Then I shove the shield aside and stretch out on the carpeted deck, aiming the pistol at the stairway. That reshuffle puts Maria out of the direct line of fire and gives me a little cover from whatever happens next. Lying low and aiming the revolver with both hands over Rafael’s body is the best I can do until he makes his next move. If bald guy comes down here to check on the damage he’s done, he’ll have to step over his buddy and that’s when I plan to empty the revolver into him.
I’m expecting him to creep down slowly and cautiously with the shotgun out in front ready to fire if we aren’t dead, but he surprises me. With a screaming curse, bald guy rushes down the stairs and fires another round blindly. The shot goes over my head, and while he’s racking the slide of the shotgun for a sec
