Lizzy rolled over in her bed curling up against the noise out side her room. She finally blinked and huffing got out of bed. "Ty?" She called to Tyson who was standing at the end of the hall. "Hey Cherry bug. The noise keeping you up?" Lizzy nodded. "Is dad making it or just there?" She jumped again as the gun fire began in louder burst. "Showing off I think. Want me to get him for you?" Tyson said watching her closely. She nodded after a beat and headed back into her room. She knew what her father did, he sold guns for a living it was dangerous but he had always protected her. She smiled. Phil Dwyer was the most feared gun runner that moved through Florida even though most though him a soccer dad. Lizzy or Isabella Marie Dwyer was his fifteen year old daughter she was currently a junior at St. Michaels School for girls. She was in advanced classes and was graduating early her love of books and learning giving her a passion for school. She was shy and clumsy her lack of coordination causing trouble some times. Her mother had died in childbirth leaving Phil and her to grow together. She frowned thinking about the pain she still saw in his eyes as he looked at her. "You look so much like her." He told her almost daily. Hearing the guns stop she curled up waiting.
"Liz. Are you all right Tyson said you wanted me." Phil said as she sat up she saw Laurent standing at the door way his back to them making sure both were ok. Phil wrapped his arms around her as she nodded in his shoulders. "I know you hate the noise and this is the last time we will use the range here I had a last minute detail to work out." She nodded again inhaling his sent trying to get past the gun powder that permeated the air around him. "It is ok I was just worried I have not seen you in a bit." She said he heard her even though it was muffled. "Ok Cherry bug." He used the endearment term he had heard Tyson use over the years. " I will see you for breakfast get some sleep." He kissed the top of her head before he left her shutting the door behind him. It took a long time for her to fall back to sleep the noise even though she did not like it normally did not keep her up like this. Her stomach tightened fear curling around the edges as she drifted off.
"Ty hurry up we are late. You know I can not be late." Lizzy called as she hurried from the library. "I have a nail appointment then I am meeting dad at Jim's." Ty nodded he knew the schedule heck he made the appointments. Lizzy sighed as the short Asian women hurried to complete her nails carefully. Liz thought back to the first time she had her nails done. Phil had brung her here five years ago wanting her to experience grilly things. She had made the mistake of telling him the lady had hurt her; Lizzy had not seen the lady again. She came in and sat in her chair with no waiting after that every two weeks she really liked the other lady who did her nails she was teaching her about make up as well even though Liz never used it much. "Done young lady." The women said as she removed her mask. "Thank you. " Liz stood moving carefully out the door Ty opened the door and watched her head as she moved in. "Off to Jim's then." He said moving to the driver's seat.
They moved in to Jim's with just a minute to spare. Phil turned around smiling. "Lizzy what do you think?" He proudly opened a box showing off four rubies and two emeralds. "They are gorgeous will Sam do it?" He smiled and nodded. She sat in the chair as Sam moved into the room. "Hello wonderful are you ready for this?" She swallowed hard and nodded. He moved forward with the needle. "This will numb you like before." She nodded that was old hat Sam had done her nose ring, tongue piercing and belly button ring. Now he was going to implant the jewels into her toes and tattoo the stem creating cherry toe rings. She closed her eyes and waited as her toes fell asleep. She had wandered into Sam's work area as she waited for her father two years ago. She liked the look of the nose rings but after the nail lady thing she was scared it would hurt and Sam would disappear he had been a source of smiles since she was a kid she did not want him to be hurt. "I can numb it so it will not hurt like a dentist does." He had said she nodded slowly and the next time she was there her nose was pierced. Phil was proud his book shy daughter had shown initiative and made what she wanted happen and to happen her way. So when she asked again he gave his curt nod and she had those jumping for her. When Sam gently shook her shoulder she jerked upright. " Sorry." She mumbled as she sat up. "No problem sweetie it was easier this way." Sam patted her shoulder. She smiled down at her toes. "What do you think Ty?" He moved around the door. "Looks great cherry bug." He said softly smiling at her. She stood carefully putting her flip flops on and hugged Sam. Moving out they met Phil for supper.
