EXCERPTS

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                                                                                                             MAC'S MAN
        
                                                                                                            Prologue 

                  Danny Connor slid the door to the warehouse open and gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. The light from a small camping lamp illuminated a small circle around a wooden table, but beyond that the rest of the warehouse was in total darkness. A large bald man, Bobby Hanrahan, stood waiting behind the table. Bobby had always reminded Danny of Uncle Fester from the “Addams Family.” But Uncle Fester may have had a few more brain cells. Everyone knew Bobby Hanrahan was only kept around by his brother for his muscle. Looking around, Danny realized only himself, Bobby, and one other man, Tommy O’Neil, Bobby’s best friend, were there. Danny, however, would be leery about calling a man who had killed his own brother a friend. The word on the street was that Tommy had a few of his gang members start a brawl in Geary’s bar one night so he could kill his brother and get away with it. Apparently his brother had been dipping into the money made selling drugs for Tommy. The meeting was supposed to include Mike Hanrahan. He was the man they wanted, the alleged brains behind the whole smuggling ring. 
                    Tommy O’Neil glanced outside before shutting the door, satisfying himself that Danny had come alone, Cops were out there, Danny knew, hidden where Tommy wouldn’t see them. Some were hidden inside also, crouched in dark corners where they’d been for hours, ready to spring to action if he needed them. Matilada MacCormack, customs agent extraordinaire, was in there somewhere, too. He hoped she’d stay hidden. Mac to everyone else, but Mattie to him and special, he worried for her safety            
                    . He didn’t like the way this felt tonight while he stood with legs apart and arms held out so Tommy could check him for a wire or any hidden weapons. “Put those down.” Tommy pointed to the two cases in Danny’s hands. 
                    “Like hell I will.” He didn’t trust Tommy and would be damned if he let him get his hands on anything in those bags without proof of money first. Every nerve in Danny’s body screamed set up, but he had to see this through. Too much time and energy had been spent on this case to blow it. Besides, if he ran now, he was a dead man before he could reach the door. He had more chance of staying alive if he played the game right. Walking slowly, almost swaggering up to the table, he put one case on the table and one on the floor beside it, next to a briefcase. The agreed upon fee for the exchange should be in there.  Opening the case on the table, he took the pieces and laid them out. Slowly he began to assemble the army’s latest sniper rifle.  
                     “Where’s Mike?” Danny asked.
                     “His kid’s got a school play tonight, so he sent me instead,” Bobby answered, watching what Danny did closely. ”He knew you would understand.” 
                    Danny understood all right. Chances were more likely that Mike Hanrahan was off screwing his latest girlfriend, leaving his wife home to deal with the school play. “Here you go, Bobby,”  Danny said as he handed the weapon to the man. “The latest and greatest. I guarantee the people you deal with will love it.” 
                    He waited, watching as Bobby weighed the weapon in his hands before raising it to check the newly designed laser sight. He swung the weapon around to point it straight at Danny. “So are you feeling lucky, huh, Dano?” Bobby pulling back the cocking lever. Danny smiled. Never let them see you sweat; that was his motto.
                     “Sure am, Bobby. That thing’s not loaded.” He nodded toward the case on the floor. “I’ll give you the ammo and show you how to load it, after I get the money.” He waited, not sure how Bobby or his friend would take that. Suddenly he felt cold steel at the base of his neck. Apparently Tommy O’Neil couldn’t take a joke. Danny could do nothing but wait to see what would happen. If he was going to die, he hoped it would be quick. 
                    “Jeez, Tommy, leave him alone. I’m only playing. I can trust Danny,” said Bobby. “Get the briefcase and put it up here so the man can get his money, and we can get the hell out of here.” Danny breathed a silent sigh of relief when Tommy removed the weapon from his head and reached around to lift the briefcase onto the table. Just a few more minutes and he’d be out of here scot-free. Bobby reached for the briefcase. As he opened it, Danny caught movement out of the corner of his eye. 
                        “Where you going Tommy?”  Bobby hollered, “We ain’t done yet.” Danny turned his head to see Tommy O’Neil running for the door. Shit, something was wrong, but the warning came too late to do anything more than dro. . A flash, excruciating pain, and the sound of a woman screaming were all Danny Connor heard before he sank into nothingness.