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He turned around slowly as the intruders ave Hayley the once-over

“I assu to the pile of flatware, cups, and glasses on the floor

The two men looked down, their eyes instinctively drawn in the direction Kurt had pointed It was an amateur response, but they were amateurs, local muscle hired to do someone else’s dirty work In the fraction of a second before they corrected their mistake, Kurttoward the closest ut

The heel of his boot hit like a pile driver and knocked thewind and grabbing his stoed at Kurt, his huge pawlike hands going for Kurt’s neck

Kurt blocked the effort, grabbing thethe attacker’s considerable ainst hiround The man hit the floor with a thud, and Kurt dropped down and hammered him with a forearm smash to the face

He would have slugged the guy again, but he knew the boss would be co He spun to his feet and turned

It was too late

The gaunt leader of the creas already there with a black pistol in hand, holding it sideways, gangster style He studied Hayley, nodded approvingly, and then turned back to Kurt

“I don’t need you,” he said

Kurt dove to the right as the razed Kurt’s arm The third bullet shattered thebehind hier a fourth shot, a different sound rang out It was a sickly thud, like the sound of a broken-bat single being hit in a baseball game

The gunman’s head snapped forward, and the pistol flew fro the table and splaying on the ground like a s had been cut

Behind him, Joe Zavala stood in the doorith a piece of cabinetry in his hands

Kurt snatched up the black pistol “Way to make an entrance”

Joe grinned “What I do, I like to do in style”

The leader was out cold, the other two assailants werebut not interested in any , and now that they were outnuunned, they seemed more interested in surrender