Lizzy crawled into bed after Maria put band aids on her new toe ring tattoos. Her stomach was off she was not sick but something did not feel right. The noise woke her it was not one she had ever heard at the house, the sirens rang out over and over as she crawled quickly from the bed. "Ty. Carlos." She called panic in her tone as she moved to her father's rooms. His body guard Laurent lay on the floor paramedics working over him. Carlos moved closer to her as she entered the door way. "Daddy? Is he ok?" She watched in horror as they took his pale sweaty body out. "He will be alright sweetie I am going with him Ty will come with me Carlos will stay with you." He spoke crisply orders clearly not to be questioned even by her. When she meet him as he walked back in the room the next morning he was haggard looking. "He is gone Lizzy." Phil croaked the words out as he wrapped his daughter tight against him. No one moved no one breathed. This was bad it was not every day a body guard died in this house and for it to be Laurent set the house on its side. "Ty will continue to watch you; you will not be far from his side and do not eat anything with out his consent." Phil's voice had hardened. "I will take Carlos and James." Lizzy shuttered she did not like James he was… slimmy it was the only way she could describe him. He was constantly looking at her and not like the others who saw her as one of there own but… she shuttered again. "James daddy." She whispered so none of the staff could hear her question him. He looked at her but relaxed. "Until Markus can get here from his post in Washington." He said as he hugged her again. She moved to her room and sat hard on the bed, the staff had only been changed once that she knew off so she had known all these people her short sixteen years. "Cherry bug." Ty knocked and she stood slowly and opened the door. "What is daddy not telling me?" She asked as he shut the door and crossed his arms. "Laurent was poisoned." Lizzy sat hard. "I want you to pack, little at a time, important stuff that you will not replace." Lizzy nodded as a tear fell. Ty touched her shoulder. She blinked tears back as she looked up. "Now Lizzy, I need to know you will be ready I will take a bag tonight and one tomorrow." "Daddy." She started. "Carlos and I will keep him safe but I need you to do what I ask all right." She nodded but as he shut the door she let the sobs consume her and when he woke her for supper he frowned. "It will be done." She said softly as she shut the door on him.
For two nights now he had taken a bag out to the car and placed it in the trunk for her. She sighed as she looked around, did she have everything she would want? She spent more on underwear and night wear than most but her wardrobe was meager she wore a uniform to school and La Perla underwear and night outfits were a bit more than Victoria secret. She had her electronics and jewelry she did not wear much but what she did was expensive even her belly and nose rings were really diamonds and rubies. It was not something she flaunted but expected. She took her flash drive from her computer pulling her photos with her, Ty said the computer had to stay and the cover off her phone he promised to replace it with one just like it. She ran her hands over the cherry design and wondered if her father had rubies placed in here. She smiled he would he was always saying she hung out with too many men and needed to be girlier it was why she had her nails done and when she asked for jewelry it sparkled. Placing her phone on the charger she packed her I pods in her purse along with her wallet and cover. Crawling into bed her body tingled. She was being dragged from bed that much she gathered but by who and why took her a minute. "Cherry bug come on." Ty was pulling her as they moved through the dark halls. Shots rang out from all angles. She stumbled. "My purse." She tried to turn. "Got it." Ty shoved her forward. The house shook heat rolled over them. Lizzy fell forward on her hands and knees. "Come on bug no time to lay on the job." Tyson tossed her over his shoulder. She grunted and shifted as her belly ring pulled. "Daddy." She called seeing him at the end of the hall. "Get her out Tyson. Do as you were told." The house exploded smoke blowing past then as Tyson lost his footing and together they fell. He tried to pull her closer as the windows shattered in on them but shards impaled themselves in her back and side. Pain raced through her as she screamed. "Daddy." She was trying to turn back to him. She could not see could not breathe. Black smoke choked her filling her lungs painfully.
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