Read Endangered Species: PART 1 for Free Online Page B

was
getting a sick feeling in his stomach, and it wasn’t the usual
savage case of heartburn.
    “ Not to worry. The guy
apparently wanted to build some brownie points with us. Said your
guy lives on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. Couldn’t be more
specific. Hope that helps.”
    Christie’s fingers were
still for a moment then he typed, “Yes. Very. More than I had
before. Thanks.”
    “ A pleasure to help a
friend and fellow law enforcement officer. Anything else I can do
for you?”
    “ Not that I can think of at
the moment. Just clarify – the record of this chat will be
destroyed, right?”
    “ Yes, soon as I log
out.”
    “ Great. Talk to you soon.”
Christie exited the chat room and shut down his computer. Leaning
back in his chair he said aloud to himself, “I’m getting closer,
Whelan. It’s only a matter of time before I find you.”
     

 
     
    Chapter 5—Dingle,
Ireland
    Whelan watched as the man’s finger tightened
on the trigger. There was a sudden loud explosion. Whelan didn’t
feel any pain. He didn’t feel the powerful force of a slug tearing
into his body. The Bizon was an automatic weapon with dozens of
rounds in the magazine. He knew there should have been more than
one explosion. It took a nanosecond for him to realize that the man
hadn’t fired the Bizon. In fact, the weapon was falling from the
man’s hands. The front of his jacket was bloody. Blood was
beginning to run from his open mouth. His knees sagged and his head
tilted back, eyes rolling up. He fell face first at Whelan’s feet.
Sean stood three feet behind him holding the Kel-Tek KSG shotgun.
Smoke was wafting softly from its barrel.
    The remaining man was slow to react. But
disbelief and shock quickly wore off, and he reached for the butt
of the Makarov in the waistband of his trousers. Two shots rang
out. A double tap. The first slug caught him low, in the pelvic
area, left of center. It spun him 180 degrees. The second slug hit
him in the middle of his back, tearing through the spine between
the L-2 and L-3 vertebrae. Messages from his brain could no longer
reach his legs and he collapsed hard against the counter, sliding
gracelessly to the floor.
    Whelan turned to trace the path of the slugs
in reverse. Caitlin stood in the doorway. She held the Glock 23C he
had bought her in both hands, arms extended straight in front just
as he had taught her. Although he had converted the weapon’s barrel
from .40 caliber to .22 to dampen the rise and make it easier for
her to handle, it still was capable of deadly force.
    Whelan walked slowly over to Sean and gently
removed the Kel-Tek from his son’s hands. “Good work, Sean,” he
said. He blew Caitlin a kiss and turned his attention to the
surviving intruder. He wasn’t sure just how much survival time the
man had left, and there were questions that needed answering.
    Caitlin laid the Glock on a counter top and
ran to Sean, who had been joined by his younger brother, Declan.
She swept both of them into her arms and embraced them tightly. The
boys squirmed self-consciously. This was girl stuff, and they were
uncomfortable having their dad see them being hugged and kissed
like this. It wasn’t manly.
    Whelan smiled at their reaction. At sixteen
and fifteen, respectively, his sons were in that awkward transition
period from boys to men. He understood. He’d been there himself. He
gently kissed Caitlin on the top of her head, and inhaled deeply.
The clean, sweet smell of her deep black, raven hair flooded him
with emotions, as dozens of memories flashed through his mind in a
second or two. She was his true love, his mate, his partner, his
best friend. He realized how close he had come to losing all of
that and more tonight. He closed his eyes and felt a profound sense
of relief and gratitude wash over him. When he opened them, Caitlin
was looking at him, her cobalt blue eyes framed by the long lashes,
dark hair and ivory colored skin. There was no moisture in her eyes
and