. Plus one still in the car.”
Mace replied, “Never would have expected anything like this. This is just complete madness.”
“Yeah, well, we have this property lit up like a Christmas tree. Were probably asking for it.”
When they entered the den, the inputs from eight cameras were showing on the big screen.
Jane said, “I'll be up on the roof with the tablet. Watch the front door. And what on Earth is Johnny doing out there?”
Mace replied, “He's getting vests for the others.”
Jane pulled her phone, opening a line to Mace before attempting to three-way connect with her husband. “Come on, pick up.”
Johnny answered: “We're on our way!”
Jane shook her head. “Send the other two back and make it quick. You stay with those weapons. We might need more ammo than what we have. Lock down that garage.”
Johnny hesitated before taking a deep breath. “Will do. And, Jane, don't take unnecessary chances, you hear me?”
“Got it.” Jane nodded. “Going up on the roof. And I have the tablet. Mace is covering the front door. Dirk and Tres will watch the back. Vanessa, take Donna and Dee upstairs!”
After hurrying up the steps, Jane sprinted across the flat rooftop, slowing to peer over the edge. “I'm in position.”
Johnny said, “Dirk and Tres are in the house. I have the back door covered from here.”
Jane replied, “I saw five heading to your side. If they get behind that garage, you're gonna have to button that place up!”
Johnny cut the lights on the front of the garage. “Got it. If boxed in, I can go out the back of the range.”
Jane took careful aim.
Brrrff. Brrff.
“John, scratch two of those coming your way.”
Seconds later a mass of gunfire could be heard. Three of the cameras went offline. A fourth camera now pointed up at the blackness of the night.
Jane yelled, “We just lost half our eyes!”
Mace took cover behind a short wooden bookcase stacked high with magazines. “I have a view of the front doors. Two shadows are lurking out there.”
Johnny said, “Remember, triple pane tempered glass. Depending on what they shoot, it might take several rounds to penetrate.”
Mace replied, “Looks like they're moving toward your side, Johnny.”
Brrrff.
The sound of suppressed weapon fire came from the roof. “We have one more down. Leaves ten. Wait. Number eleven is getting out of the car.”
Brrrff. Brrrff.
“This is my house asshole! He's down.”
Gunfire could be heard coming from the back left of the house toward the garage.
Johnny rolled onto his back as the big door came down from above. “They just unloaded on me! Took a shot to the ribs. Garage is shut off.”
Another barrage of gunfire could be heard.
Jane yelled, “I can't get a clean shot at anyone down there. The blasted oak is in the way!”
Johnny replied, “They're shooting from right under it. I'm heading into the range. Weapons rooms are locked down tight.”
Mace called back to Tres. “Come up front and cover this door!”
Tres was soon squatted behind him with a case of spare magazines. “Tell me what you want.”
“Anyone comes through that door without a safe-word, shoot 'em.
Mace spoke over the open phone connection. “Everyone, listen up. The safe-word is cowboy. I repeat cowboy. Say it back to me.”
Johnny replied, “Cowboy.”
Jane followed: “Cowboy.”
Mace said, “Dirk?”
“Cowboy,” was the reply.
Mace looked at Tres.
“OK, cowboy. I heard you.”
“Never forget your safe-word. It applies to you too. If you're heading back to join Dirk, use it.”
Tres nervously nodded. “I understand.”
Mace stood, speaking into his phone: “I'm going around the left side. Jane, try not to take out any singles that you can't identify.”
“Got it.”
Mace slowly opened one of the giant oaken doors, peering out onto the brightly lit front drive. After several seconds of scanning for movement, he slipped outside, crouching as he moved toward the corner of the house. He dropped to the ground, crawling on his belly through a low row of shrubs. Two figures could be seen directly under the large oak that faced the garage.
Mace whispered. “Jane, I have two in front of me. If I spook them out and you have a shot, take it. Johnny, is that hump out in the yard your exit from the range?”
Johnny replied, “It is.”
Mace said, “There's a—”
The phone disconnected. Signal strength dropped to zero. Communications had again been lost.
Mace took aim at one of the figures behind the tree.
Zzzt.
As the figure fell away from him, the second figure bolted around the tree. Gunshots could be heard coming from the back of the house.
Jane yelled down. “They're rushing the back door! I can't see. They're under the covered porch area! I'm heading down!”
Mace stood and sprinted to the tree. A single figure could be seen crouching near the side of the garage, under a carport where Jane could not have seen. Mace came around the tree in a rush, diving onto the ground as he moved within fifteen yards.
Zzzt. Zzzt. Zzzt.
The crouched attacker rolled backwards behind a stack of materials before exiting around the back of the garage. Mace pulled himself up and ran the five yards to the back corner of the house. As he popped his head around the corner for only a second, five loud shots rang out. Chips of rock splintered from the corner of the house where his head had been, spraying his face with shrapnel.
Brrrff. Brrrff.
Mace yelled up. “Jane? Was that you?”
No reply returned.
As he crouched by the wall, he could hear voices coming from the front of the house: “No. Andreas said around this side. Come on!”
Before Mace could react, two men were standing beside his dark silhouette, looking into the back yard. “What we got? We going in?”
Mace waved them forward.
Zzzzzt. Zzzzzzt.
The two men fell to the ground. As Mace celebrated his small victory with a smirk, a figure rounded the back of the garage into the open carport. From that position, Mace was crouched in the wide open. A rifle was raised to take aim. He expected the worst...
Johnny quietly called out. “Cowboy... Mace, over here.”
Mace let out a deep breath. “Can you see the back door?”
“Not from here.”
