Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 246 by Maxwel l Grant

Author:Maxwel,l Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

CHAPTER X. DEATH IN WAITING.

FACING the mortal peril of a killer's gun muzzle, The Shadow suddenly seemed to go rigid.

The Shadow hadn't drawn his .45s. When he entered the basement, he had been aware of the presence of crooks. His intent was to capture those thugs alive, not to kill them. The deaths of Turk and Nick had robbed The Shadow of an opportunity to learn additional facts about the Light. That purpose still remained strong in The Shadow's mind.

But the killer in the cellar thought that The Shadow was paralyzed with terror. He was certain, when he saw both arms of The Shadow lift upward in a gesture of surrender. For a second he hesitated, his finger taut on the trigger.

It was a bad mistake on the thug's part.

The Shadow's arms had not lifted vertically. They were thrown upward at a stiff outward angle, with the palms wide open. It was a gesture that should have been familiar to anyone who had ever seen a star football player about to punt. It failed, however, to warn the thug.

With all his strength, The Shadow kicked upward. Balanced by his outflung arms, his kick was accurate.

Pain wrenched suddenly through the hand that held the gun. The thug's wrist was broken. He screamed as the weapon fell from his fingers.

As the mobster recoiled, The Shadow plunged forward in his attack. He was merciless, because he knew he had only a scant instant in which to save the life of Harry Vincent. Pinned to the floor by the second killer, Vincent was swiftly dying of strangulation.

The Shadow employed jujitsu to put the crippled gunman swiftly out of action. His hands moved almost faster than light. He heaved. The thug shot headlong through the air. His body struck the wall and rebounded in a limp heap to the floor. The impact had knocked him cold.

This time, it was the turn of The Shadow to hesitate.

His swift battle with the gunman was a heaven-sent opportunity to Dawn Reed. Barely three feet away from where Dawn had been hurled to the floor by the thug, lay the gem bag. She seized the bag and writhed to her feet. In the brief time it had taken The Shadow to outwit the gunman and put him out of action, Dawn was halfway up the stone steps that led to the sidewalk.

The Shadow had a grim choice. The bag--or the life of Harry Vincent!

He let Dawn flee. Whirling, he darted into the cellar darkness toward the thrashing bodies of Vincent and the second thug.

The other killer had expected the gun flame of his crooked pal to cut down The Shadow. The Shadow's kick and its quick follow-up had been done so swiftly that the second criminal found himself without a partner almost at the very instant he expected to see The Shadow riddled with bullets.

His tight fingers pulled loose from Vincent's throat. A gun jerked into his clawing hand. Again The Shadow faced an aimed weapon empty-handed.

Vincent helped without realizing it.

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