My hands were sweating buckets, my mouth was as dry as cotton. The heavy flak jacket I had over my sport coat was as heavy as ten men and it seemed as if I could not get a tight enough grip on my .45. Coming to the third floor, leading the pack, I hesitated on the first step before taking a quick breath and peeking around the corner of the stairwell wall and down the hall itself. No one was visible. Everything looked quiet. Relieved, I hurried off the stairs and the four of us fanned out down the hall on either side of the apartment door we thought the gang members were in.
They all looked at me, expectantly, and I looked back at them. I knew what they wanted me to do. Shrugging, I stepped to one side of the door and with my free hand I pounded on the door and shouted “Open up! It"s the p