Mace moved up to the corner, sticking the barrel of his weapon around and squeezing off two bursts.
Zzzt. Zzzt.
A hail of gunfire returned, again spattering his face with tiny pieces of rock and sand from the corner of the house.
He shook his head as he spoke to himself. “You've got to stop doing that.”
Johnny waved him over. “Over here! We'll go around back!”
“You go that way—see if you can cover the back door from that end! I'm heading back to the front.”
Johnny held up a fist. “Got it.”
Mace sprinted back toward the front, diving over the small hedge and rolling out on the stone of the portico. No slugs came his way.
He stood and hustled to the big oaken doors, opening one only a fraction. “Cowboy!”
The inside of the house was silent.
Mace whispered as to not draw attention from anyone hiding near his surroundings, “Tre
s? You in there?”
Tres replied, “Yes...”
“Why didn't you respond to the safe-word?”
“You didn't say I should respond.”
Mace shook his head as he began to pull on the door handle. “I'm coming in. Try not to shoot me.”
Mace stepped through the front door, pulling it closed behind him. The back of the house erupted in gunfire.
Mace's ears rang as three rounds from an unsuppressed AR-15 impacted the immense wooden door beside him.
As he dropped to the marble floor, Tres blurted out. “Sorry! Are you OK? Those shots freaked me out!”
“Thought you had a suppressor?”
“I just took the gun I was handed.”
Mace yelled over the noise of the battle that was now underway at the back of the house, “Just keep watching that door! I'm going back!”
As Mace approached the den, the lights were off. “Cowboy, cowboy!”
Jane fired off two bursts toward the back door.
Brrrff. Brrrff.
“Dirk is down, but we have them pinned!”
“How many?”
Jane took a deep breath as Mace crouched beside her. “Four, maybe five. Tried to count muzzle flashes. They were just spraying everywhere randomly.”
“If you return fire at any point, immediately move. They'll be targeting your muzzle flash. Fire and move, fire and move.”
“Got it.”
Mace glanced around the room. “How solid is that wall they're behind?”
Jane thought for a moment, before whispering. “Can't be certain, but probably ship-lap and plaster. Fifty-fifty whether or not you get good penetration, but by all means, if you think it might help, have at it.”
A loud voice came from around the corner. “Might as well give up. I promise we'll let you live.”
Mace shook his head in silence before whispering to Jane, “I just need a distraction to get over there.”
The pitter-patter of little dog feet came up from behind him. The moment of silence was shattered by an ear-piercing series of barks from Derwood as he charged past Jane and Mace, heading for the intruders. Commotion and yelling, followed by gunfire, could be heard as the short-legged dog attacked.
Mace took a step back and dove across the open floor. Shots again erupted as the darkness was eclipsed by muzzle flashes.
“Gah! Get this dog off me!” was shouted by an intruder as Derwood tore into his forearm.
Mace rolled up behind a heavy leather couch, raising up, he unloaded waist-high on the wall shielding the attackers.
Zzzt. Zzzt. Zzzt. Zzzt.
Voices yelled as the last few gunshot rounds entered the den.
“They're running!” Jane yelled.
Mace sprinted from behind the couch, peppering the other side of the wall where the men had been. Two muzzle flashes sparked in the hallway beside the back door.
Again Mace cut loose, downing the last man as he exited.
Zzzt. Zzzt. Zzzt. Zzzt.
Derwood barked a continuous shrill warning. A new magazine was slapped in place. As Mace reached the still-open door, he dove behind the body of a dead attacker, landing hard on the pavement outside. With the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he didn't feel the skin scraping away from his exposed elbows.
Zzzt. Zzzt. Zzzt. Zzzt.
Two men fell by the back corner. As Mace took aim, scanning for a target, the low sound of boots scampering across the grass was all he could hear.
He lay frozen for several seconds. “Cowboy!”
Johnny came back. “We're clear back here. Those two are likely almost at the gate by now.”
Mace stood as Johnny hustled up to him. “Dirk's hit. Don't know how bad.”
After a quick scout of the back yard, they hurried into the house.
Mace grabbed Johnny, holding him in place as he stepped in the back door, yelling out, “Cowboy!”
Jane replied, “Cowboy. Come on!”
Johnny flipped on the lights before crouching beside Dirk. The valet was lying on his back on the floor.
Jane pulled back from the wound. “Passed through his thigh. Not much blood.”
Johnny gently took Dirk by the shoulder. “Come on, let's get you up on the couch. Jane, get a couple of those pillows.”
Tres stood in the hallway going toward the front, visibly shaking from what he had just been witness to. “Two men went out the gate.”
Mace said, “You OK?”
Tres nodded. “Just a bit intense for me, that's all. We don't get much of this in the brewery business. You three are like superheroes or something.”
Mace gestured toward the stairs. “Hardly that. Bring Vanessa and Donna back down if you would.”
Jane placed several pillows behind Dirk. “Hold on, Tres. We might want to clean this mess up some. Little Dee doesn't need to see any of this.”
Mace shook his head. “Sorry, you're right. Tres, just tell them we're all OK. And don't mention Dirk. She'll know when she sees him. No need to have to worry before then. Tell them we're just cleaning up.”
Tres headed for the stairs.
Johnny turned his attention to his panting dog, rubbing the Dachshund's head. “I heard the Der-man teaching the bad guys a lesson.”
Jane replied, “Your dog is insane. This whole night has been insane. The world has gone insane.”
Mace said, “He attacked those men straight on. Not sure how he didn't get shot.”
Johnny grinned as he squeezed his excited and wiggly companion. “You make your daddy proud.”