"Elrod, P N - Jack Fleming - The Vampire Files 02 - Lifeblood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elrod P N)

Escott moved slowly through the passage after Sled. The woman was behind
him, presumably with her hand still on the gun in her purse. For the
moment I was only aware of their bodies and general positions. The woman
shivered as I passed her, the way they say you do when someone walks
over your grave. Escott paused when I brushed past him and had to be
urged on; it was his way of letting me know he was conscious of my
presence.

Sled was out the back door now, waiting as Escott emerged with the
woman. I didn't know if Sled had his gun ready yet, but hers was, so
she'd have to be dealt with first.

I melted back into reality and solidified. From her point of view I just
came out of nowhere, which was essentially correct. I slapped the gun
from her grip, put a hand over her mouth, another around her waist, then
half lifted her away into the dark. She made a nasal squeal of outrage,
her heels flailing against my shins.

Sled's attention cut from Escott to her, and the gun jumped from the
shoulder holster to his hand like magic. Escott grabbed it, forcing it
down, and used his body to ram Sled against the brick wall of the dive.
He was stronger than his thin frame promised, and the bricks did nothing
for Sled's looks or disposition. He hit Escott with the cane, but it was
at the wrong angle and he couldn't put his full strength in it. There
was a meaty thump and gasp as Escott slammed the man's gun hand hard
into the bricks. The gun dropped. The cane came down again. Escott took
the blow against his side and at the same time led with a right that
went halfway to Sled's backbone.

While they danced around, I tore the purse from the woman. Holding on to
her was like trying to give a bath to an alley cat. I pushed her away
from the melee, hoping she would have the sense to run. We wanted the
stamp, not her. She was agile, though; one second she was getting her
balance, the next she was making an unladylike tackle for Sled's gun.

She got it.

Her index finger slotted neatly over the trigger on the first try and
she rolled and brought it up like an expert, firing point blank at me as
I lunged. The yellow flash filled my whole world. I didn't hear the
thing go off, maybe at that range it was too loud to hear. I felt the
wrenching impact as the slug struck over my left eye and sent me on a
slow, breathless tumble into white-hot agony.

Its duration was mercifully brief. I was writhing and solid one instant
and weightless and floating the next. The shock and pain had knocked me
incorporeal, temporarily releasing me from the burden of having a body
full of outraged nerve endings. I wanted to stay in that non-place, but
Escott's voice, distorted as though through layers of cotton, was
dragging me back. He shouted my name once, and then the gun went off